Long Time, No Pics

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

I've not posted any cooks in a long time, but after being shamed by Fidel's post the other day, I figured it'd be a good time to get the camera out.

Been busy, too, and not cooking as much as I like to. Worked all weekend, and so Mon/Tues?wed were my three-day weekend. My wife had the boys off to a friend's party, and has been covering dinner duties for weeks on-end, so I wanted to cook her something in return. Hopefully this is my 'end-of-the-winter-doldrums' post.

Posted a seared duck pic the other day, and it reminded me how long it's been since we had duck. Prosciutto i have, but seared, haven't done in a while.

I marinated a pair of duck breasts in Madeira, walnut oil (great stuff!), with S&P and sprigs of fresh (garden) sage, oregano, and thyme.



The duck was going to be sauced with a reduction of pomegranate juice, mango juice, roasted/smoked pistachios and pecans (over applewood), and local honey. It also got about 2 ounces of butter, a generous palm-full of cracked pepper, salt, and a dried hot pepper (from essexco and wife).



here're the pistachio nuts and pecans in my paella before smoking. actually bumped it to 400 or so at the end.



my wife has an amazing palate. she ate one, and said "tastes like that applewood bacon you made". i had smoked them with apple wood. two-points for her on that one

tossed in some pomegranate-spiked cranberries that were minced (the leeks were a side dish)



rinsed the leeks and slathered them with bacon fat and salt. grilled face down, then braised in a foil pouch with balsamic vinegar and ground pepper





made a crimini mushroom risotto too. added some grated parmesan at the end, of course.



we had a side salad of mixed greens, so i made a vinaigrette of canola oil, walnut oil, honey, s&p, and rice wine vinegar. no lemon. didn't need it...



my wife's only task was to bring home a bottle of white (needed some for the risotto), and a Pinot Noir.

having just gotten back from a kid's birthday party, my wife had my two sons and another neighborhood boy. his mother came by as i was making the risotto and grilling the duck and asked "what's for super?" hahaha

she was gobsmacked, saying "but it's wednesday?"
she'd actually never HAD duck breast. i gave her a slice of mine, and she really enjoyed it. stayed through dinner with us, and she and my wife got to jaw about 'girl stuff' and enjoy the wine(s). tried to give her the night off, and i think it worked.

the plated food. bad pic. i felt like a yahoo, because our guest was wondering what the hell the pics were for... so i hurried this one. one thing i did after this was slice the breasts and spread them out and then resauced. made for a better presentation, but this is the only pic i have.



if you have read this far, you are hereby qualified to enter the prize drawing. just let me know if you want them, and i'll put yer name in a hat with the others. winner gets four BGE coozies.

bangor307

Beautiful cook stike. I wish we could get duck breast in our area. Can you tell me what store you got yours from?

Little Steven

Very, very nice! Keep posting pics.

Steve

Misippi Egger

Lots of work, but it looks like it was well worth it. Nice night off for the wifey and a fantastic meal ! :woohoo:

AZRP

Your pics of cooks have been missed, keep it up. -RP

WhackMaster719

All I can say is HOLLY S***! :ohmy: Wow... Really nice cook.



I'll enter that drawing if you don't have a post limit.

Weekend Warrior

Wow Jeff. Beautiful meal and great post. What you may lack in quantity, you more than make up for in quality. I think I would just stare at a dish like that, being to pretty to eat.......

ChargerGuy

Those are some good lookin breasts, I haven't had duck in a while reminds me of what I am missing however yours probably tasted way better!

mad max beyond eggdome

nice to see you back cooking jeff!! ..and return to the old stike moniker!! a stike by any other name is still a 'stike'!! LOL ...that duck looks fabulous!!

thanks for the great post ...one question though ...unless i missed something here ...how did you actually cook the duck breasts? . ..sear/grill? for how long? temps? . ..etc?

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

i marched around the local store that carries them, and couldn't find them fresh. rats. i had talked the two dudes in the meat department up to the point where they said they would try to keep them on hand, and they even said they'd try making duck prosciutto (which is why i buy them). i was literally leaving, and checked the frozen whole ducks. i was determined to have duick, but the whole duck was 20 bucks. lo and behold. next to it were the formerly fresh, but now frozen duck breasts. i hd to settle. what the heck. bought 8, thawed two. still have some duck prosciutto in the fridge, and so i'll thaw the others as i need them. every time i make duck-p, i give it all way. hahaha

i find a lot of the 'unusual' stuff (pork belly, duck breast, etc.) at a local chain called "Market Basket". there are a few of them sprinkled up and down the North Shore area of massachusetts and southern NH

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

i remember now one of the reasons i stopped posting pics.... just lost three billable hours. hahaha

Bash

Jeff,

Very nice original post. I have never even seen duck breast in a store. Maybe I don't go to the right stores.

Thanks for posting. I did read to the end, but I don't need or use coozies. I'm sure someone will enjoy them.

BTW - it is nice to see you post under the name stike.

Richard

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

and we had so much wine that when we hit the sack, I suggested we play some games in bed. she agreed, and suggested her favorite game of all: "Race You to Sleep". She won. :( :laugh:

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

aw shucks...
thankibum muchibus!

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

thanks boss. forgot to add that the duck breast had some BEAUTIFUL color on it. i did them direct, with a little added cherry. so the color was fantastic. almost put the sauce on the side :laugh:

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

yeah, pics sorta tapered off when our neighbor showed up. they all think i'm a little "odd" anyway, no need to make things worse.

i grilled them flesh-side down for a few minutes, with a couple chunks of cherry wood tossed in. the leeks in their foil pouch went on to warm at the same time. flipped the breasts skin-down to crisp up and color, and added another third chunk of cherry.

the neighbor woman asked how to cook it and i just said it was like a burger, one flip. she said (maybe i am getting through to them after all) "but you have that grill, with the wood. we just have a gas grill and it wouldn't taste like THAT". two-points to BGE

by rights, i should have hada pic of the breasts on the BGE. i realized as i put this togetherthat the only bge shot was the nuts! hahaha at least there are grill marks on the leeks :laugh:

vidalia1

WOW...I just cooked the exact same thing last week...go figure...


Just kidding.. :P awesome looking meal Stike. :laugh:

I really want to do the duck prosciutto & cured salmon that you did a while back, I just need to stay home more...

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

thanks...
first post of the day is easiest to post under "stike". i do it during log-in. after that, the forum "sees" me as stripstike.

so far, you are the only one who mentioned the coozies, and you don't want them! :( :unsure:

i am not one for logos or clothing and stuff with words on them, so they will just gather dust here. plus, i drink beers fast enough that they don't get cold.

Bash

Whackmaster wanted them.

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

thanks, Kim
the duck prosciutto was easier than the salmon cure. but not because the salmon cure is more difficult, i just got really screwed on timing and over-cured them. straight-off gravlax was the best and easiest, and freshest tasting. i am not sure you can over-cure gravlax. ...but i overcured some of the other "fancier" variations. next time, though. next time.

the duck breast prosciutto is either loved or hated by those you serve it to. dunno why. seems pretty divisive! :laugh:

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

yep. yer right. saw that just now down at the bottom of his post. thanks for the heads-up.

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

you need to have at lest 14,000 posts.

nah. yer in. so far i think you are the only one that wants them?

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

thanks charger guy

Florida Grillin Girl

Fabulous dinner. I have duck breasts in the freezer, (got them at Rest. Depot) Your great pics made me hungry for them...

Faith

Photo Egg

Great looking meal.
Yet to cook duck on the Egg.
Was your better half happy with your gesture?
If not mail me the left overs...
Take care,
Darian

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

i really like duck... we seem sometimes to get caught in a chicken loop, and it's great to revisit duck. firm, red-meat (but lighter), not at all 'gamey' but really supported well by dark berry flavors, wild mushroom, rice, pepper, etc.

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

she was very happy. happier still that i did a lot of the clean-up during the cook!

vohsmk

I loved the photos. I have two whole ducks in the freezer and thinking about cooking them on Sunday. Any suggestions/recipes on how I should fix these?

Fidel

Oh my, I see the one-up-manship has begun, or should I say the gauntlet has been dropped?

Reminds me of the days a few years ago when a few of us used to have our "pixel wars", and then the throwdowns from last summer (whatever happened to those)?

You already have my mind spinning thinking what I can cook this weekend to make this one look like fishsticks and frozen fries.

Kidding aside, that is a terrific cook sir. And it's good to see the paella pan in use again. I'm sure it stirred some terrible memories for you.

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

i am no zippylip. i generally follow a method or recipe before i try to put a spin on things. Alton Brown has a very simple recipe for whole duck.

Essentially he quarters them, and then does a par cook. score the skin first, then steam over an inch of water for about a half hour in a colander placed inside a large covered pot. that will render much of the fat. SAVE THE FAT and use some of it for some roasted potatoes.

the duck is then pan-seared. i pressed it under a foiled brick, too, to gain as much contact for the sear as i could





see AB's easy method:>> AB's "Mighty Duck"[/url}

Boilermaker Ben

my wife has an amazing palate.

Sigh, typical male objectification of women.

Thanks for posting, Jeff. I love the juxtaposition of the beautifully prepared and photographed food with the beer coozies.