Fall Means Duck
With Fall finally settling in and the air getting that faint coastal crispness, my mind goes straight to duck, the way some people think of sweaters and pumpkins. Now, I do wear nothing but black Cashmere sweaters during the Fall and Winter months and I love me some pumpkins either as décor or for eating (check out my Pumpkin Streuselkuchen dessert at both Taverns), but duck is my autumn muse, my north star protein, the bird I return to each year because it can give you every culinary pleasure…crisp, silky, rare, molten, decadent, rustic and refined. There’s the old-school, slow roasted half bird with the skin rendered until it shatters under your knife and fork like caramelized glass…and the currently popular version with the seared breast offering both crispy skin and rare juice meat. But some time ago, I wanted even more so my signature offering at French 75 was ‘Three way Duck’…quite different from the traditional Cantonese version, I served the crispy skinned leg & thigh confit, rare sliced skinless breast and seared foie gras served with a brandied Michigan sour cherry sauce….the dish was like a sacred and decadent homage to these winged beauties. And, like the French, I love duck so much it became a year-round menu staple much to the love and appreciation of so many of my patrons. Now, as most of you know, and much to my chagrin, duck foie gras can no longer be served in California. You can buy it, which I do always having several individual shrink-wrapped portions in my freezer, but you cannot sell it or even give it away in a restaurant lest you risk a visit by Peta people brandishing shaming showcards in front of your restaurant along with a $1000 fine for each occasion. So, when this edict came down I was on a mission to develop a recipe for the closest thing I could get to a terrine of foie gras. Using fresh, street legal duck livers I began my R&D process looking for just the right blended ratios of the livers with brandy, butter and egg yolks then slowly poaching them in small jars. After several tries, I ended up with a version I was proud of and it became a menu staple at TATM. So come November and beyond, I will be featuring a duck entrée, but with the weather still as hot and humid as it is, this October I’m starting with a duck salad. It begins with a medley of organic greens, including radicchio and red tipped endive which have a crisp texture and are considered ‘winter’ greens having a slightly bitter taste. These work well with the other components that include raspberries and spiced pecans all dressed with a light, white balsamic vinaigrette topped with a crispy leg & thigh duck confit. Of course, it wouldn’t be complete without some of my liver mousse croustades and a few dots of balsamic syrup for presentation and flavor. Duck is this season’s love language…any every Fall, I’m ready to speak it fluently. You’re welcome… David & Tino
