Gascon Duck Charcuterie and Cookery
February 18 to February 24
Beak-to-Tail Butchery, Charcuterie, and Cookery of duck in the Gascon method. Duck products produced in Gascony have a storied heritage in the French kitchen and are highly respected and sought after to this day - 'Gascon', in France, is a mark of quality.
Duck Butchery:
In this course, we will take a deep dive into the topic of duck butchery, each student will have their own 'fat' duck to work with - a mature animal that has been raised with care over many months on a local farm. The texture and quality of the duck will be unlike any you've seen outside of France and will be sure to impress and inspire you to potentially start raising your own! We will break down the ducks as a team to ready them for our various preparations, chief among those, the legendary confit.
Duck Charcuterie:
Gascons have been preserving ducks in France for hundreds of years, most of those years without the advent of refrigeration. The methods you will learn in this course were critical for the survival of the people in this region and are still employed to this day. Through salting, cooking in fat (confit), and drying, we will preserve and put up these ducks to enjoy immediately, and for the months to come.
Duck Cookery:
Delayed enjoyment isn't everything in this workshop -- we will of course enjoy the fruits of our labor through the decadent cookery of the Gascon tradition. As featured in Saveur Magazine and elsewhere, we will learn directly from Madame Kate Hill how to utilize our ducks in the most delicious and seasonal manner possible.
Limited to 10 Participants.
Course Products:
- Duck Confit
- Rillettes du Canard
- Magret cooked with Armagnac
- Magret séché (cured and dried duck breast)
- Duck 'Jambon' in Ash
- Foie Gras Terrine
- Pâté du Gran Mere
- Civet du Canard
- Parmentier du Canard
- and more!
Final itinerary TBD - workshop includes a field trip to a professional foie gras market in the region.
Note: Course fee does NOT include housing during the workshop. We have various reccomendations for accomodation in and around Nérac suited for all budgets.
Our Workshops
Gascon Duck Charcuterie and Cookery is the first in a series of live workshop events led by Nathan Gilmour at his maestra’s cooking school located at the Relais de Camont in Southwestern France. The workshop will focus on French charcuterie, specifically farmhouse methods. Nathan has deep experience in his field, having taught for over a decade, all around the world. He welcomes you to come to France and learn alongside him and other interested students and professionals to help preserve this critical craft.
These workshops are limited to a very select and small group of people, with the opportunity for extensive hands-on learning as well as a strong foundation of theory and methods. Everything that we teach in the courses, you will be able to accomplish back home and / or bring into your own kitchens around the world.
Also, during the Workshop, Breakfasts and Lunches are included on the full course days!
Arrival Information
We recommend you plan to arrive either the day before the course is set to begin, or the morning of the start of the course in Nérac or directly at Camont. Hotel or AirBnB check in arrangements can be made to suit your individual plans.
Accommodation during the Workshop
Note: Course fee does NOT include housing during the workshop. We have various reccomendations for accomodation in and around Nérac suited for all budgets.