Preparing A Special Meal For That Special Someone

For Immediate Release 
February, 2004


PREPARING A SPECIAL MEAL FOR THAT SPECIAL SOMEONE
The One You Love Will Love A Romantic Dinner Prepared With Maple Leaf Farms Duck


There may be a number of special holidays in the year to celebrate and enjoy good food, good company and good times  but Valentines Day is certainly the most important day of the year to celebrate the one you love. Since duck makes any occasion more special, what better way to create a truly romantic and memorable dining experience than by preparing a special meal with duck for that special someone? Good wine, a romantic setting, and delicious food served up with love, have all the makings of a perfect Valentines Day.

Duck doesnt have to be enjoyed solely as part of the restaurant experience. Preparing a romantic meal at home for ones special Valentine can be an even more romantic experience than dining out. Maple Leaf Farms offers a wide selection of products, from whole body duckling to fully cooked products and ready-to-cook products, as well as easy-to-follow tips to help create romantic and memorable meals at home. Nora Macon, Director of Marketing of Maple Leaf Farms, notes that, more and more people are entertaining and cooking at home. For all those who want to spend less time in the kitchen and more time with their dining partner on Valentines Day  our pre-cooked and ready-to-cook products are ideal, she adds.

While Maple Leaf Farms, the nations leading purveyor of duck, is popular among Americas leading chefs, even Valentine cooks with little or no culinary training can prepare an inspired meal featuring duck. In fact, Maple Leaf Farms provides video instructions and recipes on their web site at www.mapleleaffarms.com, and on their toll free Duck Hotline at 1-800-DUCKLING. The corporate chefs at Maple Leaf Farms help take the stress out of cooking for a dinner date with step-by-step tips, from how to cut a whole duck to how to score a duck breast. Maple Leaf Farms line of fully cooked items makes preparing a successful holiday meal even easier. Fully cooked products include Roast Half Duck, Rotisserie Half Duck, and Rotisserie Breast. With an eye on the latest flavor trends, Maple Leaf Farms chefs have also created ready-to-cook duck products that are pre-cut or pre-seasoned and ready to simply be placed in the oven, on the grill or in a pan and prepared. Popular ready-to-cook products include Boneless Breast Filet, Premium Leg Quarters, and Boneless Orange Breast Filet.

Of course, the right wine is the thread that brings together a Valentine dinner, and luckily duck can be easily paired with a wide variety of wines and beverages, from a full-bodied red wine with a Boneless Orange Breast Filet, to a fruity light white wine to accompany a refreshing duck salad, according to Nora Macon. (Recipes available.)

Duck is enjoying a place on the fast track of culinary trends (consumption of duck was up by 18.8% from 1995 to 2000 (according to USDA ERS 2001)  outpacing chicken and turkey) because people recognize it as tasty, versatile, ideal for entertaining, and healthy. In fact, a skinless duck breast contains less fat and fewer calories than a comparable cut of chicken. Duck is not only a healthy and delicious choice, but a smart-shopping choice as well. The recent dramatic increase in the price of red meat (up to 45% in some areas) makes duck an even more attractive option to serve at home to make your holiday meals more special.

Maple Leaf Farms is a family-run company with a passionate commitment to producing high quality, healthy, great tasting duck products. By managing every step of producing, growing and processing its White Pekin ducks, Maple Leaf Farms maintains the consistent, high quality that its customers have come to expect. Many of the ducks are raised on local family-owned farms that share Maple Leaf Farms' dedication to