DUCK, DUCK, DUCK




Duck, Duck, Duck at Morimoto NYC

One of the most famous recipes at Morimoto's restaurant is Duck, Duck, Duck.  It is a dish which consists of the leg and thigh of a duck, a "sandwich" which is sliced duck breast meat and scallions inside a Foie Gras Croissant, and a sunny-side-up duck egg. It is served with a Port Wine Reduction and an earthy Red Miso Sauce for dipping.  I've had the dish several times and it is, by far, a winner.


Since I have Morimoto's cookbook, Morimoto, the New Art of Japanese Cooking which publishes the Duck, Duck, Duck recipe, I have always wanted to try making it.
http://www.amazon.com/Morimoto-New-Art-Japanese-Cooking/dp/0756631238/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1368533450&sr=1-1&keywords=morimoto+the+new+art+of+japanese+cooking
One morning after visiting a newly-discovered Asian market close-by, I saw that they were selling fresh duck eggs and fresh ducks.  Only one dish entered my mind:  Duck, Duck, Duck.  And since I had the medallion of D'Artagnan's Duck Foie Gras in my fridge, all I needed was the croissants and a few other produce items.  Also, in lieu of just serving a sunny-side-up duck egg by itself, I opted to make garlic and ginger fried rice with the sunny-side-up duck egg on top.  http://www.cece-corner.blogspot.com/2012/02/ginger-and-garlic-fried-rice-with-egg.html

Here is my own version of Morimoto's Duck, Duck, Duck:

Duck, Duck, Duck My Way

Morimoto's recipe calls for letting the duck sit overnight in the fridge with a dusting of five-spice powder.  The next day it is dipped in steaming water, then sits overnight again for another 24 hours before it is finally roasted.  Since I only had 24-hours, I rubbed the duck with five-spice powder and steamed it for 50 minutes.  I then let it sit uncovered in the fridge overnight.  The next day I roasted the duck at 400 degrees on a rack in the roasting pan for about one hour.   I made both sauces, the Port Wine Reduction and the Red Miso. The Foie Gras Croissants were store-bought croissants with the medallion of foie gras as mentioned above.
For the duck One duck, preferably fresh, about 4 1/2 pounds
6 Tbs. Five-Spice Powder
Port Wine Reduction Sauce (recipe follows)
Red Miso Sauce (recipe follows)
Foie Gras Croissants (recipe follows)
Garlic and Ginger fried rice
Duck egg, fried sunny-side-up

Wash duck and pat dry.  Rub five-spice powder all over the inside and outside of the duck.  Let duck rest for about 30 minutes.  Place duck on rack in a pan filled with about three inches of water.  Cover duck with aluminum foil.  Bring water to a boil and steam the duck for about 50 minutes.  After duck cools down, remove duck and rack from pan and place duck and rack on a sheet pan.  Refrigerate duck, uncovered, overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove duck from fridge about an hour prior to cooking.  Lightly coat the duck with olive oil before placing in oven.  Roast the duck on a rack in a roasting pan in the center of the oven until the juices at the thigh run clear when pierced, about one hour. 

Roasted Duck

Remove the duck from oven and let it stand for 15 minutes.  Carve, reserving duck breast for the sandwiches. 
 

Port Wine Reduction Sauce

I used plum wine in lieu of red wine for this and home-made turkey stock which I had in my freezer.  Also, I added some pink peppercorns.

2 Tbs olive oil

1/4 cup chopped shallots

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 cups ruby port

1/2 cup plum wine

1 sprig of fresh thyme

1/4 tsp black peppercorns

1/4 tsp pink peppercorns

2 cups turkey stock (or chicken stock)

Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add the shallots and garlic and cook until the shallots soften, about two minutes.  Add the port, plum wine, thyme sprig and peppercorns.  Bring to a boil over high heat until the liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup.

Add the stock and boil until reduced to 1 cup, about 30 minutes.  Strain sauce and set aside.  Keep warm.

 

Miso Sauce

Red Miso Sauce

This sauce was thick and sweet; thicker than I recall what the restaurant serves but it was very good and a nice complement to the entire dish.

 

1 cup red miso

3 Tbs. mirin

6 Tbs. sugar

1 egg yolk

In a stainless steel bowl, combine the miso, mirin, sugar, and egg yolk.  Wisk together until well combined.  Set over a pan of simmering water and whisk constantly until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is warm, about 8-10 minutes.  Remove from heat. 

 

Foie Gras Croissants

2 store bought (or home-made) croissants

Medallion of D'Artagnan's Duck Foie Gras (duck pate)

2 slices of roasted duck breast

1/2 Japanese seedless cucumber, thinly sliced

1 scallion cut into strips

 

Warm the croissants in the oven, about 5 minutes.  Slice them crosswise with a serrated knife.  Layer a slice of cucumber on each croissant bottom; spread on the duck pate and top with a slice of duck breast.  Top with the scallions and cover with croissant tops.

 

To Finish

Arrange pieces of duck on dinner plates; add a Foie Gras Croissant to each plate and serve with ginger and garlic rice topped with a duck egg and sides of Port Wine Reduction and Red Miso Sauce for dipping.

 

 

  

CALAMARI STUFFED WITH SHRIMPS AND SPINACH

Stuffed Calamari

The first time I made stuffed calamari was several years ago for some friends who make the dish all the time.  It was perfect and since then, I've been making stuffed calamari from time to time.  I like this dish, which is adapted from Chef Anne Burrell's book, Cook Like a Rock Star.  I only use shrimps and fresh spinach for the stuffing.  I then make a light tomato sauce topping and serve the stuffed calamari with pasta. I like to serve it with a black and white spaghetti combination or just plain pasta. Today, I made it with a side of black penne.

Something about calamari and black pasta just does it for me.  I love black pasta, which is made with the ink of the calamari, so the dish works well together.  Back in the day, it was not as available as it is now where it is found in virtually every specialty store.

For the Stuffed Calamari:
1pound clean medium calamari tubes, about 5 to 6 inches long
1/2 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimps
4 garlic cloves, smashed and coarsely chopped
2 cups fresh spinach, coarsely chopped (no stems)
1 egg
1/2 to 3/4 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1/2 cup grated parmesan
0.125 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Stainless steel cocktail picks (or toothpicks)

Shrimps and Spinach Stuffing

For the sauce:

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup onions, finely diced
0.125 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
0.125 tsp Kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
3/4 cup dry red wine
1 28-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes



Stuffed Calamari in Sauce

To make the stuffed calamari:
Roughly chop the shrimps and garlic. Add to food processor and pulse into a coarse paste. Remove to a large bowl and add the spinach, egg, panko, cheese, and red pepper. Season with salt and stir to combine. The mixture should be a little chunky but moist and holding together. Divide the stuffing among the 4 calamari bodies.  Stuff bodies and secure closed with stainless steel cocktail or toothpicks.

To make the sauce:

Coat a large, wide skillet or saucepan with olive oil and add the onions and the crushed red pepper. Season with salt and put the saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the onions until they are soft, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes until fragrant. Stir in the wine and cook until the wine has reduced by half. Puree the tomatoes in a food processor and add them and 1 cup of water to the pan. Simmer the sauce for 15 minutes.

Add calamari to the pan and cook for 20 to 25 minutes turning them over halfway through the cooking time. Remove the calamari from the pan and remove the picks. Reduce the sauce to thicken, about ten minutes. Arrange the calamari on a plate and cover with sauce.  Serve with pasta.

 

Black Penne and Stuffed Calamari