So Much To Do, So Little Time. Duck Soup & a Little Bit of Foodie Book Club
I am so behind with my writing, for this site, for food companies and for the Foodie Book Club (have you started a Foodie Book Club in your area yet?)
In the next couple of months, with everything crossed, the Foodie Book Club will be launching on local radio stations in the North East.
The idea is to encourage people to start their own Foodie Book Club all around the UK and beyond.
If you enjoy food, enjoy reading and enjoy chatting about both of these things, the Foodie Book Club is the perfect way to do all of this and have some fun too.
Just read the recommended book on the Foodie Book Club page, make a “pot Luck” dish based on the food mentioned in the title of the book to share with others in the group, meet once a month and have some fun.
You can even send me pictures of what you make and share your thoughts about the books and your dishes on the Foodie Book Club new twitter account:
Foodie Book Club @book_foodie
or any questions on how to make your Foodie Book Club work for you , send to: meetatthefoodiebookclub@gmail.com .
The Foodie Book Club is not about being the best cook, no chefs or prize winning food is needed or expected to be involved, it’s about getting together with like-minded people and chatting, sharing food and having fun.
My own Foodie Book Club has its first meeting on Monday March 30th. There are 6 people in this group so far, ideally, I’d like there to be eight with a split between gender, age, race etc. Not sure if that’s possible? Whoever is in the first Foodie Book Club are the prototypes for all the rest of the groups. If things work here, then I’m pretty sure that they will work in all of the groups.
What’s most important to me, is that I get it started and get onto the hard work of having fun.
Even the lovely Mr G has signed up to be part of it. It may have something to do with the fact that if he didn’t’, he wouldn’t get to sample all the food that’s going to be around that evening.
What about the Duck Soup part of this post? Well I made this soup for Gressingham Duck website using some of their fabulous duck breasts they sent my way.
Hopefully by the time this is posted here ,I’ll have the link to their website post to share with you also. If not, go along to their website to see the blog attached to the recipe on their page, and have a look at all the great produce they have.
The Duck Soup recipe turned out to be another dish to add to my ever-growing list of dishes I’ve just got to eat again, for you too, I think. It’s easy, quick and looks very impressive when it’s put together ready for serving. A weeknight favourite and a dinner party go to for your friends.
Let me know how yours works out.
Let me know about your Foodie Book Club Too
Enjoy Your Sweet Life
Ready for eating. With or without chop sticks?
Duck Breast Soup With Pak-Choi, Chilli & Ginger
Serves 4
What You Need
2 red chilli – sliced (seeds in or out See Tip Box)
1-piece fresh ginger approx. 2” – Peeled and sliced into big pieces
4 pints duck broth or chicken broth
1 small bunch of fresh coriander
1 small bunch or fresh parsley
2 Gressingham Duck breast
4 spring onions
100 gm beansprouts
2 hard boiled eggs
1 packet of pak-choi
1 pack of Rice noodles
1 pack of baby sweet corn – approx. 140g
S & P
As many or as few chillies as you dare
How It’s Done
Heat oven to 180c (See Tip Box)
Pak-choi & baby sweet corn in bottom of bowl after a short kiss from the duck fat
For the Broth
Place all the ingredients for the broth into a heavy bottomed saucepan. Bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the temperature to simmer and leave to simmer with the lid on for 20 minutes.
Keep a check the broth to make sure it’s not boiling to vigorously
Once cooked, Strain the broth into a bowl, throw away all of the strained bits and put the broth back into the sauce pan and keep hot.
Season with S & P to taste
With a sharp knife score both of the skins of the duck breasts (See Tip Box)
Place the duck breasts skin side down into a heavy bottomed pan. Place the pan onto a medium heat. Let the pan heat and let the duck fat render out of the skin side of the duck. Leave to cook, skin side down until the skins are brown and crispy. Approx. 7 minutes
Once brown, turn the breasts over and cook for a further 7 mins
Place duck breasts into the oven to cook for further 7 mins. Remove and let the duck breasts rest until ready to use them.
Just before serving, slice the duck breasts at an angle – 1 breast between two people
Keep the leftover duck fat in the pan.
Cook the rice noodles according to the packet instructions and set aside until needed
Peel the hard-boiled eggs and slice each one into for quarters and set aside.
Slice the baby sweetcorn lengthways into thin strips.
Wash and Slice the spring onions into circles at an angle.
Wash and Slice the pak-choi leaves lengthways -rough strips
Place the sliced pak-choi and the slice baby sweet corn into the pan with the remaining duck fat. Cook on a low heat for 4 minutes, turning half way through.
Place the cook baby sweet corn and pak-choi at the bottom of four serving bowls.
Pour the hot broth on top of the pak-choi and sweetcorn.
Add some cooked rice noodles, fresh bean sprouts, two pieces of boiled egg and slices of the Gressingham duck breast to the broth bowl.
Serve hot
Enjoy
Only Crispy Duck Skin Will Do
Tip Box
Oven- All ovens are different so adjust temperatures and cooking times accordingly
Chilli – Keep the seeds in if you like extra spice, take them out if not too hot is your preference. When you take them out of the broth, you might want to leave aside and people can add to their own broth if they want a little more spice.
Duck – Score the skin in a criss-cross pattern. Make sure not to cut all the way through to the meat.
One bowl is not enough
