Summer Dipping Sauce

We have been eating outdoors a lot in the hot weather we've had in the UK over the last week.  This has prompted a seasonal interest in dips and dippers.  Sous Chef J particularly likes such food as it means NO CUTLERY required!

So, having decided to look at our range of dip recipes, we went for a simple version of Marie Rose Sauce.

As ever, few ingredients are involved.  Sous Chef J found all the items we needed - mayonnaise, lemon, tomato puree and Tabasco (pepper sauce).







Placing a couple of tablespoons of mayo in a bowl together with about a heaped teaspoon of tomato puree, a good squeeze of lemon juice was added (the more lemon juice you add, the runnier the 'dip) and mixed well.  Then a healthy dash of Tabasco was added and stirred through.  Et voila.  Dip ready!

Next the dippers were prepared.  This time we had some spicy tortilla chips, chopped up peppers, cucumber, apple, tomatoes and cheese.  If you want you can also use prawns, crabsticks (although we don't these days as they aren't gluten free) and/or crisps.

Slow Cooker Duck

The other weekend we picked up a duck crown which was on offer.  Looking at its shape, we wondered whether it would suit slow cooker cooking.  So, we gave it a go.

Bearing in mind that duck is a fatty bird, the bottom of the cooker was covered with carrot and potatoes cut to about 2cm in thickness (you could also add onions or garlic).  This would act as a trivet during the cooking process.

 Next, the duck was laid on top of the vegetables, its skin was pierced all over with a sharp knife and it was seasoned well.

 Finally, the lid was placed on the slow cooker and the meat was left to cook on LOW for about 8hours.  Given that the bird cooked in its own juices, the skin did not crisp up, so we removed it and this picture shows the duck without skin but resting on the vegetables and juices cooking had released.

 To crisp up the duck skin, it was placed in a frying pan and heated until it was brown and crunchy.  The fat was drained off and this was the result...

 The bird fell off the bone so no carving was required.  It was served with the vegetables from the slow cooker and some steamed cauliflower and broccoli.  It was delicious and so, so simple!