OH, TO BE A DUCK!

Rainy days ahead..

Every time it rained my father used to ALWAYS say..." Great weather for ducks!"  

As a petulant and disagreeble teenager, I would raise my eyes to heaven and sigh at the constant repetition.


Now, like so many of us, I find myself saying the same things as my parents. I even feel like my parents when I say them. I come out with all the classics I swore I'd never burden my children with...
The hours sleeping before midnight are the most important. 
Eat three pieces of fruit every day, otherwise your growth will be stunted..
Close that door, were you born in a tent...
Don't put that in your mouth, you don't know where it's been!
Eat your brocolli, thousands of starving children would!
Bored? I was never bored at your age!
If I'd talked to my mother the way you talk to me....
Always change your underwear, you never know when you'll be in an accident. 
I slave for hours over a hot stove and that's all the thanks I get!
Because I'm your mother, that is why! 
If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times....
Take your elbows off the table!
Just wait till you have children of your own, then you'll understand why!
And the list goes on....


This morning, driving my daughter to school in the torrential rain, I looked at her and said, " Great weather for ducks!!" She duly raised her eyes to heaven, sighed, curled her lip and looked out the window. 


No further comment.


It's also good weather to EAT duck...foie gras season is upon us in in south west France. 
Here's an easy terrine recipe that freezes well...getting ready for xmas!!
The trick to great foie gras terrine is simplicity...


Susie's Simple Foie Gras Sauternes Terrine


700gr fresh quality foie gras
10cl sauternes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper 
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg


Separate delicately the 2 lobes of foie gras. Pull out gently the nerves with the aid of a sharp pointed paring knife. Dab off any moisture with a paper towel. Salt and pepper the lobes and pose them in a buttered terrine dish...should fill up to 2/3rds of the dish's volume. Pour over the wine , cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for 12 hours.


Preheat oven to 150°.


Take terrine from fridge, turn over the lobes. reclose the terrine. Bake in a bain-marie for 45 minutes.


Remove from oven and let chill. 
Grate over nutmeg. Cover with cling-film and gently push down the contents. You can also use a small board the size of your dish to push down the foie.
Put it in the fridge and leave 48hrs before serving.



Comments

  1. Susie your post certainly rang true for me.
    I constantly feel like my mother and repeat all those golden oldies.
    Can not wait to test your terrine out.
    Love your blog!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Janice Studer-Rose8 November 2010 at 16:13

    Suzie, today saw the piece in the frenchpaper about you, bravo. My 14 year old daughter had told me about you as she followed Masterchef, but i tuned in too late. We are a kiwi family living in the Dordogne for the past 5 years and for 1 and a bit years we have successfully been running our own Restaurant "Rouge"; My cooking started out as trad Kiwi stuff and has developed into my very own and the locals love us, we are happy little kiwis but I cant help laugh at the irony of it all. If you ever want to get away from it all for a weekend or so perhaps you might like to be a guest chef at ours. We love what you are doing, keep up the great work
    Janice

    ReplyDelete
  3. @ Janice. Thanks for your comment. I am terribly flattered. I will put a link to your web site below. Kind regards,
    Susie

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yes Keep up the good work Susie...I agree this is just the greatest blog!
    Jerri

    ReplyDelete
  5. farming-frenchstyle11 November 2010 at 11:50

    How about -
    children should be seen and not heard?
    do as I say not as I do?

    And do you put things on the stairs (just like your mum) to take up when you go? Am buying mine a stair-basked for xmas. Great post.

    ReplyDelete
  6. farming-frenchstyle11 November 2010 at 11:51

    Sorry, that should read stair-basket.

    ReplyDelete
  7. @ farming-frenchstyle....YES I do put things on the stairs...in particular their shoes, which I usually end up tripping over!!
    Cheers
    Susie

    ReplyDelete

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