Everything’s Ducky (Times Eight)…and Pretty Much True

Everything’s Ducky (Times Eight)…and Pretty Much True

Sunday night, we did Duck 8 Ways (all pictures are clickable and available in hi-rez, in case you want to blow one up to poster size):

Duck soup, with star anise and carrots:



Duck gizzards (they look better before they’re cooked, but were really quite delicious, rubbed with fresh thyme and garlic), later confited:



Duck pate (The Wife’s contribution to dinner), fluffy and soufflé-like:



Duck wontons, before being fried in duck fat and immediately eaten with a soy/wasabi dip:



Duck confit, made over the holiday weekend:



Duck cracklings and party-colored beets vinaigrette:



Duck breast salad:



Duck, smoked breast, done up birthday style:



We continued the duck theme through the cheese course, though this one doesn’t count as 1 of the 8:



I provide this copious documentation because my integrity as a reteller of food-related events seems frequently called into question. Why just a few weeks ago, the august C2 asked me if I really did have dinner with an alien (as reported on Chowhound eons ago: Link). While dining at Moto, no less a pristine personage than ReneG, arched his eyebrow and asked if I “actually did” prepare the Futurist dish, “Salami in Cologne” (also called“The Excited Pig,” and reported on this board: Link

I can’t count the times the venerable Vital Information has cleverly, casually cross-checked my account of alleged facts, and just last Friday, the Tzar of the Table, the imperious GWiv, mentioned that someone had asked him if he thought, “Hammond actually made all that duck.” I hope these photos support the veracity of this and other entirely true tales from my sometimes unbelievably fascinating life. I really did share a lunch of hamburgers with Patty Smith, years before she put on a leather jacket and sang “Gloria.” I was the escort/body guard for Shirley Chisholm, the first and only African-American woman candidate for U.S. President (I’m sure archival photos exist at the Kalamazoo Gazette). About Janis Joplin, well, that’s a long story, but here’s the Cliff Notes version: Kama Sutra Nirvana Times Infinity.

David "And I don't bluff at poker, either" Hammond

What, no duck-hidden-in-trifle?



"Duck's off. Sorry."

DH:

Maybe I missed something while away but what was the inspiration for the Duck Festival?

Lots of interesting looking dishes there... The soup looks really good and the pâté too; are those green wrappers on the dumplings spinach-flavoured?

It's nice to see my fellow New Netherlanders, Patty Smith and Shirley Chisholm, mentioned.

Antonius

Antonius wrote:DH:

Maybe I missed something while away but what was the inspiration for the Duck Festival?Antonius

Family tradition. The children like to pick complicated dishes to for the parents to prepare.

Yes, the wontons were spinach flavored...because I thought they'd look more interesting.

Hammond

David Hammond wrote:I provide this copious documentation because my integrity as a reteller of food-related events seems frequently called into question.

Let's see: duck soup and duck salad prepared by the author of "I Hate Soup" and "Salad is Stupid"?

And you wonder why your friends are skeptical?

Interestingly, while visiting with friends at the KA Q-Fest in Northern Michigan. Our esteemed host, Dr. Bombay, the food scientist


got me interested in duck. Kit made duck tamales, duck pastrami, and used duck fat in several dishes. A couple of weeks ago, I decided to try my hand with duck. I went to the local farmer's market and picked up 2 fresh ducks. I did not photograph anything, but I recreated the pastrami, made cracklings, rendered about 3 cups of duck fat, and made 6 quarts of duck stock. My co-workers enjoyed some pastrami and I have enjoyed everything else. I hade tacos, fried a few eggs, grilled cheese, salad, etc. I still have stock and fat left.

I do plan on "ducking" more often this winter.

Bruce wrote: but I recreated the pastrami, made cracklings, rendered about 3 cups of duck fat, and made 6 quarts of duck stock. My co-workers enjoyed some pastrami and I have enjoyed everything else. I hade tacos, fried a few eggs, grilled cheese, salad, etc. I still have stock and fat left.

You didn't finish all the cracklings, did you?

I've got a large quantity, and I'm not quite sure what to do with all of them. I ate a bunch, intend to eat some more tonight on rice, but need to "store" about two to three cups worth. I'm sure they'll keep a while unrefrigerated, but I think I should probably freeze some (I assume there's no problem doing that).

Hammond

David,

I'm in awe of your duck prowess...and hungry for duck. I've got to do something about that. I think I'll be smoking some duck this weekend.

stevez wrote:David,

I'm in awe of your duck prowess...and hungry for duck. I've got to do something about that. I think I'll be smoking some duck this weekend.

stevez,

I kind of jumped into the smoking duck thing without any real direction. I was smoking 10 split breasts, and I found that with a regular fire (as specified in the "rules") it takes about two hours.

I used cherry wood.

Hammond

David Hammond wrote:stevez,

I kind of jumped into the smoking duck thing without any real direction. I was smoking 10 split breasts, and I found that with a regular fire (as specified in the "rules") it takes about two hours.

I used cherry wood.

Hammond

I think I'm going to repriese my Asian rubbed duck.

David Hammond wrote:

Bruce wrote: but I recreated the pastrami, made cracklings, rendered about 3 cups of duck fat, and made 6 quarts of duck stock. My co-workers enjoyed some pastrami and I have enjoyed everything else. I hade tacos, fried a few eggs, grilled cheese, salad, etc. I still have stock and fat left.

You didn't finish all the cracklings, did you?

Hammond

I snacked on them for a day or two.

and the tower bells chime, "ding dong" they chime
they're singing, "Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine."


Those wontons and the salad look so damn tasty!

/whispers.....it's Patti not Patty.../

oh, and BTW, the Mr. dragged me to San Francisco as a treat, and I'm looking out on Market St. from my room at The Palace about to grab some breakfast....expect some pics from my adventures.....

steve out!

Bruce,
You forgot the gumbo with the duck fat roux and duck stock.

So, does everyone get store bought frozen ducks like Maple Farms? Since I am a waterfowler, I think the difference between fresh and processed is as obvious as Butterball and free range turkey. My wild cache doesn't last long and I have to resort to less than perfect.

Are Chicagoans or anyone else able to get fresh?

Kit

kit wrote:Bruce,
You forgot the gumbo with the duck fat roux and duck stock.

So, does everyone get store bought frozen ducks like Maple Farms? Since I am a waterfowler, I think the difference between fresh and processed is as obvious as Butterball and free range turkey. My wild cache doesn't last long and I have to resort to less than perfect.

Are Chicagoans or anyone else able to get fresh?

Kit

I called a few places looking for fresh, including Whole Foods, and came up dry. Ended up getting frozen from Dominick's, which I realize is second-best, but for confit, it turned out okay.

Hammond

I think this has been covered before. There are several places around that do this, but the one I can think of off the top of my head is Chicago Live Poultry, on Western. Go into the back room, pick out your bird, watch 'em bleed it and clean it, go home with an impeccably fresh bird. No problem.

kit wrote:Bruce,
You forgot the gumbo with the duck fat roux and duck stock.

So, does everyone get store bought frozen ducks like Maple Farms? Since I am a waterfowler, I think the difference between fresh and processed is as obvious as Butterball and free range turkey. My wild cache doesn't last long and I have to resort to less than perfect.

Are Chicagoans or anyone else able to get fresh?

Kit

I've got the stock and the fat. I just need to get another duck. I can get fresh ducks at our local farmers market, as well as goose, chicken, turkey, and "turkey fries".