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The breast, the other treasure of the fat duck

visibility46598 Views comment0 comments person Posted By: Emmanuel Poulet-Harmel list In: Blog of gourmets
The breast, the other treasure of the fat duck
The glory of this emblematic piece of South-West cuisine is relatively recent. The piece and its cooking method have become essentials of French gastronomy.
The fate of the duck “breast” is astonishing. Unknown until half a century ago, this piece has entered the consumption habits of the French, to the point of supplanting beef bourguignon in the hit parade of their favorite dishes.
THE Breasts, made from two fillets of flesh taken from the breast of the fat duck, owe their heritage to André Daguin, who managed the restaurant at the Hôtel de France in Auch. At the start of its career, in the 1950s, the flesh of fatted ducks from the South-West, intended for the production of foie gras, was mainly consumed roasted or in confit. We can't imagine being able to taste these "lean" pieces on their own (magret comes from the Occitan magre, which means lean).
At the time, a certain suspicion weighed on the health quality of the meat of fattened ducks, raised on straw that was not always exemplary, which we therefore preferred to eat well cooked.
The young André Daguin will shatter these prejudices. At the end of the 1950s, breeding conditions improved greatly. The meat of the two fillets, cooked in the very rich fat of the duck, will turn out to be extremely tender and tasty.
So, one fine day in 1959, the chef offered a rare duck breast on his menu, the appearance and texture of which surprised the guests of the Hôtel de France. “We presented it without fat, so that it looked like a good, thick piece of entrecôte,” said André Daguin, proud of having been able to mistake duck for beef.
“A NEW MEAT”
The dish will gradually become part of the customs of South-West gastronomy, more accustomed at the time to confits. It was not until the dawn of the 1970s that an American journalist gave this dish a global reputation. Robert Daley, author of successful novels, published an article in the New York Times on André Daguin's restaurant, in which he stated that he had “discovered a new meat: duck breast”.
Placed in the spotlight, the dish spreads across all French tables.
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