An almond tart is a lovely end to any meal; it goes with almost any spring or summer fruit. The quantity of pastry makes more than you need for a 10-inch tart shell, as does the filling, but pastry freezes well and it’s always good to have some to hand.
Donald Link served this to us after the crawfish bisque at breakfast in
Herbsaint. You can find duck legs quite easily these days in butchers and
supermarkets; if not, you could just use a whole duck instead chopped into
four, or buy 2 ducks and remove the legs and save the breasts for another
meal.
I made something very similar to this in my British Regional Food cookbook and
hey presto! – it turns up in New Orleans in a local version using the "mash"
from the Tabasco process in a garlic butter. This by-product is made from
the mashed-up peppers that are left when the Tabasco is strained off and it
is then sold locally in packets. Tom Parker Bowles did buy a couple of
kilos, but on the way to the airport he realised he had left it in the
fridge in the Windsor Court Hotel – he’ll just have to go back next year.
For a similar "mash", chop red chillies into butter.
Bisque refers to a shellfish soup with cream, and the name is thought to have
come from the Spanish Biscay region. With this type of soup, the flavour
really comes from the shells, and after I’ve cooked shellfish at home I
always keep the shells in the freezer for this purpose. In Louisiana, where
rice is commonly grown, bisques are often thickened with rice instead of a
heavier roux. This is the soup that Donald Link served us for breakfast, of
all meals, after a visit to his other restaurant Herbsaint.
These lovely crisp shortbreads were served simply with a glass of whisky – a
very good way to finish a meal.
Pigeon is best, but if you can’t find it, you can use any other game bird, or
even chicken.