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In French cuisine, there are signature dishes and then there are show-stoppers: love them or question their relevance, they are dishes of extravagance.
Canard à la presse, a classic French duck dish served at in Sydney, is none other than a show-stopping food experience that's been crafted to grab your attention. It’s also a dish that could challenge a person’s cross-cultural understandings on how food ‘should be’ cooked.
In France, canard à la presse or canard au sang (duck in blood) is regarded as the height of elegance. It consists of the various parts of a young duck that's been roasted: duck legs fall on one plate and duck breast slices go on another. The distinguishing feature, however, is the sauce that tops the breast.
It’s made of duck’s blood and bone marrow, extracted from the carcass. This is done via the use of a 'presse' (hence the name of the dish): a contraption formed of two metal plates designed to squeeze out excess juice from bones.
Although the idea of the pressing duck bones may make some diners squirm, the concept is based on an old school no-waste philosophy.
The copper-plated duck presse at The Charles Grand Brasserie & Bar, Sydney. Source: Photo by Steven Woodburn
“The French do amazing duck dishes,” says Sebastien Lutaud, the French-born culinary director of The Charles, and . “We don't waste anything when it comes to flavour.
“Instead of using the carcass to make stock, we put it in a duck presse. The presse extracts every single bit of juice left in the carcass so you can use it in an amazing sauce.”
The traditional technique of extracting the extra bits of duck for a sauce is somewhat different to what we're used to in Australia. But the 'presse' has been around in France for many years. Pressed duck is a traditional meal from Rouen, Normandy, that became famous in Paris in the early
Today, pressed duck is served as a specialty of restaurant in Paris, where it’s known as Caneton Tour d'Argent (Tour d'Argent duckling). In this restaurant, and many others throughout France, the duck carcass gets pressed at the table for the viewing pleasure of diners.
Rumour has it that TV presenter and former chef, the late Anthony Bourdain even kept a Parisian-bought duck presse at home. It goes without saying that canard à la presse certainly has a following.
Duck decadence explained
The decadence of duck a la presse at The Charles is reflected in its price. At $170 for a whole dry-aged Maremma duck à la presse, the meal is not budget dining. But, says Lataud, it’s not meant to be.
“The ducks we use are not supermarket-bought ducks. They are from high quality farms and the price we charge reflects what we pay the farmer.”
Given that the duck weighs 2.2 kilos and feeds two-to-four diners (depending on how hungry you are), it’s an expected sell for a fine dining establishment that offers table-side saucing and carvings, roving dessert trolleys and European warmth.
Then there's the fact that The Charles restaurant has invested a lot of energy into its signature duck dish. “The whole thought process behind the brasserie was based on canard à la presse. I designed the whole kitchen around it. The duck dish even has it’s own cool room.”
An intense preparation process
The method of preparing the duck dish is also quite lengthy and intense. Lutaud explains that first the ducks are poached quickly. This helps to release excess fat.
“We then use an industrial compressor to [blow air into the duck] to separate the skin from the flesh. This is a Peking duck technique that ensures the duck has very crispy skin. The skin is brushed with concentrated juice from cacao fruit. It's acidic, sweet and stunning.”
Brushed ducks later go into the purpose-built cool room at The Charles where they stay for at least 10 days. “We have about 80 ducks in there, just drying out.”
Once dried, the ducks are roasted to achieve a Peking duck-style skin. “We take the legs off and continue cooking the legs in duck fat to confit them. Meanwhile, we let the breasts rest.”
Next, it’s time for the presse. “The carcass gets cut into small pieces and put in the presse to be squashed until the juices are all extracted."
"This dish shows that the French can also do fantastic duck dishes with unbelievable flavours.” Source: Photo by Steven Woodburn
The juices get added to a duck jus. The result is a sauce that's less intense compared to its traditional counterparts, purely because duck carcasses in Australia do not contain its innards. Therefore the extracted juices taste lighter. “Everyone thinks French food is so rich and heavy. I wanted to pull away from that. Our sauce is lighter than the traditional sauce that’s usually served with this dish."
The duck breast is topped with a fennel and coriander spice mix, then sliced and served with stone fruit chutney. Both the duck leg and duck breast dishes are presented to the table, before the waiter pours the famous pressed duck sauce over the breast.
Lutaud believes that although the dish may take Sydney-siders by surprise, the experience of eating canard à la presse in his brasserie will be a memorable one.
“We believe the dish we have is the right balance for the Australian palate. The Chinese do an amazing job with Peking duck. This dish shows that the French can also do fantastic duck dishes with unbelievable flavours.”
