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Cooking
for the Pretentious Dark Father: Part I
This week column is dedicated to the
Crapper's one and only: Dark Father. He has suggested some recipes for
healthy vegetables and duck.
The best duck ever has to be duck
confit. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, duck confit is a
wonderful dish that is tender and delicious not to mention extremely
fattening. The duck is salted and allowed to sit in a refrigerator overnight
and sometimes days, then essentially cooked in a large amount of duck fat
for hours until tender and practically falling off the bone. You find a lot
of recipes pairing duck with some sort of fruit sauce. There's the classic
duck a l'orange, but then other sauces made with cherries, plums, apricots,
and raspberries. And a lot of times duck is accompanied with apples or
pears. Aside from the duck confit, the way I love to prepare duck is the
simple and basic way, pan fried. The good thing about duck is that you do
not have to add any extra oil to the pan. Start the well-seasoned duck skin
side down in the sauté pan and let it go. Since duck alone is loaded with
calories, I like to use it in a salad or on a sandwich like a wrap or a
pita. But generally the uses are endless.
Duck Breast Salad with Orange Vinaigrette
This recipe is also delicious when placed in a wrap. Try this if using a
wrap-- ½ cup hoisin sauce and ¼ cup of plum sauce as a dip. Both can be
found in the Asian section of the supermarket.
2 boneless duck breasts with skin
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup orange juice; from 1-2 fresh oranges
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ cup olive oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil
2 cups favorite lettuce, chopped
¼ cup scallions, sliced thinly
¼ cup diced or sliced pears
1 ounce feta cheese, crumpled (optional)
1. Season the duck breasts well with
salt and pepper.
2. Heat a large skillet over a medium high heat and place duck breasts skin
side down and lower heat to medium and adjusting heat accordingly so that
the skin doesn't burn.
3. Allow to cook skin side down until skin is thin and browned.
Approximately 15-20 minutes. (You may have to drain any large amounts of fat
that collect in the pan.)
4. Once the skin is brown, turn the duck over and allow the other side to
cook until desired doneness. (5-8 minutes)
5. Remove from pan and allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing into
strips on an angle across the grain.
6. While the duck breasts are cooking, prepare the vinaigrette by pouring
the orange juice, balsamic vinegar, honey, the cayenne pepper in a medium
bowl. Whisk and season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Whisk in the oil of your choice.
8. Pour half of the vinaigrette in a large bowl and add the lettuce, onion,
and pears.
9. Then toss to coat all the ingredients with the vinaigrette.
10. Arrange the salad on plates and top with sliced duck and feta cheese.
11. Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over the duck.
I believe most people do not eat enough vegetables. Or if they do eat them,
they are saturated with butter and cheese or just plain overcooked and
mushy. I like vegetables that taste like vegetables and are still crisp and
firm. Vegetables are an important source of vitamins, minerals, and
nutrients. In order to retain those important building blocks of nutrition,
vegetables need to be cooked properly or else all that is good for you is
destroyed. In that case, bring on the butter and cheese.
There are several different methods
of preparing vegetables. Commonly vegetables are boiled or steamed. You can
sauté, bake, grill, or batter vegetables as well. Before grilling vegetables
it is a good idea to blanch them in boiling salted water for around 1-3
minutes depending on the vegetable. When the vegetables are removed from the
pot, shock them in ice cold water to cool down and stop the cooking. Remove
from cold water and pat dry with paper towels. This ensures that your
vegetables do not burn and cook evenly. You can also marinate them after the
blanching and shocking for a tasty treat. My favorite way to prepare many
vegetables is in the microwave. I know, it sounds horrible, but it is not.
It is a quick and nutrient conserving way to cook vegetables.
Microwaved Broccoli
When I use broccoli, I cross-hatch the stems so that they cook uniformly. To
cross-hatch the broccoli, cut the stems in half vertically (and sometimes
quarters depending on the thickness) stopping before you get to the florets.
You wind up with perfectly cooked broccoli.
1 bunch broccoli, trimmed and cut
into florets with stems
1 teaspoon canola oil (or preferred oil)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon water
¼ cup onion, julienne (optional)
1. Place the broccoli in a large
microwave safe bowl.
2. Drizzle the oil over the broccoli being sure to lightly coat all of the
broccoli.
3. Toss to coat with the salt, pepper flakes, and onion.
4. Pour in the water.
5. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 2-3 minutes
until desired doneness is reached.
Pecan Pralines
This recipe is so easy and delicious. You will need a thermometer for it
though. A candy one works well and is inexpensive. I have all different
types, but have found that a digital one is best for all occasions and you
can find them for around $11. This recipe works well with both evaporated
milk and heavy cream. So, use whatever you have on hand.
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 ½ cups brown sugar; firmly packed
1 cup evaporated milk or heavy cream
3 tablespoons butter (not margarine)
3 ½ cups pecan halves
1. Line two baking sheets with
parchment, waxed paper, or just grease them well.
2. Combine the sugar, brown sugar, and the evaporated milk (heavy cream if
using) in a pan.
3. Stir over medium heat until mixture boils.
4. Continue stirring constantly until a thermometer reaches 228 to 230 F
(109-110 C).
5. Quickly stir in butter and pecan halves.
6. Continue to cook until the thermometer reads 240 F (116 C).
7. Remove from heat and beat with wooden spoon for one minute or electric
mixer. Be sure to work quickly because the praline will start to set as it
cools.
8. Immediately drop by tablespoonfuls onto to prepared baking sheets and
allow to cool for 1-2 hours. Store in an airtight container.
This Friday, the 16-my cousin's 3 month-old baby, Liberty Marie, has to
undergo surgery to correct a congenital heart defect. I would appreciate if
you all would send good thoughts and positive vibes toward Fort Worth, Texas
for little Miss Libby Doo and her parents. Thanks! Until next time-best
wishes to all and happy cooking.
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