Athleisure Mag #54 Jun 2020 | Athleisure List Maple Leaf Farms

ATHLEISURE LIST: Food MAPLE LEAF FARMS

Maple Leaf Farms, Inc. has been a leading provider of premium Duck products throughout the world since 1958. Family-owned and family farmed raised, their ducks are all natural and humanely raised in a free to roam environment. They are fully integrated throughout every step of the process, making the quality of the utmost standards. Their commitment to animal care and top quality products has set them apart as one of the most recognized and well respected duck brands.

Available online, their assortment is selected with the customer in mind. This year, they're focusing on the healthier side of duck and have created a skinless duck breast (4 oz. is only 110 calories and 2 g in fat - making it healthier than the average chicken breast), low

fat duck brat (60% less fat and 40% less calories than pork brats) and a low fat duck bacon (57% less fat than pork bacon). Duck is a great alternative protein because it's lean & delicious. Duck is also rich in monounsaturated fat, so the fat that you are eating is very similar to the nutritional content of olive oil.

Maple Leaf Farms raises white pekin ducks whose flavor is a milder, slightly sweet taste and the meat is really tender. Essentially you get the taste and feel of a steak with a duck breast, but you get the nutrition of the poultry side. Some describe it as a perfect tossup between steak and chicken. Duck is high in iron, so that results in a red meat taste. Duck is also great on the grill and can be cooked in pretty much any way a steak or chicken breast would be as well.

When cooking with duck, there are a lot of flavor pairings with rotisserie rubs, garlic rubs, and it really pairs well with most spices. Traditionally duck is frequently paired with orange sauce, hoisin sauce or sometimes a berry sauce like cherry or raspberry.

It's also recommend to drink a Pinot Noir with duck since it has a mild tender flavor. A medium bodied red is the best to pair since it borders the line in taste between chicken and steak.

Maple Leaf Farms has been working with a variety of restaurants throughout the nation to help serve meals to frontline healthcare workers and furloughed restaurant employees. Due to COVID-19, they had a large spike in online sales, so they started developing kits. They currently have a Duck Grill Kit which includes: 32 duck brats, 4 lbs. of ground duck, 8 skinless duck breasts, a recipe guide, and an exclusive independence day themed “FireQuacker” apron. They wanted to focus on duck items best for the summer since most people think of duck as a fall or winter dish. 3rd and 4th generation owners Olivia and her father, John T., have been running a recipe video series on their Facebook to talk about the kit as well as showing how easy it is to make these items for a great summer family meal. Another kit may be available around Labor Day.

MAPLE LEAF FARMS

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