Duck Confit (and the impatient side of me using this unappealing photo)

Duck Confit (aka Flavour a la Canard)

To keep this short and sweet; I, as every cook I know, holds duck confit to the same level as Paula Deen holds onto butter, or Rachel Ray holds onto the stupid term "EVOO". You never turn down an offer to taste duck confit. It's great with everything. When in a slump for ideas creating a dish, add duck confit. Problem solved.

This is my take on the recipe. I enjoy it's natural salinity (after the curing of course). Hope it works for you!

Duck Confit

Ingredients:

Salt Rub (Enough to fully cover the duck legs); 1 lb Kosher Salt, 1 tsp. Juniper Berries, 1 tsp. Allspice, 1/2tsp. Chinese Five Spice, 2 Tbs. Fennel Seeds, Rind of 2 Oranges, 2 Stems of Rosemary, 1 Tbs. Black Peppercorns ->Toast the Seeds, Mix everything together, buzz in a food processor

Duck Legs (Skin on)

Duck Fat (Enough to comfortably cover the legs)

Bay Leaf (1 for every 4 legs)

Garlic Clove (1 for every 2 legs)

Black Peppercorn (3 per leg)

Method:

1) Rinse the legs under cold running water. Pat completely dry. Using a hotel pan, put a layer of the salt cure down. Place the legs on top of the cure, and cover the remaining meat with the rest of the salty mix. All aspects of the legs should be covered. Cover with cling-film and let rest for 3.5 hours in a fridge.

2) Remove the legs from the hotel pan. Under cold running water, rinse off the residual salt cure. Pat dry. Place the legs neatly in a high-walled hotel pan or sauce pot. Add the duck fat, bay leafs, and peppercorns. Cover with tin foil.

3) Using an oven set at 250F, cook for 2.5 hours before checking the tenderness of the legs. Once finished, remove and chill the legs in the duck fat right away. Cover when chilled and store as is until ready to serve.

-Jerek

Chai One On

Chai Mise'

One great thing about working in one of the most culturally diverse kitchens I have seen is the constant learning of authentic preparations. Today, I write about chai. I say authentic, and what I mean is, this is how the Indian cook I work with makes his chai at home. It's simple, and fantastic. I have been known to make a brew and am proud to say that I have gotten both the approval of the Indian and Pakistani cooks I deal with. This gives me an idea about global peace...

Chai Tea

Yield: 2 Cups

Ingredients:

500ml 2% Milk (Or a 1:1 ratio of Whole Milk and Water)

2Tbs Loose Leaf Earl Grey Black Tea

1 Tbs Chopped Ginger

8 Pods of Cardamon

Sugar tt

Method:

1) Steep everything, minus the sugar on med/low heat for 30 minutes.

2) Strain through a fine chinois. Season with the sugar. Serve.

WARNING! While this is a great recipe, always be prepared to hear a differing opinion of it's original ingredients. I have rarely seen more contentious debates in the kitchen (That are clean enough to repeat here) to what truly makes up an authentic chai. However, this recipe alone seems to have struck a medium for all to enjoy!

Though, the Pakistani Cook would love to have seen a Cinnamon Stick thrown in for good measure...

-Jerek

Epic's winter menu roll out!

Top-Cured/Bottom Seared Artic Char

Celeriac Puree, Onion/Thyme Jam

Tangerine Froth

Roasted Corn/Fois Gras Soup

Duck Confit, Sherry Gastrique

Gnocchi
Braised Rabbit, Northern Woods Mushrooms
Aurora Sauce

(From Back to Front) Maple/Spruce Glazed Salmon
Wild Rice, Rhubarb-Truffle Foam

Guanciale Wrapped Diver Scallops
Chobai Lentils, Heirloom Beets
Arugula Pesto, Riesling Froth

Arugula Pesto


This has been somewhat of a crazy week. It's both really exciting and challenging to turn a menu over to a new season. The logistics are massive. The new products have to be brought in, everyone has to be educated about the menu, everyone has to start fresh at their seasoned stations, and no one is familiar with the initial start-up. You often pray for a soft-opening night that first service to the culinary gods. Knock on wood that they are gentle towards you. However ask any cook, and they'll tell you (If they are not Culinary Atheists/Agnostic) that the Gods - Problably a trio of Escoffier, Antonin Careme, and Julia Child - must have a dry, dark sense of humour.

Fun example! My first year wearing whites, during the first menu roll-over service I participated in, a Sous Chef at the mediterranean bistro I worked at caused a fire big enough to deploy the fire retardant system - ruining all the Mise En Place... 20 minutes before the booked service. So as of that first year in whites, I have seen this day get almost as bad as it can get.

However, this week has been much MUCH smoother. I am truly excited for the new menu. My personal opinion is that it offers customers a more welcoming local (Canadian) menu without losing the fun technical side of it for the cooks. In terms of BOH, it's a progression in the quality and sophistication of the daily minutia required for service.
Prime examples are the implementation of making the Gnocchi daily before service, all Char is cured 2.5 hours before service, we are bringing in whole rabbits to braise, and the veg station is being finessed more then any other station.

I am leaving off with a simple but lovely recipe from the new scallop dish.

Arugula Pesto

Yield: 1 Cup

Ingredients:
1 Cup Compressed Arugula
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
1 Garlic Clove
2 Tbs. Pine Nuts
1/4 Cup Parmesan Reggiano
Salt/Pepper TT

Method:
1) Blend until mealy. Taste for goodness.
-Store, covered in fridge. It will remain intensely green for for 72 hours.

-Jerek

Toblerone Spiced Hot Chocolate, Kaluha Marshmallows (and how to woo your spouse).

The End Result: A very happy spouse.

The Marshmallow Mise:

1/4 Cup Cornstarch
1/3 Cup Confectioners Sugar
1 Envelope Gelatin
1/3 Cup Burnt-off Kaluha
2/3 Cups Granulated Sugar
1/2 Cup Corn Syrup
Pinch of Salt
1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract

Step 1

Sift the cornstarch and confectioners sugar into a bowl. Lightly grease on an 8X8-inch pan and sprinkle 1 TBS of the cornstarch-sugar mixture into it. Tilt the pan to coat the sides and the bottom. Leave any excess in the pan.

Step 2

Sprinkle the gelatin into the alcohol-free kaluha in a small saucepan and let soak for five minutes. Add the granulated sugar and stir over low heat until the gelatin and sugar dissolve.

Step 3

In the large bowl of a mixer, combine the gelatin mixture, corn syrup, salt, and vanilla. Beat for 15 minutes on high speed until peaks form.

15 Minutes Later (and aren't you happy you invested in a mixer?)
This has the consistency of sticky silly puddy.

Step 4

Spread the fluffy mixture in the prepared pan and smooth the top. Leave for at least 2 hours until it sets. (4 hours is better)

What it should look like for Step 5.

Step 5

With a hot, wet ring mold, cut the marshmallow into individual shapes. Dredge the pieces into the cornstarch-sugar mixture. Note: This part really sucks because of how sticky the situation is. Use lots of hot water and clean the mold for every cut!

Step 6

Place the marshmallows on a cake rack covered with paper towels and let them stand over night to dry the surface slightly. Store airtight; they will keep for a month.

Toblerone Spiced Hot Chocolate

Yield: 2 Mugs Full

Ingredients:

145 gr. Toblerone

1 Cup 35% Cream
1 Cup 1% Skim Milk
1 Tbs. Honey
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
1/8 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

Method:

1) Make a double boiler, add the chocolate and melt it.
2) At the same time, in a separate pot, bring the cream to heat, add to the chocolate when heated. Mix well.

3) Next add the milk and rest of the ingredients. Turn up the heat of the double-boiler and let it go for 20 minutes to allow for the cayenne to be fully absorbed. Otherwise, you will not be able to taste the heat right away!

4) Serve to anybody who you really, really like.

-Jerek