French Classics Made Easy (31 page)

6.
Remove the ducks from the pan and let them sit for 10 to 20 minutes before carving while you make a simple pan juice. Pour the fat from the roasting pan, retaining the vegetables and duck parts in the pan. Place the pan over high heat, add 2 cups of water or stock, and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring the vegetables from time to time.

7.
Strain the liquid into a small saucepan, discarding the solids. Over high heat, cook until reduced to 1 cup, about 10 minutes. Skim off any remaining fat.

8.
Carve the ducks into serving pieces: Remove the legs and separate into drumstick and thigh. Carve the breast meat into several vertical slices (the outermost slices will have the remaining wing joints attached). Arrange the breast slices in the center of a serving platter and surround with the thighs and drumsticks. Spoon some of the sauce over the breast slices and serve the remaining sauce on the side.

SERVING SUGGESTION

To start, serve a mixed green salad. With the duck, serve a potato and a green vegetable. For dessert, serve Chocolate Mousse (
page 275
).

WINE

I enjoy a wide variety of dry red wines with duck: Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Zinfandel, and Syrah/Shiraz.

ROAST DUCK
WITH GLAZED APPLES AND CIDER CREAM SAUCE

[CANARD AU CIDRE]

One of my favorite recipes was inspired by a similar presentation I had years ago at the famous restaurant Taillevent in Paris. This duck is accented by apples in numerous forms, from a garnish of apples flamed with Calvados (applejack) to the French apple cider used in the sauce. Unlike American cider, French apple cider—which along with Calvados comes from Normandy—is sparkling and mildly alcoholic and comes both sweet (
doux
) and dry (
sec
). For cooking, use the dry variety. There are more and more American apple growers who are now making fermented apple cider and bottling it like a sparkling wine. Try these when you find them and compare to the French variety. If you find one that you like, buy some to serve with the duck.

SERVES 6 TO 8

Roast Duck (
page 135
)

6 large Golden Delicious apples

1 cup dry white wine

2 cups dry French or American hard apple cider

1 teaspoon Meat Glaze (optional;
page 309
)

¾ cup heavy cream

4 to 5 drops of white (distilled) vinegar (optional)

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon sugar

¼ cup Calvados (applejack) or Cognac

1.
Roast the ducks through step 5 of the recipe.

2.
While the ducks are roasting, peel, core, and slice the apples ¼ inch thick (the cores can be added to the roasting pan). As you work, place the apples in a large skillet and moisten them with the wine to prevent discoloration. Add any remaining wine to the apples once they are all sliced and in the skillet.

3.
Cover the pan and poach the apples over medium heat until tender but not soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain the apples, reserving the poaching liquid. Set both aside.

4.
When the ducks are done, place them on a carving board. (If the ducks are cooked several hours in advance of serving, allow them to cool completely before carving.) Pour the fat from the roasting pan, retaining the vegetables and duck parts in the pan. Place the pan over high heat, add the cider, the reserved apple poaching liquid, and the meat glaze (if using). Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring the vegetables from time to time.

5.
Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a small saucepan, discarding the solids. Over high heat, cook until reduced to 1 cup, about 10 minutes. Skim off any fat. Add the cream and boil to thicken enough to lightly coat a spoon. Taste the sauce; if it is too sweet, add
the vinegar (if using), a drop at a time, to taste. (The sauce can be made several hours ahead. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Gently reheat before proceeding.)

6.
Preheat the oven to 500°F with the rack set in the upper third of the oven.

7.
Carve the ducks into individual serving pieces and place in a roasting pan or on an ovenproof platter. Place the platter in the oven for 3 to 5 minutes to reheat the duck.

8.
To serve: In a skillet, reheat the apples with the butter and sugar. Remove the pan from the heat, add the Calvados, and flame (see “How to Flambé,”
page 282
). Place the apples on the platter with the duck and serve. Pass the sauce separately.

P
ROFESSIONAL
T
EST FOR
D
ONENESS

The professional way of judging the doneness of poultry is to collect cavity juices on a white plate to see if they are running clear. To do this, you have to use a roasting fork to lift the duck out of the pan and tilt it over the plate. The best tool to use, if you have one, is a French roasting fork because its tines are very long and straight (it looks like a giant tuning fork). If you place the fork just above the leg and point it toward the backbone of the duck, you can pierce the backbone and easily lift the duck out of the pan. Tilt the duck to let the cavity juices run out, and when the last few drops are clear and not pink, the duck is done.

SERVING SUGGESTION

As with most duck presentations, I serve wild rice or a combination of wild rice and mushrooms (see
page 208
) followed by a green salad. For dessert, serve Chocolate Génoise with Grand Marnier Ganache (
page 240
).

WINE

If in Normandy, I might order an excellent dry cider to drink, but at home I serve either Champagne or a fine red Bordeaux.

ROAST DUCK
WITH GLAZED PEACHES

[CANARD AUX PÊCHES]

Fresh fruit in season is really the only choice here. If you’re inspired to roast a duck in early summer, make it with cherries (see Variation, facing page). If it’s mid to late summer, make the duck with peaches; white peaches would be especially nice. Because I find the combination of fruit and duck so wonderful, I like to use quite a bit of fruit—very likely more than you would expect if you’ve had similar dishes in a restaurant. But the fruit is so good with the duck that I want you and your guests to eat some with each bite. Should any fruit be left over, I am sure your guests will help you finish it.

SERVES 6 TO 8

Roast Duck (
page 135
)

6 peaches

1 cup dry white wine

2 cups beef stock, homemade or canned (see chart,
page 305
)

2 teaspoons Meat Glaze (optional;
page 309
)

2 teaspoons arrowroot, potato starch, or cornstarch, dissolved in 2 teaspoons cold water

2 tablespoons butter

1 to 2 tablespoons sugar, to taste

¼ cup Cognac

1.
Roast the ducks through step 5 of the recipe. While the ducks are roasting, peel, pit, and slice the peaches and place them in a skillet (nonreactive if possible). Moisten them with the wine to prevent discoloration. Add the remaining wine once the peaches are all in the skillet.

2.
Cover and poach the peaches over medium heat until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Immediately drain the peaches, reserving the poaching liquid. Set both aside.

3.
When the ducks are done, place them on a carving board. (If the ducks are cooked several hours in advance of serving, allow them to cool completely before carving.) Pour the fat from the roasting pan, retaining the vegetables and duck parts in the pan. Place the pan over high heat and add the reserved poaching liquid, the stock, and meat glaze (if using). Bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring the vegetables from time to time.

4.
Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a small saucepan, discarding the solids. Over high heat, cook until reduced to 1½ cups, 8 to 10 minutes. Skim off any fat that comes to the surface. Reduce the heat, stir the dissolved arrowroot into the gently boiling sauce, and whisk until thickened. The sauce should lightly coat a spoon. If too thick, add 1 to 2 tablespoons water to thin.

5.
Preheat the oven to 500°F with the rack placed in the upper third of the oven.

6.
Carve the ducks into serving pieces and place in a roasting pan or on an ovenproof platter. Place the platter in the oven for 3 to 5 minutes to reheat the duck.

7.
To serve: In a skillet (nonreactive if possible), reheat the peaches with the butter and sugar. Remove the pan from the heat, add the Cognac, and flame (see “How to Flambé,”
page 282
). Place the peaches on the platter with the duck and serve. Pass the sauce separately.

SERVING SUGGESTION

Start with Shrimp and Scallops in an Herbed Lemon Vinaigrette (
page 30
). Accompany the duck with wild rice or fried potatoes. Finish with sorbet and Almond Tuiles (
page 252
).

WINE

Serve either red Burgundy or Bordeaux.

VARIATION

R
OAST
D
UCK WITH
C
HERRIES

[CANARD AUX CERISES]

Substitute 1½ pounds cherries, pitted, for the peaches. Omit the sugar. Use ¼ cup kirsch in place of the Cognac. Do not poach the cherries, but add the white wine to the roasting pan in step 4. In step 5, add the cherries and kirsch to the finished sauce and simmer for 3 minutes. To serve, spoon the cherries and the sauce over the duck.

F
INE
-M
ESH
S
IEVE

Whenever a sauce requires straining, a very fine sieve is used to obtain as smooth a sauce as possible. Classically a conical strainer known as a
chinois,
or China cap, is used. There are many fine-mesh sieves available in stores or online, and I have several different sizes in my kitchen.

MEAT

Traditionally, meat that is prepared for roasting and braising in France is wrapped in a thin sheet of pork fat that is intended to keep it moist while cooking. Lean roasts were often larded (strips of pork fat are woven into the roast) to add interior fat for moisture and flavor. Although the exterior fat is often removed before serving, the interior fat remains to be eaten. For me, the fat, although flavorful in itself, adds little to the flavor of the meat. I find that a combination of the animal’s diet, proper aging, and the interior fat, in combination with the final cooking, is what determines its flavor.

Therefore, for most cuts of meat, I remove as much exterior fat as possible before cooking. If I want to take advantage of any flavor the fat might have, I will use some of it together with, or in place of, butter or oil to baste or sauté the meat.

STEAK AU POIVRE

A steak au poivre is a thick slice of beef coated with cracked or crushed pepper, pan-fried, and flamed with Cognac. It is classically served rare to medium-rare, with a cream sauce, fried potatoes, and watercress. Although there are many variations on this classic preparation, most of which include the use of a brown sauce and various other ingredients, none equal the flavor created by the combination of just steak, pepper, Cognac, and cream.

The only updating necessary for this French bistro classic is the careful removal of all exterior fat. If the butcher has not already done so, make sure that, when you trim the fat, your knife passes under the fat as well as the membrane lying next to the muscle, so that only red meat is visible when finished. By doing this, you avoid eating unnecessary fat.