Spice Road Spices - Stories from the Sunday Art of Flavour Post

The note from Reader Ken Bromley was fairly direct. It seems to me, he said, that you guys have covered olive oil and butter. You have discussed Lard in our cooking and you have recommended we do all our frying in Ghee.

In spite of all of that, he continued, you have missed one of the great contributors to the aromatics in our recipes. Duck Fat.

So, once more it is our Readers who offer the timely reminders for matters of flavour. Duck Fat is indeed a great aromatic contributor, especially when used as a rub or marinade with spices.

And it is nothing short of breathtaking with twice cooked baked potatoes. See Kitchen Speak this issue

Before we go any further with Ken's comments and the wonders of Duck Fat in our cooking, we should start with health. Duck Fat and Health The name Duck Fat does not help. Can you imagine a brand; Olive Oil Fat. It would be a complete flop, nobody would go near it.

Therefore, in defence of Duck Fat, it is important to note it contains 35.7% saturated fat. 50.2% monounsaturated fat and 13.7% polyunsaturated fat with the essentials Omega 6 and Omega 3.

Plus, it has high anti-inflammatory and ant-oxidant properties and 115 calories per tablespoon against 120 calories for olive oil. All pretty good really.

Moving to the kitchen, Duck Fat has a smoke (burn) point of 190c. By comparison standard Olive Oil has the same smoke point.

The curious thing is Duck Fat is almost neutral in taste and aroma. Yet, when paired with herbs or spices, the flavours of poultry or vegetables simply blossom. The perfect flavour enhancer.

From our testing it seems the key to bringing Duck Fat into our recipes is with a marinade of Duck Fat and Spices. Check Ken's recipe this issue.

You will be rewarded with a lovely, crispy crust with amazing flavour and aroma.