This next class is all about roasting and frying. First up is roast duck with glazed turnips. I've made duck before and was astounded by all the fat that melted off of it, so I was a little worried about making duck again. And turnips are not a favorite at our house, but glazed I thought they might be more to our liking.Duckling
The duck I found at the grocery store comes from the oldest duck-breeding farm in Canada, Brome Lake, Quebec. Luckily, I was able to find it ready to roast and not frozen.

I read on the duck producer's website that the fat in duck is good fat, full of omega oils. This recipe, however, renders the fat and then gives you a chance to remove it so your sauce at the end is not at all fatty.Reducing and Trussing
While you're preparing the duck, I reduced the veal stock by half. [I like to use a ruler to measure the liquid in the pot so that I can register what half means. So if the liquid reaches the 1-inch mark, I keep checking the liquid until it has reduced to the half-inch mark. I probably don't have to be so precise, but when I make a recipe for the first time, I like to follow the rules!] This was the last of the veal stock in my freezer that I had made in April, so it's time to get out the pots and make a new batch.

The first step to prepare the duck is to remove the wishbone. I tried, but had no luck. As it turns out, removing the wishbone is planning ahead since it helps the carving process later according to this post). Maybe next time.After removing the wishbone [if you can], truss the bird so that it cooks evenly and looks good straight from the oven. This is much easier than removing the wishbone. Just tie the wings and legs as tight to the body as you can.

Searing
Next, I seared the meat on each side in the roasting pan on top of the stove. The roasting pan must be large enough to hold the meat so that it doesn't stew in its own juices.

Then I added the carrots and onions. At this point, everything goes in the oven to roast. I turned it every 20 minutes and basted it regularly with the reduced veal stock.

After 40 minutes, I removed the duck and poured off the sauce into a gravy separator. Then I returned the sauce to the pan, leaving the fat behind. I basted it with more veal stock and continued roasting it until cooked through, about 30 to 40 minutes longer.

After cooking, the meat should sit for about 15 minutes so that the juices get reabsorbed back into the flesh.

Glazing
While the meat is roasting, it's time to prepare the veg. I tried practicing my turning skill and still need lots more practice. After boiling them in salted water for about 8 minutes until tender, I fried them in some butter and sugar, caramelizing and then glazing them with some more veal stock.

Saucing
After the ducks finished cooking and while they were resting, I made the sauce, which is just a pan sauce. I poured off the juices from the roasting pan into a bowl. Then I deglazed the pan with the wine, scraping up all the bits that were stuck to the pan. After a splash of water, I returned the juices to the pan along with a Bouquet Garni and let this mixture reduce for about 15 minutes. After seasoning, the sauce was ready to strain and serve.

Recipe: Canard aux Navets (Roast Duck with Glazed Turnips)

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

½ bunch watercress for garnish

One of my favorite meals that I order when I eat out is on the menu this week: peppercorn steak. At restaurants, however, I usually find the black peppercorns too spicy and overpowering. This recipe calls for green peppercorns, or poivre vert, which are also from the unripe berries of the pepper plant but have a milder taste than their black counterpart. I used the dried version of these green peppercorns, and I won't be going back to black ones again when making pepper steak at home.

I used to cook everything in a non-stick, Teflon-coated frying pan. As well, I used only the Max setting on my stove burners. You can bet I had a lot of burnt bits and smokiness to deal with. Now I know how to make a mean pepper steak that's not burnt or flavorless.

Flavor Base # 1: Create the fond by searing the steak
Pan frying uses a lot less oil and some butter for flavor, and is also considered a dry heat cooking method. After sprinkling the salt and crushed green peppercorns on the steaks, I seared them in a hot pan with oil and butter. When you sear the steak, the outside is caramelized and browned [not burnt], and a crust forms on the meat. This is called the Maillard reaction, which adds flavor to the dish.

As well, after browning, fond (means "base" in French) is stuck to the bottom of the pan. It's these bits that flavor the pan sauce. [You can't use a non-stick frying pan for this!]

Here is some information to determine when a steak is done. After the steaks were finished cooking, I removed them to a warming plate.

Flavor Base # 2: Flambé with Cognac
Then, I poured off any fat, added the Cognac and then quickly lit it. According to Wikipedia, "igniting a sauce with alcohol in the pan changes the chemistry of the food and adds another level of flavor."

Flavor Base # 3: Deglaze the pan with veal stock and cream
Finally, I returned the steaks to the pan and then added Thomas Keller's veal stock, which I had stored in the freezer, and some cream to deglaze the pan. Deglazing simply means lifting up the residue stuck to the bottom of the pan, and it's the secret to a good pan sauce. As well, a good veal stock is key, and what better veal stock to use than Thomas Keller's! It's worth the time and effort. I then reduced this sauce for a bit and seasoned it with salt and pepper.

Recipe: Pavés de Rumsteak au Poivre Vert (Sirloin Steaks with Green Peppercorns)

You can find the recipe for Pavés de Rumsteak au Poivre Vert (Sirloin Steaks with Green Peppercorns) in the book Le Cordon Bleu at Home (affiliate link) or here. To see how the rest of the Whisk Wednesdays group fared with their recipe, click here (or check out the sidebar) and then click on each blogger!


Tasting Notes
This was the most delicious peppercorn sauce I've ever tasted. It was complex tasting, but not peppery. Plus, it's not hard to make (especially if you have some good veal stock in your freezer).

Next Week (November 12)
• Entrecôte Lyonnaise (Steak, Lyonnaise style) pages 158-159 and grilling/browning

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Running total: $829.25 + $15.41 (steaks) + $4.40 (sauce) + veal stock (free in freezer) = $849.06

Butter used so far: 8 pounds, 5 tablespoons

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