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LES CANARDS DU LAC BROME: A DUCK FARM EXTRA ORDINAIRE

by Habeeb Salloum

E-mail: habeeb.salloum@sympatico.ca

About a hundred km (62 mi) to the south-east of Montreal, we stopped on the western bank of a splendid lake 5 km (3 mi) in diameter, at the Les Canards du Lac Brome Lteé (Brome Lake Ducks Ltd), a duck farm offering for sale its gourmet duck products. Tumbling out of our bus, we entered a duck market that offered for sale everything one would ask for in duck products. I was amazed! Duck sausage, smoked duck and much, much more were on display. It was a duck heaven for those seeking a variety in the meat they consume daily.

The duck farm was founded in 1912, in a countryside covered with lush vegetation near Knowlton - a tree-shaded village very lively with tourists and other travellers, particularly in summer. The town’s streets crowded with cafes and tourist-appealing small shops, many housing antiques, seem to fit well into the beauty of the surrounding landscape. The farm, cuddled by the aura of anidyllic countryside lies in the heart of the Eastern Townships in the province of Quebec.

The oldest duck breeding farm in Canada, established by an American from New York, it has evolved through the years to become the largest duck farm in Canada, employing some 160 workers. Today, one of the most significant employers of the Eastern Townships, it is considered world-wide as an ideal farm, which offers for sale some of the finest ducks on the market. Les Canards du Lac Brome carries a family tradition, which has for 90 years specialized in the breeding of fine ducks - today epitomized by the Peking breed, a large white duck with yellow legs and succulent flesh.

Peking duck was first imported to the U.S.A. from China in 1873 and ever since its inception, the Lac Brome farm has carried on a family tradition of specializing in the breeding of this type of duck. Through the years, the breed has been developed into the superior Brome Lake duck, which produces a much higher yield of meat. A model of success and, as some of its employees like to call it, ‘a quacking delight’, Les Canards du Lac Brome, beginning with an annual production of some 25,000 ducks, today has passed the 2.2 million mark.

The farm has kept abreast of the times by using the techniques of the latest breakthroughs in scientific research and as a result, the ducks are unequalled in quality. Besides being raised in a healthy environment, their feed does not contain any harmful chemicals. It is composed of cereals and soya beans, enriched by vitamins and minerals and is carefully balanced to fit into each stage of the breeding. This makes it possible to obtain a high growth rate - taking only 45 days to raise a 6 to 7 pound duck with lower-fat meat and a flesh that is tastier than most other duck meat.

The nutritional value of domestic duck meat like that produced on Les Canards du Lac Brome, is not widely known. Duck meat is a good source of protein, B-complex vitamins, iron, zinc and omega-6 fatty acids. These acids, containing lowering properties cholesterol, are among the ‘essential’ fatty acids, which cannot be produced by the body.

At Les Canards du Lac Brome ducks are retailed in dozens of ways such as fresh or frozen whole ducks, breastsboned with or without skin, thighs, liver; and duck steaks, dried, smoked and sliced. In addition, customers are offered an entireseries of other tasty duck products, which include, among others, duck sausages, foi gras, kababs, patés, pot pie, turnovers, wieners and numerous other delicious tidbits.

In the Eastern Townships, the Festival of ‘Duck Wine and Good Cheer’ is held annually during the autumn. A part of the enticement for attending the festivities, areLes Canards du Lac Brome’sproducts for sale.Paired with apples or other products, duck offerings have become an essential part of the Festival.

At Les Canards du Lac Brome, the development of the ducks and their by-products never stop. The owners of the farm, which has become a popular tourist stop, are, on an ongoing basis, improving their duck species and developing a dizzying array of new duck products. In the words of Bruno Giuliani, Sales and Marketing Director for the farm: “Our Brome Lake Duck is the best duck in the country - so good that it is very popular among the Chinese-Canadians. We know that we have developed something special when the Chinese, who are well-known for preparing the dish ‘Peking Duck’, are our best customers.”

Les Canards du Lac Brome offers their traditional recipe for roast duck.

Roasted Brome LakeDuck

1 Brome Lake Duck (2.5 to 2.7 kg - 5.5 to 5.9 lb)

Stuffing:

1/2 cup (225 ml) diced celery

1/3 cup (85 ml) diced onion

2 teaspoons (10 ml) butter

2 cups (500 ml) diced bread, with crust removed

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) salt

1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) crushed green pepper

1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) savory

1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) thyme

3 tablespoons (50 ml) olive oil

Mire-poix

3 tablespoons (50 ml) chopped onions

3 tablespoons (50 ml) chopped celery

3 tablespoons (50 ml) chopped carrots

1 cup (250 ml) cider

2 cups (500 ml) poultry stock

1) Sauté celery and onion in butter in a covered pan, and let cool.

2) Mix together the cooked celery, onion, bread, egg and spices.

3) Stuff duck in a roasting pan and baste with oil, arranging the neck and gizzard around the duck.

5) Preheat the oven to 375B F (190B C) and roast for 1 1/2 hours, bastings with drippings every 20 minutes. Thirty minutes before cooking is done, add mire-poix (chopped onions, celery and carrots).

6) Remove duck from the pan and keep hot. Reduce the drippings, skim the fat, and deglaze the roasting pan using the cider. Add poultry stock, and cook 20-30 minutes. Strain sauce through a sieve and serve hot over the duck.

Preparation time 15 minutes; cooking time 2 hours; Serves 4 - Chef: Mario Laliberté

For more Information, contact: Brome Lake Ducks Ltd., 40, chemin Centre, C.P. 120, Knowlton, QC, Canada J0E 1V0. Tel: 450-242-3825. Fax: 450-243-0497. E-mail: info@bromelakeducks.com Website: www.canardsdulacbrome.com