Lafitte Frozen Duck Aiguillettes

These raw duck aiguillettes are supplied frozen. They are a distinct cut, separate from the magret, and they invite a different kind of cooking. Their slender shape gives the pan plenty of contact with the meat. A browned surface, a tender bite and a little sauce clinging to each piece are the pleasures to aim for.

Duck brings a fuller savoury flavour than the familiar white-meat supper, which makes these pieces especially good with a small amount of acidity. Balsamic and shallot give the juices a sweet-sharp direction; orange offers a brighter, fruitier one. Keep the sauce close to the meat, enough to coat it rather than fill the plate, and the duck stays at the centre.

Choose these when you enjoy the cooking as much as the finished meal: the sound of the pan, the aroma of browning meat, the last spoonful of sauce. The individually weighed packs let you choose the amount for your recipe. Add a soft potato purée or some rice and a green vegetable, and the plate has plenty to make an ordinary supper feel considered.

• Shallot and balsamic: Cook the duck according to the pack’s instructions, then use shallot, balsamic and a little honey for a glossy pan sauce. Serve with mashed potatoes to catch the juices. The sweet-sharp sauce gives the savoury duck a lively finish.
• Mushrooms and soft polenta: Bring sautéed mushrooms and creamy polenta alongside the cooked aiguillettes. The soft base makes a lovely contrast with the browned surface of the duck, while the mushrooms keep the plate firmly savoury.
• Bread for the last spoonful: Add TPK&B Country Classic Sourdough Bread and a small green salad. A crisp crust is a very good way to enjoy the sauce left on the plate.

French duck cookery gives different parts of the bird their own place in the kitchen. A magret is one cut; the aiguillette is another. Lafitte’s repertoire separates them, just as it distinguishes roasting legs from legs intended for confit. Those distinctions are useful when you are choosing what you feel like cooking.

The aiguillette brings the meal closer to the pan. You work with individual pieces and a sauce that comes together around them, rather than a whole breast to carve. It is an appealing way to get to know duck: watch the surface brown, make something good from the juices, and bring the plate straight to the table. There is pleasure in that small scale.

Keep frozen. Follow the pack’s thawing, handling and cooking instructions.