20 Questions for the chef

20 Questions


1. What are five spices everyone needs in their pantry?
 
Well, it goes without saying, salt&pepper. So that out of the way, for me it's an Italian spice blend, ground cumin, paprika, garlic salt, and cinnamon. Oh wait, can I have one more??


2. What did you have for dinner last night?

We actually went to a late lunch/dinner last night, Cafe' Waterfront in Eureka, CA. So good. My husband had the crab salad sandwhich and I had a toasted turkey w/ swiss on sourdough. BUT, the night before we had Peking Duck, made from fresh duck.

Peking Duck Stir-Fry

My husband chef'd up for us. He's pretty damn good when he tries!
I've had duck before, never like this. It wasn't gamey tasting at all. The flavors from the sauce and cilantro/peanut combination were so good. It was really nice to have something so different for dinner. hehe couldn't help myself. This is the perfect recipe if you have never had duck. Give it a try.

My sister's boyfriend is an avid duck hunter and he killed the ducks for us. He usually hunts them on the south spit of the jetty on Humboldt Bay. YUM!! He's currently on a hunting trip with his dad. Hopefully he'll bring us back some geese and mallard ducks!! Can't wait to chef em' up. Or maybe I'll let my husband do it. :-)



Peking Duck Stir-Fry

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/peking-duck-stir-fry
recipe by Ken Hom:

Ingredients

1. 2 tablespoons soy sauce
2. 1 tablespoon Shaoxing cooking wine or dry sherry
3. 1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
4. 1 tablespoon cornstarch
5. Salt
6. Four skinless, boneless Pekin duck breasts (6 ounces each), cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
7. 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
8. 4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
9. 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
10. 1 jalapeño, seeded and thinly sliced
11. 1 red chile, seeded and thinly sliced ( I didn't use this, too spicy for the kiddos)
12. 2 teaspoons sugar
13. 1/2 cup chicken stock or water
14. 1/4 cup salted, roasted peanuts
15. 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, stir 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce with the wine, sesame oil, cornstarch and a pinch of salt. Add the duck and turn to coat. Let the duck marinate for 10 minutes.
2. In a large skillet or a wok, heat the oil. Add the duck; reserve any excess marinade. Cook over high heat until medium-rare, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
3. Add the garlic, shallot, jalapeño and chile to the skillet and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, the reserved marinade, the sugar and the stock and stir-fry, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the skillet. Return the duck to the skillet and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and stir in the peanuts. Transfer to plates, sprinkle with the cilantro and serve.



our duck breasts marinading

chopping shallots




Peking Duck