Every visit to that store is truly an adventure. Something new to discover. An exotic food item or perhaps a new way of making familiar standbys. Last week, I noticed a man near the sushi bar cutting up Peking duck and making them into tacos. He put down a little plum sauce, some roasted duck and then shaved scallions. This week he was there doing the same and I couldn't resist. I picked up one for $2.99 to bring home and have for lunch.
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| I bet they made the duck with a rotisserie because it was so moist. |
Before I left the store yesterday, I got an idea. Shoot, I could make duck! Sure, I never had before, but how different could it be from chicken. I asked the guy in the poultry section if they carried duck and he said they did, picked up a package and handed it to me. But it was two duck breasts and I only wanted one, so he kindly repackaged just one for me and relabeled it. Now that is a customer-oriented store!
Seared Duck Breast
1 duck breast
salt
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| Repackaged and just the right amount. |
I had only wanted the duck breast and nothing else, but at that point I wasn't going to complain to the kindly meat man that this came with additional parts. This meant a little more manual labor for me. I first cut off the wing and then sliced the meat off the rib cage. (I put those aside and I'll show you what I did with them later.) Not my idea of fun, I am no butcher in the making, but if women 100 years ago could do it then so could I.
Duck has a unique flavor that I don't feel needs much seasoning, so all I did was lightly salt it. I scored the top crosswise through the skin and fat, but not into the flesh. This will help the fat melt and escape during the cooking process. And that is what you want.
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| You don't want to cut too deep. |
I planned on cooking my duck in the oven after I seared it on top, so I needed to employ a pan that could be used safely in both. First step, I put it skin down in the pan on medium heat. It will smoke a little, but not too much. The fat will slowly render and release. After about 5 - 10 minutes on that side, it was ready to flip.
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| Fat will melt away and the duck will shrink in length and increase in thickness. |
Skin side was browned and I just wanted to sear the other side for another three minutes or so to lock in the flavor and juices.
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| Off to a good start, I'd say. |
Lately I've read a lot about not throwing away fat from cooking meats. And duck fat, my friends, is in. Very hip. All the rage. I've most often seen duck fat fries popping up all over bar food or small plate menus. So I tilted my pan and took out the rendered fat with a spoon, placed it in a small container and into the freezer it went. The duck got covered with the lid for my brazier and was sent into the oven at 350 for 10 minutes or until the internal temp was 140. (Other people will say 125 is fine, but I don't eat meat rare, nor pink. I will always choose a slightly higher meat temp to ensure doneness, while avoiding making the meat into jerky.)
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| Future duck fat fries? Perhaps. |
Out of the oven it came, after the meat thermometer hit the mark, and the duck will look a little something like this:
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| Looks done to me. And I had the science to back me up. |
You don't want to cut duck right away. Best to let it rest for 10 minutes and allow the meat to absorb the juices back in. (If you cut it right away, they will just all spill over your cutting board and your duck with be dry.)
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| A little 10 minute snooze. |
After the duck has rested properly, take a sharp knife and cut it on an angle.
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| Cooked perfectly to me! |
Of course, then there was the pan with all those wonderful bits of stuff left behind. I couldn't let that go to waste. So I thought I'd make some mushrooms in it.
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| Wasn't up for making a sauce. |
I would need a couple ingredients. One for the mushrooms, one for my plating later. First up, the vinegar.
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| A few Asian staples. |
I thought some mushrooms would be a nice side item to go with duck. I bought these shitake, presliced.
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| Seemed as easy as buying the whole ones and they were the same price. |
I tossed the mushrooms into the pan with the bits, added just a splash of the rice vinegar, a couple tablespoons of duck broth (you can find this at the bottom of my posting) and sauteed them until soft. Making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan and incorporate all that extra flavor.
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| These mushrooms are so tasty on their own, but the duck fat made them even better. |
Something new. I tried this at the salad bar at Whole Foods recently and loved it. Black rice. Aka, Forbidden Rice. So I bought some to make on my own.
Onyx & Emerald Rice
1 cup black rice, cooked
1/4 cup shelled, steamed edamame beans
sprinkle of salt
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| Stateside brand of black rice. |
The reason it's called Forbidden Rice is because in China, it was considered the Emperor's rice and no one else was allowed to eat it. (Ugh, I can't stand class systems! I'm rebelling by making it in my middle class home.)
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| It's my rice now! |
I added 1/2 cup uncooked rice to two cups of water, which lent itself to a little over a cup of cooked rice. I hate to run low on water when cooking rice, so I added a little more than they suggested. Plus, I fully expected to drain this type of rice when it was done. (Wish I had a rice cooker though. I may still get one.) The water will start out clear, but wait.
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| Won't be this way for long. |
30 minutes later, you have perfectly cooked rice in black liquid. Which is slightly creepy, but you're royalty now! You can handle your new found fame.
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| Slightly swampy. Doesn't seem that special. Wealthy people are weird. |
A quick drain in a colander with a little shakey shake to get rid of the water.
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| Isn't that cool? |
I took a short cut next, to be honest. I was not going to steam my own edamame (soybeans) today. I picked up some at the salad bar, but you can also get them frozen. I gave these a quick rinse in warm water to take the chill off of them before adding to the rice. The salt is important to add because it goes really well with the soybeans and enhances the flavor of a very basic side dish.
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| Bright, neon green. |
Now to plate. Fun part! I've seen this in restaurants. They take a dollop of sauce, hit it on the plate and smear it with the back of the spoon. So I did that.
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| Reminds me of painting, only with kitchen utensils. |
I gathered up a scoop of mushrooms and piled them in the corner next to the plum sauce.
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| I was planning two zones on the plate. |
I fanned out three pieces of duck over the sauce trail and then created a small mound of the rice and edamame mixture on the other half of the plate. I love the visual contrast of the dark, sharp charcoal and bright, leafy green together. A mini treasure trove of onyx and emerald jewels! Fit for an emperor. (Or regular schlubs like us now that we've gotten into the royal rice stash.) I am not a respecter of finances when I make dinner. Everyone is welcome at my table. That is my official decree.
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| Simple Asian-inspired fare with a fancy presentation. |
So you're wondering what I did with the left over duck wing and rib cage. I decided I would make broth. (As I eluded to earlier in my post.) Unfortunately, I didn't have much at home to make it, so I had to improvise. I had an onion and some fresh cilantro. So I tossed those in a pot with the duck parts and some water and simmered for around 45 minutes.
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| What else ya gonna do with left over random, inedible duck parts? |
I poured the contents of the pan through a strainer into a couple old take out soup containers that I had saved. (So don't throw those away. You might need them one day for a project such as this.) After they cooled for a while, I put the tops on and put them into the freezer.
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| Leave room for freezing expansion. |
Now when I want to make soup or boil some quinoa, I have fresh stock to use as a tasty base instead of plain water. A little planning ahead is cost effective and can ensure a flavorful future. Rich or poor, this is just a wise way to stretch your dollar.
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