Fesenjan (Duck Stewed with Pomegranate and Walnuts) – Better Later Than Never!

Sorry for the delay, but if there's anything that deserves the “better late than never” tag, this duck fesenjan is it. A savory stew featuring duck, pomegranate, and walnuts, which is every bit as exotic as it sounds.

Keep in mind, I’m brand-new to Persian food, so this is just my interpretation of the ancient classic. I’m assuming like most similar recipes, every household has their own version, and this kind of thing can be obviously, and easily be tailored to your tastes.

The ingredients are simple and easy to manipulate. If you have trouble finding pomegranate syrup, or pomegranate molasses as it’s sometimes called, check out the online retailers, but you can actually make your own.

If you want to try, check out this recipe from my friend Elise, from Simply Recipes. It takes an hour or so, but its usefulness goes far beyond this duck recipe. By the way, if you're not down with Simply Recipes, you really should be. Elise has an amazing collection of recipes. 

Regarding the duck, I like to sear the meat in a pan, since you'll get faster and deeper browning. The high sides of a Dutch oven can sometimes hold in moisture and you won’t get the same results. As long as you deglaze the pan, nothing is lost.

Other than that, it’s a very straightforward recipe. Just stew everything until the meat is tender, but not totally falling apart; then reduce the sauce until as thick and intensely flavored as you want. I really hope you give this Persian duck stew a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 8 to 10 Duck Legs or chicken leg quarters, seared in vegetable oil until browned

1 tbsp reserved duck fat

3-4 tbsp olive oil

2 cups diced yellow onion

1 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

6 cups chicken broth, or more as need to adjust liquid levels

1/4 cup honey

2/3 cup pomegranate syrup aka molasses

3 cups walnut halves, ground

salt and pepper to taste

Pastrami-Spiced Duck Breast "Reuben" – Prepare to Open Face

I first tasted pastrami-spiced, smoked duck breast about 15 years ago, and ever since I’ve wondered how it would be used in a classic Reuben sandwich. I never got around to actually trying it, but this is close, and I’m going to say, way, way better.

This was one of the more delicious and interesting duck breast preparations I’ve had in a very long time. The pastrami spices are perfect with the duck meat, and the crisp, cheesy rye was a worthy base.  The quick slaw and mustard dressing helped balance the richness, and like I said in the video, the final results were stunning.

The key here, as it is with any duck breast recipe, is to not overcooked meat. I like to go about five or six minutes on the skin side, until nice and crusty, and then turn it over and continue until the breast springs back under your touch. Obviously, the cooking times I mention in the video will depend on how large the breasts are. Mine were about 5 ounces, which I found to be the perfect size for this.

If you’re using a thermometer, you’ll want to shoot for about 135–140 internal temperature. This will give you gorgeous, pink, juicy meat, that will rival the finest steak. If you can get past the idea of eating a sandwich with a fork and knife, I really hope you give this amazing pastrami-spiced duck breast Reuben a try soon.  Enjoy!

Ingredients for two portions:

2 duck breast, boneless, skin-on (mine were 5-oz each)

For the rub:

1 tbsp olive oil or more as needed

1 tbsp ground black pepper

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp dry mustard

pinch cayenne

For the Reuben:

2 slices rye bread

1/4 cup grated Swiss cheese

1 tablespoon reserved duck fat

2 cups chopped Green cabbage

2-3 tablespoons Russian or Thousand Islands dressing

2 tablespoons mustard dressing (see recipe below)

Mustard dressing:

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/4 cup sherry vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Duck Leg Adobo – A Real Family Meal

If you’ve worked in restaurants before, you know that every night before service the staff sits down to what’s called the “family meal.” One of the younger cooks is usually charged with scraping together something filling and, more importantly, not expensive. It was during one of these meals that I first had adobo.

When I worked at the Carnelian Room in the late 80’s, much of the kitchen crew was Filipino, so chicken and pork adobo was a very common dinner. One of the dishwashers made a particularly great version, and I fell in love with the bold, simple flavors. I also remember being pretty annoyed that the dishwashers there were better cooks than I was at the time, but that’s another story.

Anyway, I happened to have some duck legs around last week, and all it took was a well-timed email wishing for adobo to inspire this video. I understand that most of you will not use duck for this, but if you do, be sure to save the fat.

Duck fat is prized by chefs, and more heart-healthy than people realize. It can be used for just about anything you’d normally fry in butter or vegetable oil. I roasted some Brussels spouts with mine, but it also will make just about the best homefries you’ve ever tasted.

Like I said in the video, no duck, no problem. If you can simmer it in a sauce, it will work in this recipe. Because of the high soy sauce content, be careful about over reducing, but other than that, not much can go wrong. This is cheap, easy, and very flavorful, which is why it makes for such a great “family meal.” Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6 duck legs:

6 duck legs (or about same amount of chicken or pork)

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp reserved duck fat

1 large onion, sliced

8 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup seasoned rice vinegar (if not seasoned, use a little sugar to taste)

1/2 cup soy sauce, or to taste (this is a fairly salty dish, so if you're not into that kind of thing, add less and adjust later)

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

2 tsp sambal chili sauce, or other hot pepper sauce to taste

2-4 bay leaves

View the complete recipe

Black Currant and Balsamic Gastrique – Simple Complexity

This video recipe produced for About.com is my take on a classic French sauce, the Gastrique. In its most basic form it’s simply a caramelized sugar and vinegar reduction. The modern Gastrique is usually a vinegar reduction combined with some type of fruit, either fresh, or in jams and preserves. The reason for the “Simple Complexity” in the title is the fact that this sauce is ridiculously easy to make, yet the number of potential combinations is virtually infinite.

The complex layers of flavors that can be achieved by mixing and matching different fruits and vinegars is what makes this such a fun sauce to make and serve. You could use the exact same technique you’ll see in the video and make a new version every time you serve this for the rest of your life. By the way, if you have any smoked duck breast laying around, the combination of Black Currant preserves and aged Balsamic vinegar I used was perfect. Enjoy!

Duck Rillettes – It Only Tastes Like Duck Butter with Extra Butter

Duck rillettes is one of the most amazing culinary magic tricks of all time. Even though most of the spread is made up of fairly lean duck meat, by emulsifying in a little butter, duck fat, and duck gelatin, you’ll swear the final product has the fat content of the finest foie gras torchon. By the way, I miss foie gras torchon.

The key here is to mash the large chunks of cold duck with the warm duck fat and gelatin. As the meat breaks down, the fat cools and turns the whole bowl into creamy duck spread heaven. Pack it in a crock, keep it sealed with a layer of fat, and you have an incredibly tasty snack that will last long into the winter months.

Some chefs prefer to let the duck sit overnight with the rub on, and “potpourri” in, but I skip that step, and instead let the duck cool in it’s own juices after roasting, and then sit overnight in the fridge, to continue developing flavor. Once made, it can be enjoyed right away, but if you can hold off a few days, it will really come into its own. Or eat right away, and in a few days.

I know it’s a little early for edible holiday gift ideas, but keep this one in mind. The only problem is, once you’ve given duck rillettes as a gift, you’ll never give a gift as good. Just a little heads-up. That aside, I really hope you give this preserved duck spread a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 3 cups of Duck Rillettes:

1 whole duck (about 4 1/2 pounds)

- For spice rub:

1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 generous teaspoons fresh ground black pepper

2 teaspoons dried thyme

- For the potpourri:

12 cloves garlic

six 1/4-inch slices fresh ginger

3 bay leaves

peel from 1 orange (only orange parts)

1 generous bunch fresh thyme

- Roast duck at 250 F. for about 5-6 hours, or until meat pulls away from the bones

To finish:

cold pulled duck meat

1 tablespoon Armagnac or cognac or other brandy

2 tablespoons soft unsalted butter

2-3 tablespoons warm duck fat (add as needed)

2 tablespoons warm duck stock

2 teaspoons parsley

1 teaspoons chive

1/2 teaspoon orange zest

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
pinch of cayenne

Braswell's Tart Cherry Cabernet Sauce - A Recipe this Delicious Should Really Be Much Harder

This cherry sauce recipe tastes like it requires many steps, and a fair amount of time and finesse. As you'll see, this is not the case. This may be the simplest wine sauce recipe there is. A decent red wine, a jar of tart cherry preserves, and in about ten minutes you have a truly delicious sauce. I used it on duck confit, but it would be perfect for turkey, chicken, game hens, pheasant, venison, and ham.

This video recipe was inspired by a sample of Braswell's Select Tart Cherry Preserves I received. I'm not a big jam-on-toast guy, but I LOVE to cook with fruit preserves, especially in sauces. This tart cherry preserves has a bit of sherry wine in it, and a very intense cherry flavor. I liked it so much, I've linked to their website in case you would like to check them out. I also tried their fig preserves, and a very interesting balsamic onion jam. I'm not sure if these new flavors are available on the site yet, but you can contact them for more info. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
3/4 cup tart cherry preserves
3/4 cup cabernet wine
pinch of salt
1 clove garlic
4 springs thyme
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Don't Call it Daffy - Duck Leg Ragu!

This video recipe was filmed over a year ago (with a webcam duct-taped to a spice rack), and was never posted here due to what I thought was a corrupted file (and no back-up). I won’t bore you with the technical details (which means I'm not sure how I did it), but I was able to extract the video and do a new voice-over. Unfortunately, there were no photos of the dish, which explains the screen shot, with watercolor filter applied, seen here.

As I say in the video, duck legs are such great meat. They are cheap, rich tasting, easy to work with, and if you do some research, you'll learn that duck fat is actually not such a bad thing. I doubt your local grocery store sells them - instead you'll find whole frozen ducks, which will work in a pinch. But, if you call a meat market, or restaurant supplier, they can easily order a box of frozen duck legs for you. I get mine at a local SF meat wholesaler for about $3 a pound.

They really are delicious, and well worth the trouble searching for. Hey, you can probably even order them online. Here, I'm using them in place of pork and/or beef, in a fairly straightforward meat sauce recipe. Another great thing about the legs is the magnificent skin. I love it fried to a crisp, chopped up, and dusted on top of my pasta. A stunning contrast in texture and flavor. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
6 duck legs
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 onion
1 carrot
2 ribs celery
4 cloves garlic
red pepper flakes
1 cup white wine
28 oz can tomato puree
1 cup chicken broth
fresh rosemary, thyme, oregano (3 springs of each) tied with string
1 pound rigatoni
parmesan cheese

Duck Fat Green Garlic Home-fried Potatoes - Skin for the Win

I'm just guessing, but I bet there's some old French kitchen expression that roughly translates to, "Hey, it has crispy, fried duck skin crumbled over the top, how bad can it be?" This video recipe for duck fat homefries is perfect when you find yourself in possession of this highly coveted ingredient.

The recipe is the easy part, finding duck skin is a little more challenging. The easiest method of attainment is to know a duck hunter. They can hook you up faster than you can say, "Nice Elmer Fudd hat." If that's not an option, try and make friends with line cooks who work at restaurants that serve duck. They can make it happen, and it will probably only cost you a couple draft beers.

Finally, you can go to a butcher that sells whole ducks, and have him break one down for you. Tell them you'd like two nicely trimmed breasts, two leg quarters, and all the excess skin from the rest of the carcass. They will smile knowingly, and say no problem (for extra credit, ask for the bones, which you can roast and make a killer stock).

Once you have your precious skin, the recipe is a breeze. If you can find green garlic, it's very nice in this, but regular onions, leeks, shallots, scallions, etc. are a fine substitute. These potatoes would sure make a memorable side dish to a seared, sous vide duck breast, or how about as a plate-mate to a creamy goat cheese omelet? By the way, I'm much hungrier now than I was when I started this post. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 cup duck skin and fat trimmings

4 small russet potatoes

salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 cup chopped green garlic (light parts)

View the complete recipe

Foodbuzz Says "Thanks a Million" at the Press Club

Foodbuzz, the Internet's largest social network for foodies, celebrated their one-millionth post by treating their featured publishers and other associates to a delicious Tuesday night of wine and food pairings at the beautiful Press Club in San Francisco.

You've heard me sing the praises of Foodbuzz before, and deservedly so. Ryan Stern (the Director of Publishing, pictured below with Nate Perry-Thistle, Director of Tech), and the rest of the F.B. team have provided valuable support for what I do here on Foodwishes.

I couldn’t be happier for their success and really appreciate the way they paid tribute to their food blogging partners. As I sipped and nibbled my way around the softly lit, subterranean wine bar, I felt that vibe a room gets when everyone is thinking happy thoughts and feeling appreciated.

Of course, the 16 tastes of wine poured, and the fabulous plates of "small bites" provide by Michael Mina may have contributed to this "vibe," but, whatever.

The Press Club features wines by eight of Northern California's top boutique wineries. I'll confess, I'm more of a wine drinker than wine taster, but I really enjoyed swirling and sniffing my way through each station. My personal favorites were the Saintsbury Pinot Noir, Carneros 2006, and the Hanna Sauvignon Blanc, 2008.

So, a sincere thanks to Foodbuzz for the food and the buzz. It was also very cool getting to chat with some of the other bloggers about ideas and techniques they use to capture the hearts and minds of the chewing public. Congratulations, and here's to the next million posts!

Pictured below are the food offerings, which included (in order): "Shrimp Cocktail" with Horseradish Panna Cotta, Tuna Nicoise and Quail Egg, Duck Confit Cassoulet, Steak Tartare, Island Creek Oysters with Pickled Ramp Granite, and Pork Rillete with Honshimeji Mushrooms (click to see larger version). Everything was as delicious as it looked!

Duck "Two Ways" - The Sum of the Parts are Greater than the Whole

Cooking duck is surprisingly easy if you give up on the idea of cooking it whole. Sure that whole duck a l'orange looks nice on the magazine cover (except for that damn curly parsley), and your cookbooks are filled with seemingly simple roast duck recipes, but if you follow the technique shown here, you'll be enjoying duck at it's absolute best.

In the kitchen, a duck's breast and leg could not be more different. The legs need long, slow cooking to tenderize the succulent meat, while the breasts beg to be quickly pan-seared to a juicy pink. If you roast the duck whole, the best you can hope for is one of the two pieces to be okay, but usually what you get is a too-done breast and under-cooked leg.

By the way, the sauce you'll see in the clip is a Black Currant and Balsamic Gastrique, and you can see how to make that recipe here.

I did this video for About.com a long time ago, but it just recently aired. I'll remind you again that I'm no longer able to embed my videos from their site here (also no podcast) - so when you click the video player below, you'll be taken to another window where the video will begin. You'll also get the ingredients and a complete transcript. Enjoy!

Duck Fat Roasted Brussels Sprouts – P.H.A.T. with an “F”

With all the rich and decadent football party food I’ve been sharing lately, I’d thought I’d take a little break, and post a nice, simple green vegetable side dish. Of course, these beautiful roasted Brussels sprouts were just a prop so I could demonstrate using leftover duck fat, but still.

If you watch any amount of celebrity chef TV, you’ve undoubtedly heard them going off on the virtues of duck fat. They mostly pontificate on its deep, palate-coating richness, which is true; but they also like to point out the health benefits. That part is a little cloudy…you know, like saturated fat when it cools down.

Duck fat does have much less saturated fat than butter, and is higher in oleic acid, the stuff that makes olive oil so popular with the healthy eating gurus, but make no mistake, this is still an animal fat, and should be used in moderation. The good news: “in moderation” totally works!

A few tablespoons and a very hot oven is all you need to turn some sleepy vegetables into something much more special. As I mention in the video, bacon grease will make a fine (and even more flavorful) substitute, but if you do cook duck, saving the leftover fat is nothing short of mandatory. I hope you give this technique a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Brussels sprouts (about 4-6 per person)

salt, pepper, cayenne to taste

enough melted duck fat to coat vegetables generously (about 2-3 tablespoons per pound of sprouts)

fresh squeezed lemon to finish

*Roast at 450 degrees F. until tender but still a little firm, about 15-20 minutes

View the complete recipe

Stovetop "Sous Vide" Episode 1: The Best Duck Breast Ever

If you watch any food television at all, you've undoubtedly seen the "sous vide" (French for "under vacuum") technique many, many times. What was once a very unique procedure is now about as rare as a hung-over line cook.

Not so long ago, only a handful of pros using state-of-the-art sous vide set-ups, costing thousands of dollars, got to play this game. Today, there are many options for home sous vide kits, most costing hundreds of dollars, but what about the home cook who just wants to try this once and a while, and doesn’t want to invest that kind of money and space?How about a simple, almost foolproof, stovetop sous vide method that requires no special equipment? Too good to be true? Well, I'm happy to report it's so very true, and produced what Michele and I agreed was the best duck breast we've ever had.The principles behind this sous vide duck breast's succulence is quite simple. Put the meat in a watertight, vacuum-sealed bag, and place it in a water bath held at a temperature exactly equal to the ideal desired internal temperature. After a certain amount of time, the meat reaches that temperature and stays there.
That's it. Not only is there no real danger of overcooking the meat, but it cooks so gently, in a vacuum, that virtually no moisture is lost. The only real difference with our stovetop sous vide and the professional set-up, is the vacuum part.

We're going very low tech here; simply pressing or sucking the air from a ziplock bag. It's not a perfect vacuum, but as you'll see, it doesn’t have to be. As long as your package sinks below the surface, and no water gets in, you're good to go.After an hour in the 135 degree F. water, my duck breasts were picture perfect inside. I crisped-up the skin, drizzled over some sweet and sour peach sauce, and ate in stunned silence. I could not believe how amazing the texture was. I won't even waste time trying to find the adjectives, as most of the ones I need haven't been invented yet.

I've only done this with one other meat (a NY Strip steak, also very impressive) so I can’t give you any info on other recipes/times/temperatures just yet. I will, however, post the quick and easy peach sauce seen in this clip soon. Anyway, I really hope you give this spectacular sous vide duck a try. Enjoy!




Ingredients:
2 large duck breasts, boneless, skin-on
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

View the complete recipe

In a Fowl Mood: A Fabulous Last Supper 2010

Just wanted to say Happy New Year to you all, and share what Michele and I enjoyed for our final meal of 2010. The first course was a superb Moroccan-style chicken crépinette seasoned with preserved lemon from Fatted Calf. I served it over a salad of raw, shaved asparagus, and garnished with kumquats candied in a chili syrup. 

For our main course I continued my exploration into equipment-less sous vide, which produced the finest duck breast I've ever eaten. I served it with a huckleberry gastric, and green lentils, The meat was perfect beyond description. I can't wait to show you how amazing and simple doing sous vide cooking at home actually is. Stay tuned!

Thanks to J. Kenji Lopez-Alt over at Serious Eats for his "Sous-Vide 101: Duck Breast" post, which served as the guide for the duck technique.

Duck Fat Steak Fries – There’s a New Fat in Town

You know a potato side dish is going to be good when 75% of the name refers to fat or meat. These super-crusty, oven-fried potato wedges, or “steak fries” as they call them where I’m from, are done with rendered duck fat, and while I’m a big fan of ones done with olive oil and/or butter, these really are better.

Not only does this fat help create a great texture, but it also adds a layer of richness and meatiness to the potatoes that’s nothing short of magical. Back in the day, you had to work or eat in a restaurant that served duck to enjoy this special treat, but happily, those days are over.

Thanks to evangelizing celebrity chefs and apparently smarter marketing people in the duck industry, this rendered fat is now pretty easy to find. My neighborhood Whole Foods stocks it, and I’ve seen it at many of the higher-end grocery stores.

By the way, if you’re concerned about that next cholesterol test, relax; duck fat is surprisingly healthy, and a quick Google search should explain why without me having to type any more. I hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

2 large russet potatoes

2-3 tablespoons duck fat

salt and pepper to taste

pinch of cayenne

1 tbsp minced fresh thyme leaves

- 325 F. for 40 minutes

- 450 F. for about 20 minutes or until done

Orange Duck – Orange You Glad I Didn’t Call It Duck a l'Orange?

I don’t think I’ve made Duck “a l'Orange” since culinary school, nor tried to pronounce it, but thanks to a rather enticing photo in a friend’s cookbook, I decided to go full culinary time machine, and I’m so glad I did.

That friend would be award-winning food blogger and author, Hank Shaw. He’s recently published a cookbook called Duck, Duck, Goose: The Ultimate Guide to Cooking Waterfowl, Both Farmed and Wild, which was the inspiration for this gorgeous, and very easy dish. Still looking for a sexy Valentine’s entrée? You could do a lot worse.

This is one of those classic dishes that somehow became a cliché, and people stopped making it for fear of looking un-cool, which is too bad, since it’s really good. This is traditionally done with a whole roasted duck, but by using breasts we get pretty much the same results, in a lot less time.

My version is very close to Hank’s, except I don’t use orange juice. I prefer the flavor of the sauce with just marmalade, zest, and Grand Marnier. Speaking of the Grand Marnier, other than other orange liquors, I’ll be offering no alternatives. That’s what literally gives the sauce its soul.

By the way, if you want to raise your “game” game, I encourage you to check out Hank's cookbook. I think it’s very well done, and gets basically all 5-star reviews on Amazon. So, check that out, check this out, and as always enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 portions:

2 duck breasts

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp duck fat or vegetable oil

1 tsp flour

2 tsp grated orange zest

2 tbsp Grand Marnier (orange liquor)

1 tbsp sherry vinegar

pinch of cayenne

1 rounded tbsp orange marmalade (preferably Seville orange marmalade)

1 cup chicken broth

1 tbsp butter

extra zest for garnish

Duck Confit Part 2: Crisp and Sauce

In part one of this lesson, we prepped and roasted the duck. In this second part you’ll see how we finish this dish. You’ll also learn how to do a simple fruit-based pan sauce that’s a winner with any type of game. It’s simply equal parts berry jam, vinegar and water. You’ll be amazed how this basic 3-part formula comes together to create such a delicious and versatile sauce!

Duck Confit Part 1: Prep and Roast

Duck Confit is one of the World’s great culinary experiences. “Confit” is an ancient French technique of cooking and preserving meat in its own fat. What makes this so irresistible is the combination of the soft, succulent, fragrant meat encased in the impossibly crispy and crunchy skin.

Traditionally this takes days to make. The duck legs are rubbed with salt and herbs and pressed overnight. Then the legs are covered with gallons of rendered duck fat and slowly roasted for hours. Finally the legs are crisped-up in a hot oven and serve with some type of tangy fruit-based sauce. The two part version you are about to watch is specially designed for the home Chef.

While not exactly the “classic” method, the results are still AMAZING and must be tried!! In part one we prep and slow-roast the legs. They are cooked in a low oven, 225 degrees F., for 2 1/2 hours. After cooling to room temp., they are kept in the frige overnight. Check for part 2 and see this great dish finished.