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.
