Rich Satisfying and Indugent
Foie gras is undoubtedly one of my favourite foods, even though I don’t eat it very often. It is everything a woman loves – rich, satisfying, and indulgent. On a recent trip to
Québec, I found a new company that is getting their fare out to restaurants, inns, and fine food stores nationwide. After sampling the many products Marketerre has developed, including a delicious foie gras, it is not hard to see why this company will be in gourmet food shops nations wide very soon! Their philosophy is dedication to the products of the earth, but as is often the case with great ideas in the food industry, growth often comes with growing pains. The ideas need to be birthed, developed and marketed all at the same time. And although our land abounds with the goodness of fresh, quality produced foods, there are rules and regulations that often slow the growth of small companies.
Marketerre is working through the red tape and helping small farmers get their goods on the market with quality assurance behind them. The company is the brainchild of CEO and General Director Jonathan L. Bélanger, M.Sc. He started out working in a bakery and was impressed by the passion that regional craftsmen had for their products. The problem was that it was often difficult to get the products into the hands of the consumer within an affordable price range. He also noted that these foodstuffs were seldom distributed on a larger scale in traditional stores. Bélanger has broken that barrier by helping these small farmers get their fabulous products into the hands of discerning customers. You can visit Marketerre’s website at www.marketerre.com
This is just one of the recipes Jonathan has come up with.
Salad Landaise:
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Ingredients: (For 4 people)
1 salad head (large leaf lettuce or red –leaf chicory)
2 breasts of duck smoked (a magret is a duck breast from a foie gras duck)
4 sections of duck foie gras
3 tbsp of pine nuts
Simple Vinaigrette :
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
Ground Salt and Pepper
Preparation:
Fan out washed and well-dried salad leaves and prepare the vinaigrette. Thinly slice the smoked duck breast and sear over high heat. Remove the breast and turn the heat down to low, then warm the four sections of foie gras. Add the pine nuts. Remove from heat.
To assemble the salad, layer the lettuce on the bottom of the plates with the duck breast slices, fois gras and pine nuts in the middle. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the top. Finish with a few grinds from the salt and pepper mill. Serve immediately.