Pato pt. 2

While I was rendering the duck fat for the confit, I made a stock from the bones which would eventually be used in a sauce for the duck breast. The bones were roasted in an oven, along with a mirepoix of celery, onion and carrot, before simmering in water for three hours.

The stock was extremely deep and earthy. I almost wanted to eat it alone as a soup rather than make a sauce from it, but the sauce was worth it. After straining, the next day I reduced the stock to just a 1/2 cup of liquid. In another pot, I reduced some red wine (Tempranillo-Malbec) with onion, thyme, and allspice. I strained and combined them, also adding a bit of the reduced beet liquid from previously roasted beets, and finished it off by whisking in butter.

The duck breast was pan seared, mostly skin side down until crispy with a medium rare center. The sliced breast is sitting on chard sauteed in duck fat. A scattering of roasted beets ring the plate. This meal was good practice with a protein I don't usually work with. The duck offered so many useful and delicious opportunities with every part of its body. I realized that I have more enjoyment working with meat, and more appreciation for its flavors when I've gone through the process of breaking the animal down and using most of it with care (I didn't use the organs... that's for another time).

-Kenny

200 years

Last night we celebrated Mexico's much anticipated Bicentennial of Independence. The entire downtown area was shut off to traffic to make way for parades, concert stages, and various Cirque Du Soleil-inspired performances. It was quite the extravaganza, culminating in an insane fireworks blow-out in the Zocalo with satellite displays erupting all over the city. I didn't bring my camera out because of the crowds, but now I'm wishing I had... It was definitely the party of the century. Here are some images I grabbed off the web from last night's hoo-hah. ¡VIVA MEXICO!







I'm surprised and disappointed, frankly, that none of the major news outlets in the US covered the event. The "story" is that drug violence and a slumping economy have put a damper on the national mood blah, blah, blah... It's a legitimate angle but not complete. I think that Mexico deserves the world's attention right now for the positive as well. The culture and history are so rich and complex. I mean, what other country would include sexy, exotic dancers in over-sized cages in a bicentennial parade?

-PJ

Pato pt. 1

This week I bought a duck to prepare at home for the first time. My plan was to saute the breasts, make a sauce from the reduced stock, and make a rillete with the legs. A rillete is a slightly courser version of a pate, made from the confit of meat and its fat.

After removing the breasts and legs, I skinned the bird, being sure to remove all the fat. The fat and skin went into a pot with a cup of water. As the water boiled off and evaporated, I was left with cracklins (no thank you) and clarified golden duck fat, which is liquid at room temperature.

I sprinkled the duck legs with a salt mixture of allspice, peppercorns, bay leaf, thyme, and cumin seed and placed them in a colander for an hour to drain some of their liquid. They were then rinsed, patted dry, and put in a pot with the fat.

For the confit-ing process, the meat should be fully submerged but I didn't have quite enough duck fat. At least the top of the leg had its own fat to bathe in. They were slowly poached in the oven at a low temperature for three hours. When they were done, I pulled them from the liquid and let them cool. If I wasn't using them immediately, they could be stored in the fat for several months in the refrigerator.

For the rillete, I shredded the meat by hand, adjusted the seasoning, added fresh thyme, and mashed it with more duck fat to make a smooth, spreadable consistency. It's shown above in a cup with pink peppercorns and a parsley leaf.

Note: the chemical composition of duck fat is said to be closer to olive oil than to butter or lard.

-Kenny

The sky is blue.

Mexico City is known for air pollution. It makes sense given the geography and, I'll assume, lack of regulation for emissions. Here's a view of the Torre LatinoAmerica from our bedroom window on a bad day. We measure the smog -or contaminación- by assessing how much crap is in the air between us and the building. The strange thing is that the sky will clear up completely a few hours later. Where does it all go?

Acelga y papas

Braised chard stems and onions with anis seed, steamed chard and carrots, avocado.

Pressure-cooker potatoes with red and poblano peppers, onion, garlic, olive oil, pimenton, and cumin seed.

bandera/bandiera

(spanish/italian for flag)

Doggy Day-Care

Obedience lessons in the park.