I'm stricken with a cold and despite the gorgeous, mid-winter Sydney weather, I'm curled up in my lair, snarling threateningly at anyone who comes near and feeling right sorry for myself. I know that there are only a few things that will make me feel better. Donald Trump spontaneously combusting in a puff of orange smoke leaving a faint whiff of burnt hair would be good, as would a week's holidays in the Maldives. In the realm of more attainable desires - yesterday I sulked my way solo through an entire Flour and Stone lamington which was excellent and today I'm making plans for more comfort feasting which I'll probably have to begrudgingly share with Mr Bone and the ferals.
First up on my list is a recipe for Tathra pasture-raised duck stuffed with Calamondins from ABC's Simon Marnie, followed by slow roasted lamb leg, rumps and racks - see below for details. Then, something to look forward to in two weeks' time, a big helping of rich, comforting Cassoulet - that nurturing one-pot wonder of Borlotti beans, confit duck marylands, smoked hock, lamb chops, Toulouse sausages, duck stock and herbs. Perfect for cosy, mid-winter feasting. That's it in the photo above.
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Don't forget to buy a box and enter the Year of the Pastured Pigcompetition
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That's enough until I venture out of my lair again. Stay well and warm.
Simon's slow-cooked citrus duck with Calamondins Basically, you stuff the duck cavity with halved citrus (Calamondins), cook it at 120 for seven hours and then stuff yourself with ridiculously delicious, falling apart duck and perfectly crispy duck skin.
Order your duck and Calamondins.
~ Why 1. Simon said. Simon Marnie, the ABC radio host who regularly suffers my waffling on the Providores' Report section of his weekend show, recently bought a Tathra pasture-raised duck from us. A few days later I got a fevered text raving about how he'd found this brilliant new recipe for slow-cooking duck using cumquats and mandarins and he'd roasted our duck and it was fantastic. Apparently his lunch guest, a successful Sydney restaurateur, got stuck in and had seconds and thirds and fourths. Simon was also squeaking with excitement about the rendered duck fat he had left over at the end which he'll use later for roasting potatoes or something equally appealing. So, naturally, we tried his recipe using the Calamondins we had to hand and he was right, it was delicious. 2. Perfect match.
We've got some boxes of organic Calamondins picked fresh by Sally Ayres at Sweet Water organic farm up near Kempsey. A Calamondin is a Filipino cirturs that is a cross between a cumquat and a mandarin with sour flesh and sweet skin - perfect for cooking or preserving. Perfect, as it turns out, with roast duck. We've been forcing them on any hapless customers who venture into the butchery and now it's your turn. That's them below.
Simon's recipe
So simple, even I could do it. Heat the oven to 120 degrees and score the skin of your room-temperature duck, being careful not to pierce the flesh. Stuff the cavity with about six Calamondins cut in half - you want to release the juice but get the flavour and sweetness of the skins. If you resist the lure of our Calamondins, you can use a mix of cumquats and mandarins (or probably any citrus fruit, really). If you're finicky you can close the aperture with toothpicks, not a bad idea. Rub the duck skin with salt and oil (although the duck will release a lot of fat so we skipped the oil) and, put the duck on a trivet in a baking tray - you don't want it sitting in the fat. Cook for six to seven hours. That's basically it. The skin will be crisp and the meat falls off the bone.
We served it with a freekeh risotto and a parade of winter veg. Delicious. Actually, we were so excited about eating it that we forgot to photograph it when it came out of the oven. So you'll have to make do with this shot of it on the plate taken by the chef who, going by the blurriness, was clearly quivering with anticipation.
Lovely lamb
We'll have a Saulsbury Wiltshire Horn on the block this Saturday but if you're coming in earlier or putting in an order online, all our lamb at the moment is New Horizon Dorper from Paul Berkinshaw's Colin Gullie farm just west of Wagga. As you'd know, large parts of the country have been in an extended, harsh drought and we feel fortunate to have access to such good quality lamb. So, as I snort and grumble in my lair, I'm dreaming of a succulent roast lamb leg and these two recipes would do the trick.
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1. Jamie Oliver's very straightforward Best Roast Leg of Lamb(see photo below shamelessly plundered and reproduced).
2. It's citrus season so this Slow-roast lamb with cinnamon, fennel & citrusis also very appealing. I reckon it would work with Calomondins too. Order your lamb
Cassoulet Kit
Available from 6 August. Serves 4-6 people. Order your Cassoulet kit
A nurturing, one-pot wonder of organic Borlotti beans, confit pastured duck marylands, smoked ham hock, lamb chops, Toulouse sausages, duck stock and herbs. We make the confit duck, duck stock and duck fat here, all from Tathra pasture-raised ducks and, of course, the sausages.
Cassoulet is easy to make but it's one of those dishes that feels a bit overwhelming - who has Dorper lamb chops, Toulouse sausages, pasture-raised duck stock and confit pasture-raised duck legs waiting in the larder? Well, now that you mention it...
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We’ve put together a DIY kit that makes cooking Cassoulet a doddle and will comfortably feed four to six people. All you have to do is follow the instructions, add a can of tomatoes, some carrots, fresh parsley, plenty of wine (for drinking) and an appreciative audience.
Malfroys Gold Post Brood honey - second delivery
Malfroys Gold Wild Honey - Post Brood, Poly Flora & Red Stringybard
If you missed out on scoring some of the first delivery of Tim and Emma Malfroy's extraordinary Post Brood Wild Honey, don't despair because we just received a second delivery. We're a bit addled with excitement because this is what we now have in stock.
~ Post Brood Wild Honey:With a similar medicinal profile similar to Manuka honey, this is intense, rich, creamy, warm, complex and off-the-charts delicious. Literally 10 years in the making, there is nothing else like this in Australia. 'Honeys produced and harvested from 'post-brood' comb have come through the broodnest over time and contain the essence of the plants' nectar, pollen and ‘kino’ resins. Post brood combs contain the highest amounts of bee bread (fermented pollen) and propolis, resulting in an outstandingly rich and complex flavour.' Poly Flora Wild Honey:This honey is produced by the bees using Malfroys Gold hives from pollen from the seasonal wildflowers in the ancient, World Heritage-listed Greater Blue Mountains wilderness area. 'Malfroys Gold apiaries are located in a diverse mix of eco-regions, providing an incredible diversity of nectar and pollen sources for the bees to forage. The resulting honey has a complex, intense and ever-changing flavour profile. Due to this incredible diversity, no single jar of honey is the same; each speaks of the utterly unique landscape of the Blue Mountains.' Malfroys website Red Stringybark Honey:Produced from trees that only flower once every four to eight years, Pure Red Stringybark honey is one of the finest in Australia and is a rare and highly prized product. It's a deep, bright amber with a rich, spicy, toffee-like flavour with smoky, earthy undertones and an exceptionally high mineral content. It also has the second lowest GI rating of any Australian honey (44). The bees produce the honey from Red Stringybark woodlands growing on the elevated hills of the Central Tablelands at altitudes of 800 to 1,100 metres in an extreme climate with highly variable rainfall.
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Below: Tim's shots of the office.
YEAR OF THE PASTURED PIG ~ PORK GIVEAWAY!
To celebrate The Year of the Pastured Pig, for six months from May to October we're giving away one sixth of a whole, NSW pastured pig. Buy a Feather and Bone box to be in the running to win.
We'll draw the third winner on 1 August.
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The more boxes you buy the better your chances. Go for it!
BUTCHERY HOURS Tuesday to Friday: 10.00 am ~ 5.00 pm
Saturday: 8.00 am ~ 4.00 pm Parking
If you're planning to come by car, please park in front of Feather and Bone, Unit 8. If there's no room in front of our place, please park on the street just outside the front gate. We and our neighbours thank you for your consideration.
CHEW THE FAT Read our blog for stories from the farms, produce and event news, ruminations on value and trust, a few dodgy jokes and the occasional rant about food labelling. Sometimes we talk about our pets - chickens, children, dog.
