Poultrygeist
It was raining, of course. A day for ducks. And a fitting start for Poultrygeist, our pre-Halloween celebration feast of all things duck. I mean, why do the kids get to have all the treats? The plan was simple: a seven-course, wine-paired dinner for twenty-four people. Add a sorbet intermezzo. Throw in a pumpkin-carving contest with alcohol-based prizes. In case that’s not scary enough, put the whole thing completely in the hands of amateurs. Still not frightened? Create most of the recipes ourselves. And then invite Tom Douglas, his business partner and Executive Chef Eric Tanaka (“E.T.”), his marketing manager Robyn, and several more of his chefs, just to raise the stakes.
Now that sounds like fun. (Or, I need a drink.) But first we’ll need a few groceries. Like five Moulard, two Muscovy, and two Pekin ducks. Eight more pounds of Moulard duck breasts. Five dozen duck eggs. A tub of duck fat. A case of blood oranges. And a couple cases of wine.
Although, we started two weeks ago, we dug in Friday afternoon at Bruce’s house to get the roulade out of the way. Meaning “roll,” it’s a time-consuming dish that starts with skinning a couple ducks, boning them out, and grinding, chopping, and stuffing everything in the skin to be poached in a pound of butter and herbs. While that was in the oven, we finished the duck liver paté and turned the two carcasses into a brown duck stock. Not a bad start.
On Saturday we moved the work party to Becky’s home, and with a larger crew, the real heavy lifting began. Holly dove into a “ripening” tray of duck fat to retrieve our previously made confit legs, and working the wings into rillettes. Jordan took on the blistering work of cleaning out twenty sugar pie pumpkins. Becky made, broke, fixed, broke, fixed, and again broke a lemon ginger duck-fat mayonnaise before we decided to trim that unstable emulsion from the menu. We took a well-deserved “family meal” break to devour Trina’s salmon frittata and some duck sliders Bruce made from the leftover roulade stuffing.
Back at the grinder, Dana transformed the Moulard breasts into fifty sliders (mini burgers). Trina made cherry jam, perfected her blood orange martini, and finished Chuck’s Asian plum sauce with homemade blood orange marmalade to pair with the ducks Bruce was packing with spices and more blood oranges for roasting Sunday. Most of the sauces, garnishes, and dressings made, or nearly completed. Fresh pasta mixed and resting in the fridge. Shallot rings and sage leaves fried in duck fat. Cracklings crisped. Cranberry, blood orange, thyme sorbet frozen. To finish the day, pear sabayon, spiced pears, and duck brittle.
Sunday was the final push. Ducks on the rotisserie. Breasts seared off and sliced. Beans for the roulade simmered with the brown stock, and the resulting broth reduced all the way down to finish a mustard sauce. Confit jelly coins. Twenty-five duck egg yolk raviolos. Menus printed, house decorated. Wine pairings ready (by maniacal foodie Kyle at Pike and Western). And everything portioned and ready for service, just in time for guests to begin arriving.
So how did it turn out? Click on the photos to start the slide show, and see for yourself.
(Huge thanks to Bruce for providing many of the photos.)
Be Very Afraid
When Chuck’s chickens stage a haunted coop, you know Poultrygeist is so close it’s scary.
The mayhem will continue at Becky’s this Sunday, with our day of mise Saturday. Can’t think of a costume idea? An apron or chef’s hat will do. Or follow my example and wear a body-sized bib.
Here’s how it’s shaping up (costumes not required):
- reception: five-spice duck lettuce wraps, cilantro, plum sauce, sechuan pepper salt
- scary sugar pie pumpkin carving contest (categories: creative, scary, fun, elaborate, duck)
- duck roulade, cannellini beans, brown mustard sauce
- three preserves: crisped confit, rillettes, paté, toasts, greens, warm duck vinaigrette
- duck-egg raviolo, lemon sage butter, magret prosciutto, fried sage leaves
- sorbet (cranberry, blood orange, thyme)
- duck meatball sliders (2 sauces, sweet pickle chips)
- seared duck breast, red wine reduction, kale (duck cracklins), duck-finished thyme potatoes
- sabayon, pear, duck brittle
- pumpkin-carving awards – bottles of arancello (limoncello’s orange cousin)
- take-home bags (prosciutto, duck fat, confit)
See you there!
Ducks Redux Shifts Poultrygeist Into High Gear
Two weeks away from our First Annual Poultrygeist and we’re ready to get some advance mise out of the way. Also, it’s perfect timing to replay the previous day’s lessons from Rover’s Duck 101 class. Hosted by Bruce and Dana in their amazing indoor/outdoor kitchens, we tackled five honkin’ honkers: Hudson Valley Moulard ducks bought from restaurant supplier Select Gourmet Foods, meat supplier to the stars (such as Tom Douglas Restaurants and Rover’s). Lucky for us, Select Gourmet now has a retail outlet in Kenmore.
Being veteran Tom Douglas Summer Campers, we eased into the workday with a glass of Prosecco, followed Bruce’s terrific chili, topped with an egg poached perfectly by his immersion circulator, with corn-meal focaccia on the side.
Then we broke down our five HUGE ducks. Moulards are such amazing creatures. Thick, gorgeous layers of fat, and deep, rich, meat, with mile-long breasts. We set aside three breasts for prosciutto, which is sacrilege according to The Chef In The Hat (he refuses to “waste” prime Moulard breasts on charcuterie). But heck, we’re worth it. Crime or no, we packed them in a pan of kosher salt for an overnight cure, then to be rinsed, dried, and dusted with white pepper and juniper berries before hanging in Chuck’s cellar. The other seven breasts were trimmed, scored, skin partially rendered, and packed in shallot, thyme, bay leaves, garlic, and cracked pepper, to be held in vacuum-sealed bags in Becky’s freezer, ready for finishing.
With the group suddenly hankering for a snack, Bruce came to the rescue with short ribs cooked sous vide (his immersion circulator again), and finished on the grill. I had picked up a pound of matsutake mushrooms at the Pike Place Market that morning, so he sliced and sauteed those for bedding (for the short ribs, not Bruce). A pan sauce, a little lemon and soy to finish, and some red wine for the glass. Amazing. So I ate two.
Right. Ducks. We cured ten duck legs and wings in bay, garlic, orange zest, thyme, and kosher salt. To make the confit, they’ll be gently poached in duck fat Tuesday for eight to ten hours, and then will ripen, packed in the fat until Poultrygeist. Speaking of fat, in addition to the 7.5-pound tub we bought, rendering down the fat from all five ducks will yield about ten pounds more (or about 2.5 gallons total). With so much of everything, there should be confit and duck fat souvenirs, as well as prosciutto to take home after the event.
And then there’s the swimming pool of duck stock made from the five roasted carcasses and mirepoix. Dana will reduce that down to a thick glace Monday.
But back to the food. Bruce fired up his pizza oven, with fennel seed crust, chanterelles, pork belly, and a whole host of terrific cheeses from the farmer’s market. Plus a few bottles of great red. And Trina made orange martinis with the juice from the zested oranges.
Speaking of oranges and alcohol, Trina sacrificed her last bottle of Everclear, and we zested eight oranges for a batch of arancello (limoncello’s cousin). Bottles will serve as prizes for the scary sugar pie pumpkin carving contest. Judging categories will likely be: creative, scary, fun, elaborate, and duck. There will be a fifteen-minute carving limit, and other rules to be announced soon, but get those wheels turning. There’s arancello at stake.
Somewhere in there we had a repeat of the chili and egg marvel. And since we were still feeling peckish, we made thyme and rosemary-scented fingerling potatoes, which were crispy finished in duck fat. But always quick to raise the bar, Bruce topped them with amazing hickory smoked Mangalitsa jowl bacon, and still more poached eggs.
So you can see the day proceeded with laser-like focus. We even got some advance planning in for Poultrygeist, and I’ll post details as we get them organized.
26th Annual Feast At The Market
On a warm fall evening, 460 diners at the sold-out 26th Annual Feast at the Market embarked a three-hour tour. To benefit Neighborcare Health’s Pike Market Medical Clinic and their mission to provide health care for uninsured patients, our mission was equally challenging: dine at nineteen Pike Place Market restaurants, and still have room for coffee and chocolates afterward.
The approach? Stay focused. And have a viable plan of attack. Fortunately, Neighborcare provided a map with participating restaurants numbered and grouped by location. So, meal-ticket booklet in hand, diners hit Pike Place Market’s historic bricks. I decided to do the restaurants in reverse order.
It wasn’t easy. Honey-scented smoked black cod with fennel chowder at Etta’s. Yam soup with king crab salad at Cutters Bayhouse. Beef Bourguignon with chanterelles at the Virginia Inn. Then a buffet at Kell’s (shepherd’s pie, sausage rolls). Another buffet at The Pink Door (salumi, grilled vegetables, seafood salad, Tuscan beans and tuna, and more). Uncle? Not yet. The Tasting Room is serving wine tastes, a welcome reprieve, but step lively. Thirteen more.
It was fun to watch the ebb and flow of diners. Now a place was swamped, now empty: the coffee-shop phenomenon in action. And the restaurant staff took it all in graceful stride. In addition to the food, it was terrific to visit so many places in the Market, especially new ones (like Thoa’s) and others you’ve been meaning to try but haven’t found the time. Here’s the full lineup:
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But in three hours? You did wear comfortable shoes, didn’t you? Of course, most people didn’t worry about hitting every single place. With so much food, it wasn’t necessary. Far better to let your whims guide you, and savor the unique atmosphere of the Pike Place Market.
For example, after the food, my favorite thing is how vendors at the Market behave as if they were your big, extended family. When dashing into a place for a quick photo (I honestly didn’t have time, or the belly space, to eat at every place), a host, server, or kitchen staff would inevitably and gently implore, “Just a photo? Come on. Sit down for just two minutes and eat.” And their hospitality worked more than once. It was an expansive evening in every way. Even parking was included.
My only concern is this: if the public health insurance option passes, can there still be a feast next year?
Poppy Hosts the Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce
Benefit dinners can be such a mixed bag. You want to help, but you can’t bear facing another rubber chicken nestled in gummy fettucini. Fortunately, the Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce has a secret weapon: Jerry Traunfeld and his dynamite new Poppy. You don’t need to reminded of Jerry’s reign at Herbfarm, and I’ve raved about his Herbfarm Cookbook
Thus armed, the Chamber’s Annual Spirit Of The Hill dinner was at no risk of torturing you in exchange for support. Breaking Poppy’s usual thali format (see below), Jerry hosted a leisurely champagne reception, followed by a luxurious five-course dinner and paired with wines provided by Van Duzer. Roasted black cod with carrot vinaigrette and cucumber-shiso salad was sweet and buttery. A slice of chanterelle, leek, and chard “lasagne” was a fun play of flavor and texture: the noodles were paper thin and somehow managed to hold together the dramatic layers. The main dish was a succulent lavender-crusted duck breast, served with mushroom marjoram bread pudding, sage-roasted delicata squash, and a lavender sauce. Just the right subtlety on the lavender, too often overdone in lesser hands. The finale: dark chocolate terrine with tender and mild candied ginger, and candied pine nuts.
During dinner, Jerry talked about his travels in India, an exploration of spices building on his encyclopedic command of herbs. This journey, of course, led him to open Poppy, where his fast-becoming-famous thalis showcase these herbs and spices in ten inventive tastes. And Poppy’s sommelier Angela Isaacson spoke about the Van Duzer wines for the event, and also shared tips for pairing wine with food. Chamber Executive Director Jack Hilovsky and Event Chair Jody Laflen finished the evening with a wine raffle and auction, after which happy guests filtered out through the garden, rubbing and smelling the herbs and late-season flowers.
So next year, when you’re sifting through that stack of benefit-dinner invitations, this is one you don’t want to miss.
Fatten Up For A Good Cause
Living in Seattle is a special treat with the amazing regional foods at our fingertips. And no better place to swan dive into great food than the Pike Place Market (for me, it’s the eye of the cornucopia). So I’m very excited to be invited to cover the 26th Annual Feast at the Market this coming Tuesday, October 6th.
For three hours, diners will be able to visit nineteen (yes, nineteen!) restaurants and enjoy small plates prepared especially for the event. If that’s not enough, there’s the fourth hour for coffee and dessert at the Seattle Athletic Club. All this for $75, and in addition to feeling full, you’ll feel good knowing that proceeds will support health care for uninsured patients at the Pike Market Medical Clinic.
Menu items? Pumpkin risotto with Pedro Ximenez sherry and bacon fat caramel glazed candy corn. Petit lamb burger with balsamic braised onions and aioli on gougere. Fall yam soup, king crab salad en buche, juniper berry crème fraiche. Korean braised duck breast on brioche, house-made kimchi and Doenjang vinaigrette. And fifteen others. See the whole menu on the event website.
See you there!
First Friday Foodie Lunch Club: Green Leaf
If you love treasure hunts, then you have to love Seattle’s International District, where gems lie hidden in unassuming places. Green Leaf Restaurant is one of those places, and when the First Friday Foodie Lunch Club chose them for October, I rushed out to do some reconnaissance work in advance. Multiple times, in fact. Yet by the time fifteen of us foodies arrived for our lunch feast, I was eager for more.
To say Green Leaf has super-fast service, fresh, crisp produce, clean, bright flavors at unbelievable prices (as reviews for decent Vietnamese restaurants inevitably do) would be accurate, but misses what makes them special. It’s the consistent, and obvious care that they take in the kitchen. Fried dishes are crisp and hot, not soggy or oily. Like the Vietnamese pancakes, full of shrimp and creamy with coconut, with edges so crisp they flake apart. The platter of fresh lettuces and herbs and dipping sauce make this one a messy but must-order dish. Grilled dishes have crunch and deep flavor. Even the fresh spring rolls, with lettuce, shrimp, and pork, pack a wonderfully crunchy fried center that elevates this simple appetizer, and also tells you they’re made to order rather wilting in a cooler in huge batches.
Places like this remind me of the origins of much of classical French cuisine. Humble (meaning cheap) ingredients transformed through creative and careful preparation into something amazing. Green Leaf does exactly this with fresh and simple ingredients, inventive twists on Vietnamese classics, and an apparently highly trained and consistent kitchen staff. It’s so good, the tiny bill always shocks me, as if somehow it’s cheating to get so much for so little.
One final bonus: their recent remodel and expansion upstairs added tables and one of the swankest I.D. bathrooms, but mercifully did nothing to diminish the magic.
Dahlia Bakery Happy Hour
Blustery, rainy afternoons should be a bad day for lingering on the sidewalk, unless it’s the premier of Dahlia Bakery’s Happy Hour. Starting today, and continuing 4-6pm every day except Sunday, you can find Molly Melkonian (Bakery manager and cake wizard) or Adrienne Lasko (Dahlia Lounge sous chef) smiling over a table of sweet and savory treats from the Dahlia Bakery. This is no ordinary bake sale.
Despite the weather, commuters rushing for a bus loop back as if caught in a gravity field. Speed walking business suits take one look and abruptly tell their cell phones, “Uh, I’ll call you back in one minute.” People reappear after five minutes for a second (and usually larger) purchase. And here’s why:
Mini crabcakes with a lemongrass mayonnaise for two bucks. Only got a buck? Grab a famous Dahlia coconut cream pie bite. Or try a fresh fried mini doughnut with vanilla mascarpone cream. Maybe a pear tart bite with a hit of caramel sauce. If you’re thirsty, pastry chef Garrett’s amazing house-made ginger ale will fix it.
There’s no limit, and they’ll box to go. And the menu changes daily. But danger lurks: you can pay with plastic, subject only to your will power and credit limit.
