Chicken! Duck! Brined, wined, flash fried, served with a salad or eaten on it’s own, I have a whole new appreciation for all of the birds I eat. Chef Brian innocently called this class “Chicken” night but flash forward to our practical and there I was deboning an entire duck. I’ve never worked with duck but it is quite the unctuous and beautiful tasting bird, and thankfully it is just like deboning a chicken so all was cool in the hood.
I’ve eaten duck less than five times in my life and let’s just say every salad moving forward I would flash fried duck confit on top. Confit of duck implies that the duck is salted and then cooked in it’s own fat at a low temperature, usually no more than 200 degrees. Back in the day this confit method was used to preserve meat since bacteria doesn’t grow where there is fat and salt. #themoreyouknow
Chef demoed roast chicken as well, one that was brined and one that was not. Surprisingly I loved the not brined bird, I thought the flavor was stronger and the meat was juicier! Oh and one more nugget of advice, Chef advises against putting a lemon in the chicken cavity. Why? Because acid tends to make meat tough so he recommends a handful or two of your basic mirepoix of onions, celery and carrots in the cavity for optimal flavor.
Duck Salad with Frise, Blueberries and Red Wine Vinaigrette
Make sure to subscribe here for my next culinary school update from market basket night. From what I’ve heard it will be kind of like Chopped on Food Network in which we will have to prepare a meal out of unknown ingredients, cue the butterflies!
Pan Seared Duck with Sauce Gastrique with Orange
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