I'm expanding my recipe search and looking to friends and family around the world to contribute to my blog. This time it's my sister, gourmand and chef extraordinaire Julia Baillie's turn, with her recipe for rillettes, a rustic pate that's made from meat that's been poached in its own fat. This is not a halal recipe as it contains pork. [Editor's note - If you're interested in the history of rillettes, please scroll down to the bottom of this post.] Before we get to the recipe, here's a little something about Julia.
What’s the most delicious thing you have ever eaten? Almost everyday I have the most delicious thing I have ever eaten. The most recent delicious thing was a duck liver parfait, a mousse-like cloud on hot toasted sour dough bread with onion marmalade. I ate a lot of that!
If you could fly anywhere in the world for dinner tonight where would you go and what would you have to eat? Vietnam. I'd dine on a selection of street food.
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| My sister, gourmand and chef extraordinaire Julia Baillie |
If you could fly anywhere in the world for dinner tonight where would you go and what would you have to eat? Vietnam. I'd dine on a selection of street food.
What’s in your fridge at the moment? Soft caramel toffee waiting to set; a bottle of duck rillettes ready for hot toast; broccoli soup; lots of salad greens and herbs that are on standby for a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe for dinner.
What was the last thing you baked? My Butter Daisies, large shortbreads shaped like happy daisies.
Which chef would you love to invite for dinner? That would be Anthony Bordain and Rick Stein.
Julia's delicious duck rillettes recipe
(Serves eight)
You will need:
- 600g pork belly cut into small pieces
- 800g duck legs
- 100 ml white wine
- 200 ml water
- 1 tspn sea salt
- 1/4 tspn black pepper
- 1/2 tspn ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tspn ground allspice
- 1 large garlic clove, crushed
1.) Preheat the oven to 140 degrees (275F).
2.) Place all of the ingredients together with 200 ml water into a casserole dish and mix thoroughly. Cover with a lid.
3.) Bake for four hours. The meat should be soft and surrounded by liquid fat.
4.) Pour through a strainer and reserve the fat. Remove the meat from the duck legs and shred all the warm meat using two forks as tools. The meat must be 'stringy' and not a mush. Season if necessary. You can add a little of the strained liquid if need be.
5.) Pack into a 750 ml dish or terrine, or glass jars as a gift, and leave until cold.
6.) Strain the hot fat through a sieve lined with damp muslin.
7.) Once the meat is cold pour the fat over the top. You can reheat the liquid fat if it has solidified.
8.) Lay a bay leaf and pink peppercorns in the liquid to make it look gorgeous.
9.) Keep covered in the fridge.
10.) Serve at room temperature on warm toast. It will last for up to a week.
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| Julia's duck rillettes that she sells in Hermanus, South Africa |
If you're keen on sharing your favourite recipe, please email me on angela.hundal@gmail.com. Chat soon!
According to this link http://dineonswine.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=55:rillettes&catid=36:swine-recipes&Itemid=82 'the first writings on rillettes can be found in 1480 in cook books from Touraine, located in the centre part of France. [Francois] Rabalais, 15th century writer and philosopher, author of Gargantua and Pantagruel, describes them as the "brown jam" as their main property is a capacity of long term conservation.
Traditionally rillettes were made twice a year when pigs were killed, using all the leftovers after the classic meat cuts. After long and slow cooking, the meat was stored in ceramic jars and covered by 3cm of pure fat, keeping it away from oxydation [sic]. They were therefore used for long travels as it was an easy way to have fat and proteins, kept in aseptic conditions. In some books they have also been described as plated in the shape of a pyramid and topped with the pig's tail. The rillettes were proudly displayed to the guest of honour as a sign of wealth.
Today the cooking style is applied to game birds, wild rabbit and fish. And like any French dish, it has many regional definitions. In general most rillettes are served cold and spread on toast much like a pate.'
For more on rillettes, read:
- http://www.regions-of-france.com/regions/pays_de_la_loire/food-gastronomy/rillettes-porc/
- http://ckenb.blogspot.com/2011/04/home-made-rillettes-de-lapin.html
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