D’Artagnan’s Duck Rillettes Triumphantly Tantalize the Tastebuds of the Peachy's Pantry Panel of Whom You Know!
We don't profess to know it all at Whom You Know, but we certainly can find the people who do. Nobody knows duck better than Ariane Daguin and the people at D'Artagnan, and we are thrilled to review their new product: Duck Rillettes. With heavenly texture composed of Rohan Duck meat, spices and vegetable stock, this spread is a symphony of your tastebuds telling your brain that you are one lucky duck to be eating it! This is an amazing choice for your next cocktail party as your guests are sure to be astounded by the taste, and it couldn't be simpler for you than ordering it and spreading it on your favorite toasted item. We chose rye bread, below, which we love. Just smashing!
I had absolutely no idea what to expect from D’Artagnan’s Duck Rillettes, but I definitely didn’t expect it to be as amazing as it is! D’Artagnan’s Duck Rillettes tastes like gravy in a spread (translation: as delicious as gravy, but SOOOO much easier)! I tried the duck rillettes as a simple snack on toast. Starting with my favorite bread – fresh rosemary olive oil bread – as my toast, I then applied a generous spread of the rillettes. It tasted like I had dipped my favorite toast in duck gravy, and was absolutely divine! So many people are instinctively opposed to fats these days, but this is a fresh and natural preparation that’s been used for years and years. With no artificial ingredients, additives or preservatives, you can’t keep a tub around for very long… but that shouldn’t be a problem – it’s so delicious, you’ll devour every last bit!
Sure, everyone knows about foie gras, and many are fans of the famed duck confit, but somewhere in the middle lay duck rillettes. The meat is cooked slowly until it becomes so tender that it is nearly (but not quite) a paste. The D’Artagnan Duck Rillettes are the perfect middle ground in terms of consistency; just smooth enough to spread. D’Artagnan gets the flavor right too, including just enough to let the meat sing its umami song. This is the sort of food that needs no dressing up, even for your best dinner party! Just let the rillettes come to room temp, spread on toast, and impress the he-double-hockey-sticks out of everyone.
If you haven't heard of duck rilletes, you're not alone. However, once you try the duck rilletes from D'Artagnan, you won't be able to forget them! The rilletes are made from duck legs from the Rohan duck, which is raised exclusively for D'Artagnan on a farm in upstate New York. The duck legs are slow cooked in duck stock and aromatics, finely shredded, and then creamed together with duck fat, salt, pepper, and garlic. The result is an addictively delicious, creamy spread. You can spread it on toast or a cracker, layer it in a sandwich, or use it in pretty much any other way you'd like, but just be forewarned. Once you try it, you're going to want it all the time!
Duck Rillettes
D’Artagnan’s Rillettes are made using Rohan Duck meat, spices and vegetable stock. The whole muscles are cured, seasoned and then cooked slowly in the broth until it easily shreds. This delicious pulled duck can be spread on toast, layered in a sandwich or simply served
on a charcuterie board.
· Made from slow cooked Duck Meat, rendered duck fat, duck stock, garlic, salt, pepper and spices
· Meat is finely shredded while retaining its texture and grain
· Fully cooked and ready to eat
· Contains heart healthy poly and monounsaturated Fats
· The Rohan Ducklings are raised in stress-free conditions
· Ducks are never caged; they live in open barns with constant access to clean
drinking water and corn and soy feed
· Never administered hormones or antibiotics
· Air-chilled for full concentrated flavor
· Shelf life: 30 days
Our Commitment
At D’Artagnan we are committed to the highest quality and standards of animal husbandry and sustainable, humane farming practices. That’s why we partner with small farmers to bring you fresh, consistent, all-natural products. The results are superior quality meat that is tender and flavorful, containing no growth hormones or antibiotics. D’Artagnan also delivers premium charcuteries, mushrooms, truffles, and other prepared goods of the same high caliber.
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Co-founded by Ariane Daguin in 1985, D’Artagnan is the premier manufacturer of handmade, fresh and naturally-prepared pâtés, sausages and smoked delicacies, and is the nation’s leading purveyor of all-natural and organic poultry and game, free-range meat, foie gras, smoked & cured charcuterie, wild mushrooms and truffles.
From the beginning, D’Artagnan has been committed to procuring and providing the freshest, and most consistent all-natural and organic poultry, meat and game available. D’Artagnan actively partners with farmers dedicated to excellent animal husbandry, sustainable and humane farming practices, and is a leader in the free-range, preservative-free, no growth hormone movement.
D’Artagnan’s inception greatly influenced the culinary landscape in America, since it coincided with America’s growing interest in gourmet food. Before D’Artagnan, four-star chefs had absolutely no resource for beautiful, fresh ingredients such as foie gras, duck, squab, and quail. But once D’Artagnan made these and other previously difficult-to-find products readily available, a whole new era in American cooking was born.
As the restaurant revolution took off, home cooks demanded access to the delicious food they had tasted and experienced while eating out. D’Artagnan answered the public’s demand by creating an ever-expanding line of retail products. Pâtés, terrines, sausages, bacons and other delicious prepared and fresh products are now available for every home gourmand to enjoy, in retail stores and also at www.dartagnan.com.
D’Artagnan continues to be a leading proponent of the sustainable movement in agriculture, educating consumers about the importance of understanding and appreciating how food is raised and harvested. At the same time, the company continually challenges itself and its suppliers to seek and develop new products for both its restaurant and retail customers. As Ariane Daguin, co-founder and now sole owner of D’Artagnan says, “Our success has always been due to our passion for quality and our commitment to procuring both the best and most unique products we can find.”
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KEY MILESTONES
3000 BC Egyptians feed figs and grains to their geese to create foie gras
476 AD Beginning of the Dark Ages
1985 D’Artagnan is born in Jersey City, NJ with two employees: Ariane and George. They lease a second hand orange juice truck
1989 Tired of clogging the kitchen sink with duck fat, D’Artagnan opens a USDA inspected commercial kitchen. D’Artagnan now has 31 employees and its own truck. The famous Mousse of 100% Foie Gras is born
April 1993 The first organic chicken in the USA is bred by Mennonite farmers in Pennsylvania, organized by D’Artagnan. The USDA refuses to allow the word “organic” on the label
June 1996 D’Artagnan opens first major supermarket chain account
Sept. 1997 D’Artagnan moves from Jersey City to the Ironbound in Newark, NJ with 57 employees & 4 trucks
Dec. 1998 D’Artagnan is the first to import fresh foie gras from France into the US. They are still the only ones importing it
Sept. 1999 D’Artagnan creates mushroom and truffle division, and gains vegetarian friends
June 2000 1st Prize NASFT – Mousse of Foie Gras. D’Artagnan has 75 employees and 11 trucks
Oct. 2000 D’Artagnan launches website and starts selling direct to consumers
Feb. 2002 Opening of D’Artagnan, The Rotisserie, which receives two stars from the New York Times. William Grimes writes: “D’Artagnan has the real thing. In fact it has so much personality, it can sell it by the pound. The food is authentic, robust, earthy and powerfully flavored.”
Oct. 2002 The USDA finally allows D’Artagnan to label its chickens “Certified Organic”
June 2003 D’Artagnan introduces duck bacon
Feb. 2004 D’Artagnan introduces humanely raised veal, and redefines politically correct meat
June 2004 1st Prize NASFT - Medallion of Foie Gras with Truffles
Dec. 2004 D’Artagnan has 115 employees and 23 trucks
Feb. 2005 D’Artagnan celebrates its 20th birthday
Aug. 2005 Ariane becomes sole owner and CEO of D’Artagnan
Dec. 2005 First $5 million sales month
Jan. 2006 D’Artagnan introduces certified humanely raised Berkshire pork – another symbol of D’Artagnan’s commitment to superior animal husbandry practices and sustainable farming
April 2006 City of Chicago bans the sale of foie gras. Predictions of a return to the Dark Ages
July 2006 NASFT Best Hors d’Oeuvres Award – French Kisses
Dec. 2006 D’Artagnan hits biggest sales month ever
Jan. 2007 D’Artagnan has 133 employees and 23 trucks
May 2008 Chicago repeals foie gras ban!
July 2008 D’Artagnan hits $50 million in sales
Aug. 2009 Bring on the [good] beef, never ever program (no hormones, no antibiotics from birth)
Feb. 2010 Celebrating a quarter century birthday. Big party, T Colicchio and M Tivy lead the rock band
June 2011 The first Rohan duck is born.
June 2012 Opening of the warehouse and operations in Chicago, the Mid-West opens up.
Sept 2013 Green Circle chicken makes the first page of the New York Times
