Bubbling Pot of Goose Fat......

........Or......how to Confit a Cuisse de Canard!

Way back in cooking school, one of the dishes I wanted to learn was Confit de Canard! Our 'formateur' told us that is was TOO EASY, he would just tell us how to do it. Yes, it sounded easy to him, a trained chef, but sometimes the only way I can learn is to stand over a bubbling pot and witness! Much to my surprise one morning, we found a box of Cuisse waiting for us to prepare!

The first step is to salt, generously, the duck leg and thigh. Add some fresh Thyme and cover, leave overnight in the Fridge. Next morning, brush off the salt and place into a pan of Goose Fat. You can buy jars of goose fat in the grocery, or places like the Ferme de Gally.

Just make sure the fat is just bubbling, one or two bubbles, not all out frying! Simmering, poaching!!
You do this for 3 hours and the meat falls off the bone. The photo is the duck just taken out of the fat. Now, don't worry.....it's not finished yet. No eye appeal, I know! At this point you can place it in the fridge till ready to eat. Or, you can pour the duck fat on top and keep it in the fridge for a few months. You know those gorgeous Confit Pots we like to collect from the Brocante.......that is what 'they' used to keep it in, in the old days! Now, 'they' use a Mason Jar, or bocal.

Remember, don't throw the extra fat away. Strain off the 'bits' and pour into a jar to keep handy when you want to fry up some potatoes! No.......this isn't on the South Beach diet, but every so often you need some comfort food!



Here is the finished plate. You just take your duck and run it under the broiler to crisp up the skin and heat the meat through.
Our New Year Eve's dinner was a very small attempt at a healthy start. Yeah, after all that fat......I know!!! Instead of my beloved potatoes, I cooked up some rice, folded in some zuc and feta and tomatoes.......and baked in a red pepper. Side salad to complete the healthy attempt. If a Frenchman takes a look at this photo, he might yell out in pain. No potatoes cooked in goose fat....sorry sir, middle-aged mom trying to keep the 'poundage' in check!!!

Today, New Years Day, we'll celebrate with Ribs, Sausages and Saurkraut. Plus mashed potatoes and Black Eyed Peas.......
I think 2006 will be a fantastic year, don't you?

Happy New Year everyone!

Christmas Croissants!

I'm not a cookie baker. Should I apologize to my family?

I have been reading my favorite blogs and admiring all the beautifully decorated cookies that will get gobbled up during the Holidays. Peek at Nic's site and Joe, these guys must stay up all night!

Me.....Nothing rings my bell more than dough; pastry dough, bread dough.....I love it!

Nevermind that you have to start these babies a day in advance. Plus I haven't made Croissants for over a year, I might be a little rusty. I'm going to give it a try.
The dough in the photo is on its 2nd turn and sits each time for 2 hours before giving it the final 'wallet fold' turn. Leave the dough in the fridge overnight to ferment and grow!

First thing in the morning I pour my coffee and head to the back fridge to see how the dough behaved. It had risen a bit, but it was manageable! Sometimes a yeasted dough will act up and expand, then you have trouble!
Time to get my gadget out, compliments of M.O.R.A. and roll out my croissants! Somewhere, I learned that a good croissant must have 7 'rolls' (must have been a Frenchman). I strive for this each time, but you can see perfection failed me, and I have some with 8 and more!You leave these to proof in a cold oven with a pan of hot water for steam. They rise, but in a spongy way, if that makes sense!! This takes about 1-2 hours.
When ready for the oven, spritz the tray with water and bake for about 20 minutes.

Mine got a little more 'caramalized' than I would have liked, but very flaky and tasty!
I've got the other half of dough still in the fridge......shall I set my alarm early tomorrow to make sure my family have fresh hot croissants before the feeding fest begins?? We'll see! I'm missing an important family member this Christmas!!!

I hope this finds you healthy and happy and enjoying the season, wherever you are.
Merry Christmas!

Lamb Shank Redemption

Boning up for an upcoming class today, I was perfecting some Slow Roasted Lamb Shanks. Before I write the recipe out for the ladies, I like to iron out all possiblities of a belly-flop during class, this means eating the dish, and sometimes a few times in a row, if I'm not happy with the outcome.
The Shanks have just come from their searing and are waiting for the aromatics to soften before they get doused with generous glugs of red wine. Then, baked for 3 hours the meat is fork tender. Served with some creamy Polenta in front of the fire place. Dinner in the suburbs! Well, just one of the items I'll demo for my Weeknight Food Class.


I think Max is giving me 'two paws up'.....he is gazing wantonly at those bones! The glass plate looks like his nose is sitting right on top and inches from the Shanks, but look close, optical illusion, and I must add that no Lamb was harmed in the shooting of this photo!!

This moment of sharing gives me an opportunity to participate in Sweetnicks sponsored WDB#14! This one should be fun, there is a theme of food & dogs, in the same room!

Now......back to my Lamb Shanks!

Rubies in a Jar!

Checking in with my favorite bloggers, like we all do, I discovered Dr. Biggles & gang on a Podcast in November! It was a fantastic show, lots of Holiday (Thanksgiving) insight and some good recipes were shared.

You know when you 'read' a blog, that blog has a voice......I really thought ol' Biggles was going to talk with a whiskey- voiced, southern-drawl......well, I was wrong, not even a tiny twang was heard! He sounded very Californian.

A very interesting recipe was called-in to the Podcast and I thought I might give it a whirl. Especially since the Cranberries were looking a little sad that were left in the crisper drawer from Thanksgiving. The recipe sounded like a winner and I even added some cherries and dried cranberries to the mix in a moment of inspiration!
It was an oven-baked Cranberry relish/sauce, the recipe couldn't be more simple. You mix the cranberries with some sugar & the addition of frozen cherries and the dried cranberries.....along with a jar of Orange Marmalade. So far, so good.

Then, throw the lot onto a cookie sheet and bake away for 45 minutes. All was well, until the juice started to rise precariously to the edge of the cookie sheet. All I could think about was that sticky mess dripping on my cleaned oven!! The day was saved when I threw in a large pan to catch the mess! Really, the juices got thick and no drips occured! False alarm!

Surprisingly, this little mess worked out. Beautiful in a little jar, served with a lovely piece of Pain Polaine, a slice of goat cheese and topped with this relish. This works just fine for the Holidays. I think it will be great alongside the Christmas Capon or whatever you find in the oven on Christmas Day!

Wish you were here!

A little round loaf

I needed a canapé loaf of Pan de Mie for my Holiday Class next week. I'll be starting the class off with a taste of Foie Gras on a little toast, topped with a spoonful of my Confiture de Vin. I won't demo the Foie or the Bread, but I will be cooking up a batch of Wine Jelly for the ladies!

The recipe I am using is cut in half....I dusted off my round molds (they don't get much use) and started to relax! Taking in the lovely smell of the fresh yeast, shaping my loaves of bread sure beats fighting for a parking place at the already crowded mall! Yes......little old ladies hop out of their cars to guard a parking place, while the husband circles back to the parking spot. Frustrated beauties in stilleto heels shake their fists from their Mercedes SUV.....ahhhhhh, the anger.......I love Christmas! ----Back to my dough!!














I've blogged about Pain de Mie before, so I won't bore you again. To shape this into the little mold, you roll, baguette style, and place into the buttered mold. This is the tricky part, trying to fill the exact amount of dough into the mold to make a perfect little round loaf. Mine are NOT always perfect! Try to fill the mold about 1/3 full. A pro will scale each loaf!





The result, not bad! With the leftover dough I made little rolls sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and topped with a coffee flavored glaze. Fresh dough is never wasted!