Oysters, a cook's day off.

Imagine my delight to be at the market trying to decide what supper will be, when the fish monger offers 50% off a new shipment of P.E.I. Oysters because she knows I'll take such a bargain and clean them myself.
Well.
I was delighted.
I took home 33 of Canada's best Malpaques. I purchased a lemon for seasoning, but better still, at home I have a bottle of home-made Kressi Vinegar Mignonette for just this sort of an occasion.

That's how I spent my night off recently. I had the place to myself; conditions where perfect. For the record, it's never fun to eat oysters around people who don't like them (the annoying majority). Most have never tried one, rather, at some point, they were offered one, looked down at it, and without accepting the offer to try it, made a snap judgment. BAM! Just like that, they abstained from ever knowing the pleasures of an oyster... Well, it's a form of hate, and it's wrong.
This goes deeply against my philosophy of trying everything at least once before making snap judgments.
I have always liked the saying "The bravest man to have existed is the first person to have tried an oyster raw". It's a primal, tasty food, best kept simple.
It's a great self-indulgence, best enjoyed with a steely Chardonnay, Champagne or Still Water and something great on tv - (say like, The Matrix Trilogy), which you would not normally get away with while being around non-oyster eating people such as your wife.

Kressi Mignonette

Yield: 500ml

Ingredients:

500ml Kressi Vinegar (Or Apple Cider, Champagne, Red Wine Vinegars will all do great!)

2 Shallots - very small, perfect brunoise (As small as possible, don't rush)

1 Tbs. Toasted, pan crushed Whole Black Peppers

Method:

1) Add everything together in a dressing bottle.

2) Store in fridge for at least 24 hours before using. Will last easily 6 months.

3) Shake the mixture and pour a tsp. worth on the oyster. Don't get carried away, try not to annoy the neighbors with the volume of the tv.

-Jerek

If you are a cook and reading this, why aren't you at work right now?

5:35pm

The beginning of the evening service.

2:23pm

Prep. Cooks not paying attention to the one cook not prepping (me!). As you may tell from their postures, this is not a good time to be taking pictures for a blog.

4:00pm
Gnocchi being prepared.

Autumn Salad
(Featuring House-made Granola, Heirloom Beets, "Fifth Town" Chevre, and Apple)

De-Constructed Hot Chocolate

(From back to forefront) Steamed Milk, Dark Chocolate Ganache (on a stick!), Chantilly Cream, Couverture Shavings

I have taken a noticeable absence from this blog for the past ten days. Christmas season is here. All cooks know what that means. No excuses. Busy is busy is busy. We all know it, we're all prepared for it. I love this time of year. Usually, you can expect a full service, being called in early and working multiple stations on a daily basis from late November to mid December. To me, this is what Christmas is all about. Forget the tv specials and decorations. Christmas rush is where it's at. It's typically busy with a lot of pressure, but what makes it great is everyone (BOH) tends to be in high spirits and it's reflected in the food.

Having said this, during the Christmas rush, days off do not happen as much, and the time to take quick photos and detail a blog every few days temporarily falls down the priority scale. Everyone is in a positive mood, as long as everyone else keeps busy. Such is the rhythm of a tight kitchen crew.

So, today I have posted some random shots from the past ten days which shall have to do until the final Christmas rush of this decade comes to a close.

-Jerek

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