Quack, quack there goes the duck - Confit de Canard

Here is the traditionnal recipe for Confit de Canard. For my good friend Mikrouli


Ingredients for 4 people. Prep time 10 mins. Cooking time 3 to 4h plus 24 hours 

• 4 duck legs
• 150 g Coarse sea salt
• 1.5 to 2 kg duck fat - depends on the size of the legs
• 1 clove of garlic
• Freshly ground pepper

1. Peel the garlic clove, cut in 2 and rub on the legs. Rub the salt on the legs, pepper generously, put them in a dish, cover with cling film - make sure the cling film does not touch the meat. Stick it in the fridge for 24h.
2. 24 h later, melt the fat slowly on a low heat in an iron cast pot.
3. Gently pat the legs - do not rinse them.
4. Once the fat has melted, put the legs in the pot making sure that they are well covered.
5. Cover and stick in the oven for 3 hours. Stick a very fine knife in one of the legs to check that the meat is on the verge of falling of the bones and that the juices are clear. If not cook for longer.
6. Once cooked, you can put the legs in a sterilized jar and keep in the fridge. Eat within 2 to 3 weeks. Can be kept much longer if you are a pro at sterilization. 
7. Or can be eaten straight away. Take the legs out of the pot, place in an metal oven dish, crank up the oven at 190 C. Once the skin as brown it's ready. About 15 mins.
8. Serve with duck fat roasted or fried potatoes and a lushious green salad.
9. Enjoy!

Keep the fat from the pot. Filter, stick in a sterilized jar and keep in the fridge. I am still using some that is over a year old.

Gosh I am starving now. 

Basic Cookie Recipe and a few twists

The easiest cookies to do. They are an adaptation of Rachel Allen's recipe.


Ingredients for about 35 cookies. Prep time 10 mins. Cooking time about 10 mins.

• 225g butter, at room temperature
• 275g plain flour
• 50 gr Agave Nectar or 70g light brown soft sugar

1. Preheat the oven at 170 C if baking the same day.
2. Beat butter and sugar until soft and creamy.
3. Mix in flour.
4. Bring together with your hand. You will get a soft dough.
5. 2 options to form the cookies. Roll in log, chill for 30 mins then cut slices or roll wlanut size balls in your hands.
6. Put on baking tray, not to close as they expand slightly.
7. Stick in the oven for about 10 mins. Check after 8 mins. When they are light and gloden pale, you can take them out.
8. Cool on a wire rack.
9. Once cold and you can bare the thought, store in airtight container. They can be kept for 4/5 days, though if they make it to day number 2 let me know. Never been heard of.

The dough can be kept in the fridge for 5 days or frozen for a month.


Now for the TWISTS:
There are so many combinations. Just do what tickles your fancy and don't forget to share your ideas.

Here are a few examples to get you started.

Before adding the flour add the following ingredients and follow the recipe as above.

• Orange and ginger

Zest an orange, add 2 heaped tsps of ground ginger

• Citrus

Grate an orange, a lemon and a grapefruit.

• Too good for Rudolph

1 handful dried cranberries
1 handful chopped and roasted hazelnuts
2 bars of chopped white chocolate, from a 200g slab.
1 grated orange

• Smelling Christmas

1 tsp ground cinamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp all spice
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves

• Chocolate Addict

1 bar white chocolate, chopped
1 bar dark chocolate, chopped
1 bar milk chocolate, chopped
When I talk of bars its 1 one bar from a 100g slab of chocolate

• Chocolate Rehab

1 handful ground almond
Follow recipe, then when cool, dip in dark melted chocolate.
To melt chocolate, put 100 g chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot water. Make sure the water is just simmering and not touching the bowl. Melt slowly, take off the heat then dip. Let them dry on baking parchment paper.

Blue Christmas - Pimping the porridge!

Soooo bored with my breakfast. One can get very creative when one cannot face another plain bowl of porridge. 


Ingredients for one person.

• 1 portion of cooked and unsweetened porridge still piping hot.
• 1 small handful of dried Cranberries.
• 1 small handful of chopped and roasted hazelnuts or any nuts of your choice.
• Orange zest.
• 1 pinch of cinnamon.
• A splash of maple syrup if you need a sugar fix.
• And if you are feeling decadent, some grated bitter chocolate.

1. Put cranberries in the porridge, let stand 5 mins.
2. Add all other ingredients.

Bon Ap!

Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer - Eggnog

Nothing says Christmas like Eggnog or Mulled Wine. (Recipe for the latter in the drinks section).
The first time I heard about eggnog was when I was a teenager watching a Christmas movie. What was that drink that they were talking about? For many years I was fascinated with it and when I moved to the UK a few years ago, I was on a mission to discover THE recipe. What I learned is that in the old recipes, no ingredients saw heat. These days, with a lot of people freaking out over raw eggs, the liquids are heated up with the eggs. It just looses out on freshness.
Some people skip the booze. WHY?? Except if you are attending the AA, it is a must ingredient and it's the season for spoiling yourself. Over indulging eggnog is not a good idea. You apparently feel it for days... Must be the cream.


Ingredients for 4 servings. Prep time 15 min.
Prior to making this, make sure all the ingredients are very cold.

• 2 Organic Eggs, no free range or basics.
• 60 gr Light brown Sugar.
• 200 ml Double Cream, preferably organic.
• 200 ml Whole Milk, preferably organic.
• A good pinch of grated Nutmeg, ground Nutmeg will also do.
• 80 ml Rum. I sometimes use Cointreau instead when I feel like a change.

1. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and the sugar until pale and frothy. Use an electric mixer, it's just easier and pain free. You need that arm to drink.
2. Gradually add the cream, milk, rum and nutmeg while still whisking.
3. Taste. Add more alcohol if you need an extra kick.
4. It can be made in advance. Keep in the fridge and re-whisk before serving.

Cheers.