“Good food and wine, this is paradise on earth,” France’s much loved king, Henri IV, of the Perigord region he knew so well.

And indeed, the Dordogne is the supplier of much of France’s finest produce: wines, cèpes, truffles, and duck and goose, which yield many specialities from foie gras and truffles to the “Demoiselle” (the whole bird grilled over a wood fire).

Above all, this is healthy food, although with all the fat and meat and wine it may not sound like it. The Perigord is the home of the ‘French exception,’ the curious medical fact that despite the local diet, the locals have a remarkably low level of heart problems. The answer, it seems, is that they use duck fat rather than butter or olive oil, and the red wine also helps. So, probably, does the outdoor life style and the passion for sports.

Perigord cuisine and recipes

This may be hard to believe, but there was a time when the breast of duck was not greatly valued in the Perigord. The fattened liver was the valuable item, along with the thighs which could be turned into Confit de Canard. These days, the Magret or breast of duck is one of the treasures of Perigord cuisine. Bruno is a fan of the dish the great chef Andre Daguin devised.

Magrets de Canard, facon Andre Daguin
Serves 4
4 duck breasts, boned and with skin on
4 pounds (1.8 kg) coarse sea salt or kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces (100g) flour
5 egg whites
3 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
kitchen string

Pre-heat oven to 450F/230C. Line an ovenproof dish large enough to take the breasts with aluminum foil and lightly oil it.

Trim any fat off the breasts and pat dry, but leave the layer of fat between the skin and the meat. Score the skin every inch (2.5 cm) with the point of a sharp knife without penetrating the flesh. Place skin side down in a dry heavy-bottomed frying pan and fry over medium heat till the skin is crisp. Pour off the fat, roll the breasts skin side out into a cylinder and tie with string.

In a large clean mixing bowl incorporate the salt, egg whites, flour, thyme and generous grinds of pepper. Spread half over the lined ovenproof dish. Place the breasts on top and cover with the remaining salt mixture. Press it well around each breast to create a casing.

Roast for 18 minutes then remove and allow to rest on a rack for 10 more then set on a warm serving dish with a heavy knife or kitchen hammer alongside. Crack the salt crust, remove each breast, cut the string and brush off any clinging salt.

Serve with a green salad and a sauce of blackcurrants.

Blackcurrant sauce to eat with duck

2 tablespoons butter
3 large shallots peeled and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic peeled and finely chopped
1/4 cup brandy
1/2 cup blackcurrant jam or jelly
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup chicken stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a medium size heavy saucepan over medium heat.

Add the shallots and garlic and saute until transparent, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Stir in the brandy, stock, blackcurrant preserves and mustard. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve warm.

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Another long-ignored part of the duck was the aiguillettes, the long tails of the duck fillets that you can buy separately. They used to be very cheap, and are still reasonably priced. This is one of Bruno’s favorite dishes

Aiguilettes de Canard au miel
Serves 4

1 pound of duck breast fillets
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons honey. (Bruno recommends chataigner (chestnut) honey from Perigord, available in most local markets.
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a heavy bottomed frying pan melt the butter over medium heat.

Turn the heat to high and quickly toss the duck fillets to seal and brown. Remove to a hot serving dish with a slotted spoon and season to taste. Lower heat to medium, stir in the honey and the vinegar, scraping up any bits on the bottom of the pan. Pour sauce over the duck fillets and serve, with Pommes a la Sarladaise and a green salad.

To go with a duck dish, Bruno likes petits pois, which are so good in the tins and glass jars that French supermarkets sell that it is hardly worth making them yourself. But no Perigord dish, least of all duck, is complete without the local potatoes, made into something heavenly in the style of the town of Sarlat.

Pommes de terre a la Sarladaise
Serves 4
5 large waxy potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons duck fat
1 large bunch parsley, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

Wash the sliced potatoes in several changes of fresh water to remove the starch. Drain and dry on a clean kitchen cloth.

Heat the duck fat over medium heat in a large heavy-bottomed frying pan, add the potatoes and toss carefully to coat in the fat. Fry gently, tossing regularly till the potatoes begin to brown. Add the garlic and parsley, fold in well to incorporate. Once most of the potatoes have begun to crisp, turn out onto a warmed dish and serve.

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Rabbit is delicious, and hare is a dish fit for a king. Bruno s still working on his civet de lievre, a stew of hare in its own blood thta is one of the more complex delights of French cuisine. but rabbit can be bland so it is usually given spice by being prepared with one of the many types of French mustard.

Lapin a la moutarde
Serves 4
2-3 pounds (900g-.4kg) fresh rabbit
3 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil
salt and freshy ground black pepper

2 shallots
4 ounces (100g) streaky bacon, chopped
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 carrots, sliced
2 leeks, white part only, sliced
1 tablespoon flour
10 fluid ounces (300ml) dry white wine
2 bay leaves
3 teaspoons dried thyme
1 sprig fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Cut the rabbit into 8 pieces and pat dry with paper towels. If there’s a liver, roughly chop it. Sprinkle the rabbit with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat and saute the rabbit till golden brown on all sides, then remove to a dish.

Saute the shallots, garlic, leeks, carrots and bacon in more oil if needed, stirring all the while.

Return the rabbit to the pan, sprinkle with flour and cook it in, stirring, for a minute. Pour in the wine, scraping up the bottom of the pan, and add the herbs. Cover and simmer for an hour with a couple of stirs during the cooking. Add the mustard and liver, season with salt and pepper and serve sprinkled with the parsley.

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Prunes d’Agen

Fill a clean jar with good quality dried prunes. If they feel hard between the fingers, soften them overnight in 10 fluid ounces (300ml) strong tea then drain before putting them in the jar.

Cover them with port or armagnac. You will need about a bottle and it need not be an expensive make.

Store in a dark place for at least 3 months.

To serve, place one plump prune or two in the bottom of a small liqueur glass. Surround with some of the liquid and top with a heaped teaspoon of creme fraiche. The alcohol in the juice will lightly solidify the cream.

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Tourain

The classic soup of Perigord is called Tourain, a word which is not found in most dictionaries including the French Petit Larousse, but which can be translated as broth. Its full name is Tourain Blanchi a l’Ail, or garlic-whitened broth. It is tasty and very filling, particularly when you add vermicelli or lumps of stale bread as the French like to do.

For the locals, it is ESSENTIAL to leave a small amount of broth at the bottom of your plate and then add a slug of red wine, stir it around and then drink the wine-tourain mixture straght from the soup bowl. This is known as ‘faire chabrol’ and proves you are a real Perigordin. It also tastes pretty god.

Tourain for 4:
1 medium onion, sliced and chopped.
4 cloves of garlic, (2 if you are a wimp)
2 soup spoons of duck fat
2 soup spoons of flour
1 litre of chicken stock
1 egg

Gently fry the onion and garlic until they are softened, then sieve in the flour little by little, stirring constantly until well mixed, then add the chicken stock slowly, and let it all simmer for 20 minutes. Take the egg, separating the white from the yoke, and vigorously stir the white into the soup with a fork. Take the soup off the flame. Then mix a small dribble (not much more than a teaspoon) of vinegar into the egg yoke as you beat it, and stir that into the broth.

This is the classic tourain, but it makes a splendid base for more ambitious soups, so you can top it off with cheese (a good French Cantal or a Gruyere or even Parmesan are all good). Or you can add carrots and other vegetables, or even leftovers.

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Picnics.

There are few better ways to eat in Perigord than to buy the the ingredients for a picnic at one of the local market. A fresh warm baguette of French bread, some pate and saucisson and cheese and tomatoes and fruit makes a feast. For an extra pleasure, if anywhere near the town of Le Buisson de Caneda, it is worth making a detour to the renowned shop called Arvouet for the extraordinary duck sausage (saucisson de canard), made only of duck with almost no fat and quite delicious. From the centre of Le Buisson, follow the road sign toward Siorac and St Cyprien, go past the tennis court and after 200 yards on the right you’ll find Arvoet, set back from the road with a small parking area in front. They also sell excellent pate and good local wines.  They can also be found in the market at Lalinde. Arvouet, tel 0553.220037.