Another reason I love Gascony: Grattons de Canard

(If you are reading this post on an RSS reader, you might want to click through to Chez Pim for the slideshow.) Grattons de Canard. Quite possibly the most perfect food. Period.

What is it, you asked? Grattons is normally made of pork fat. Grattons de Canard -or Fritons as they say in Lyon, apparently- is made of, yes, duck. In fact, it's made of duck fat and skin whose fat has been rendered in the process of making confit. The partially rendered skin and fat solids are then ground up and formed into a terrine.

Grattons are fully cooked, so they can be eaten cold like a normal terrine. But as we discovered at Camont, searing a thick slice of Grattons on a hot pan -not to cook but to give it a brown, crisp crust on both sides- produced a wonderfully delicious result. I had a piece for lunch, served with a big pile of Savoy Cabbage, simply sauté in -what else- duck fat, seasoned with salt, pepper, and a small handful of fried lardon.

As I said, quite possibly the world's most perfect food.

Anyone makes me a terrine of Grattons in America, I'll love them for ever.