If you didn’t know already Jamie Oliver has a fair few videos on YouTube.
I enjoyed this recipe from Greece.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gm9jhU68KSY
Roasting Duck Breasts
One of the problems with roasting duck breasts and duck is the amount of fat that comes off it. This is a good thing in one way, but can spoil the roasting process.
You can of course roast the duck breasts on a rack of some kind, so that the fat collects in the bottom of the pan but the duck is kept above it.
The process I use combines pan frying and roasting.
I score the skin of the duck breast and heat a frying pan on a high heat.
Do not add any oil to the pan and place the duck breasts in the pan skin side down.
Once the skin is crisp, transfer the duck breasts to a heated roasting tray and place in the oven and cook until the duck is cooked to your liking.
Some prefer their duck rare, I personally like it a little more done myself.
Pistachio Ice Cream
I have always had a passion for pistachio ice cream. I use to have it as a kid in France and loved it.
It was always a challenge to find it back in the UK even over the last few years it’s not something you see. I have it now and again in (proper) Italian restaurants and even Druckers has a nice version.
So when I was in Sainsburys the other day looking for Carte d’Or Lavazza Latte Macchiato ice cream I saw they were stocking Antonio Federici’s Pistachio ice cream.
This looked very nice. Yes it was expensive and was quite a small tub in comparison to the other “luxury” ice creams in the freezer, but I like pistachio ice cream and this was pistachio ice cream.
I took it home and rather than try it straight away I put it in the freezer for a special occasion.
I followed the instructions to the letter on the day I decided to have some.
The result?
Was it heaven?
Ah….
No…
I so did not like it, I so did not like it so much that I not only threw the tub away, I also didn’t even finish the bowl I had scooped for myself.
So what was wrong, I hear you ask?
Well it certainly did taste of pistachio, it really did taste of pistachio, very nutty, very nutty indeed. It was quite a non-sweet taste, almost savoury-like. I think that was the issue for me, it was too much like pistachios and not enough like pistachio ice cream.
Don’t get me wrong, I like pistachio nuts, but this ice cream didn’t do it for me.
Sanpellegrino
I have been enjoying cans of Aranciata Sanpellegrino; that’s fizzy orange to you and me. I much prefer it over Orangina and certainly it is much nicer than Tango!
I first had Sanpellegrino in Italy, since then I have had it in many Italian restaurants. This is the first time I have seen it in my local supermarket.
Very nice, and not too sweet or strongly flavoured.
Seafood Ramen
Recently at Wagamamas I had the seafood ramen. It is ramen noodles in a vegetable soup topped with grilled smooth dory, prawn, squid, kamaboko, wakame and seasonal greens. garnished with menma and spring onions.
Very nice it was too.
Not too keen on the ketchup
I mentioned before how impressed I was with the new crisps (potato chips) from Burts with no added salt, but unlike other unsalted crsisps they have flavours; plain, ketchup and vinegar.
They are really nice crisps and if you are trying to keep your salt intake down a nice choice if you like crisps.
However…
I have decided that though I like plain and vinegar, I am not such a fan of the ketchup flavour.
Think in future I will go for the unsalted only crisps.
Arctic Roll
Production of Arctic Roll, the retro ice cream dessert, was halted in 1997, but in 2008, Birds Eye chose to revive the brand because the recession is fuelling a demand for comfort food.
Business Correspondent Ian Reeve went to the north Yorkshire factory that is making nine million of them a year.
Watch the video.
Burts Chips
Really impressed to see some new crisps (potato chips) from Burts with no added salt, but unlike other unsalted crsisps they have flavours; plain, ketchup and vinegar.
They are really nice crisps and if you are trying to keep your salt intake down a nice choice if you like crisps.
Cupcakes
BBC News reports on the rise of the cupcake.
“Buttercream frosted, pink hearts and sprinkles, melt-in-your-mouth candy and violet petals.” It might be the perfect menu for an additive-enhanced children’s party, but these lavish confections are driving a sugar-coated revolution.
Not for me though…
Photo source.
Waitrose Duck with Orange Sauce
I do quite like duck and the obvious choice with duck is an orange sauce. Though I more often than not prefer to make my own sauces, sometimes you don’t have the time, sometimes you don’t have the expertise. Shop sauces can often be too sweet or usually too salty, so I don’t like to buy them. The duck with orange sauce from Waitrose though falls into the just right category, neither too sweet nor too salty.
I use to get a similar pack from Sainsbury, however they no longer stock it at my local branch (and don’t recall seeing it elsewhere either).
Having taken out the two duck breasts from the fridge, using a fork, prick the skin side of the duck breast.Duck can be quite fatty and as a result if you simply roast the duck breast it will be too fatty and greasy. So heat a frying pan, but don’t add any oil. Place the duck breasts in the pan skin side down.
Frying the duck breast in this way renders the fat out from the duck and as a result you get nice crispy skin and little fat or greasiness.
The breasts will also shrink slightly as they cook. There is technique that you can use to stop the meat curling up, but I can’t remember what it is! Something about cutting away something. If you know post a comment and let me know.
Once the skin is nice and brown, place the duck breasts skin side up in a roasting pan. Roast in the oven for about ten to twenty minutes (depending on how you like your duck).
Serve with the orange sauce.