Quack Quack

Whoever thought of killing an animal, taking off it's feathers, and drying it for 10 hours...IS A GENIUS!  Last night me and the Mrs. went to went to our favorite Peking Duck place, Peking Gourmet Inn.  This restaurant is known for their Peking Duck.  They also serve other traditional Chinese dishes but the one thing that really impresses me other than the duck is their service.  Though their whole staff is made up of older Asian adults (40+ years old) they all speak English very well and they take a lot of pride in their jobs.  French services, jokes, keeping your table clean and possibly a Peking Duck pin is all part of the service that is provided at the Peking Gourmet Inn.

But this blog isn't about their service.  Every time Peking Gourmet is our destination for the night there's no question on what to order.  As soon as we sit down the first thing we tell the server is, "One duck please."  And if we decide to order anything else we'll tell the server when they return from putting in our duck order.  The duck will usually take about 15-20 minutes to come out so it's best if you order an appetizer.  We usually get the fried dumplings but most of their appetizers are usually good.

After you've finished your appetizer and you're ready for your duck, a carver will come out and carve your duck right in front of you.  Don't be anxious because their carvers are pretty fast.  First they start with the skin, carefully slicing about 3 inch strips off making sure they don't take too much fat off.  After the skins is taken off they scrape all the nasty fat off the duck exposing the breast.  The breast is then sliced thinly just like the skin and put on the plate for you.  When they finish the first plate it's given to you and you can start your duck journey.  Typically the duck is served with julienne green onion, hoison sauce, and their homemade...I guess they're crepes?  Well they look like crepes to me.  In addition you can ask for green chilis in soy sauce and julienne cucumbers.  I always get the chilis but the cucumbers don't tickle my fancy.

If you've never had duck before the server will assemble one for you.  Pretty much you just wrap up all the ingredients in the crepe and enjoy.  You can assemble your duck anyway you want.  I've seen people just fold it in half, roll it up like a burrito, split the crepe in half to get more or enjoy every ingredient separately.  Whatever way you make yours just keep in mind that the sauce makes the dish.  Eating it without the sauce is like breathing without air.  So please put the sauce on!

When I was in culinary school we were always taught to eat duck medium rare.  In this case the duck is completely well done.  The way the duck is cooked keeps the breast meat very moist and I've never gotten a dry duck there before which is pretty ironic because the duck is actually hung dry for about 10 hours total.  That's how the skin gets so crispy.  One thing a lot of people don't understand is when you want to make something crispy you need to dry it out.

For example, want to make crostinis or pita chips but don't a deep fryer?  Get some sandwich bread or pita bread and cut it into the shapes you want.  Toss with a little bit of oil, herbs and salt and pepper and pop it into a 325 degree oven for about 14 minutes or so.  Why not 350 or 375?  The low heat will not burn your bread, it will dry it out.  Put the oven any higher and you'll get crispy outside but soft middle and that is NOT a crostini.

One duck cost $38 and you usually have to make a reservation, it's all worth it.  If you don't make reservations then you'll be sitting at the host stand for about 20 min with everybody else who didn't make reservations on a Thursday night.  But as you stand their waiting for your table you'll notice A LOT of pictures on the wall.  You'll see pictures of famous actors, politicians, TV stars, and even President Bush.  This place was also featured on the Food Network show "Best Thing I Ever Ate" by Ace of Cake's Duff Goldman.  This is definitely a place I would recommend if you've never had Peking Duck before.  The food and the service will make your first experience memorable.    

 bien manger
-cwis

THANK YOU MIKE CHAN

So my good friend Mike Chan has been nice enough to split my video in three because Youtube only allows 10 min videos unless you're giving them money.  I...am not and my video was about 30 min long...fail.  So here it is...

Chicken Roulade

Roasted Tomatoes

Creamy Polenta

Part 1 
Part 2 
Part 3 

I don't think I will ever make a video again...thank you for watching...

bien manger

-cwis 

**UPDATE**

For some reason the pictures that I had posted at the end of the movie were cut out (mike??).  So...here they are!!  Enjoy!!

 
So to finish the Roulade...

Let the chicken cook in the oven for about 10 minutes.  You will need a thermometer because there is no way to tell the internal temperature of the roulade.  The internal temperature should be about 130 degrees.   At the same time with the chicken, I would roast my tomatoes with the chicken in the same 400 degree oven for 10 minutes also.  As I said...I don't think I will ever make a video again...unless someone wants to edit it :) 

Any questions...you know who to ask!

Don't be so Roux-ed!

Stews, chowders, pot pies, Alfredo sauce.  What do all these have in common?  They're all thick!  Have you ever wondered how they thicken those soups and sauces?  Well there's only three ways I know of doing this.  Reducing, which is the process of heating the liquid so that a portion of the liquid evaporates.  Corn Starch, mixing corn starch with water creates a slurry that will thicken ANYTHING.  The only bad thing about corn starch is when you use too much of it, it'll make the liquid gummy and in the culinary world, using corn starch to thicken is frowned upon.  And the last solution, making a roux (pronounced roo).  A roux consists of equal parts flour and fat.  Typically butter is used as the fat because well...butter just makes everything better (you can use your clarified butter).  A roux is the most effective and elegant way to thicken any kind of liquid.  And what do I mean by "elegant"?  As I explained before, using too much corn starch can make a liquid gummy.  I don't think a gummy gravy or sauce is very attractive but using a roux to thicken it will give it a nice shine and awesome texture.
 Sorry nary...you can use corn starch if you want...just don't use too much

Essentially there are 3 different types of roux.  You have a white roux which is just mixing the fat and flour and slightly cooking it.  You would use this roux to make a white sauce such as Alfredo or if you're making pot pie because it'll keep the sauce white.  There's the Blond or Peanut Butter roux.  This roux is a little bit darker and has a nuttier flavor because it's been cooked a little longer.  This roux would be used for making any kind of gravy and dark sauces  And the third roux is the Brick roux.  This roux is a tricky one.  You would probably want to use a fat such as vegetable or grapeseed oil as they both have higher smoking points then butter.  This roux is cooked for about 30 min at med-low heat till it's ALMOST burnt.  The reason it's called the brick roux because as it gets to that burning point it'll turn a dark red.  This type of roux is used mostly in Creole and Canjun cuisine like gumbos and etouffees.

The darker the roux the more flavor it will bring to the dish but at the same time, the darker the roux the less thickening power it has.  So of course you would use less white roux and more darker roux to thicken.

Have you ever read a recipe and it called for 2 Tablespoons of butter and 2 Tablespoons of flour?  And then the first step is melt the butter and add the flour and cook for about 2 minutes?  Well you just made a roux right there.  But you don't always have to add flour and butter at the start.  You can saute vegetables in some butter first and then dust your vegetables with flour and you have your roux.  The only difference is that your vegetables are covered in roux but it will thicken your soup regardless.  And if you remember my first blog about beef stew.  I dusted the beef with flour and seared it in butter, creating roux that stuck onto the beef and then when I poured the beef broth in my stew thickened instantly.

Before I end this blog let me tell you the easiest way to make Gravy.  Any kind of gravy.  Chicken gravy, turkey gravy, gravy for beef...ANY KIND.  Take 2 tablespoons of flour and butter.  Melt your butter and add your flour over medium heat.  Stir and cook for 2 minutes.  Depending on what kind of gravy you want..lets say we're making chicken gravy, grab about 1-2 cups of chicken broth and then add it too the roux  a half cup at a time.  You gravy will thicken in minutes.  You don't have to use both cups of chicken broth...it all depends on how thick you want your gravy.  Season with a little salt and pepper and your done.  Gravy in about 5 minutes.  This is how you make REAL gravy...none of that powdered crap you see in the store.  Those powders contain CORN STARCH...no no.

Any questions...feel free to ask!

bien manger
-cwis

Only way to get this is upstream.

So last night I had made Salmoncakes for the first time...at home I've made them at work but I never put any effort into it.  I must say, I don't really gloat about my food but these salmoncakes were pretty good!  Just going to post some pics for now but I'll write the rest of the blog later...enjoy!

Salmoncakes, Lime Aioli

Sauteed Asparagus

 

**UPDATE**

Salmon cakes are easy to make and there are so many different ways to make them.  I really had no recipe in mind.  I just got some salmon and figured I'd use whatever I have at home. 

So I got about half a side of salmon, which is roughly about 1.5lbs.  I looked in my fridge and found red bell pepper, onion, mayo, mustard, and limes.  I baked my salmon for about 10-12 minutes in a 350 oven with a little bit of olive oil and salt and pepper.  As the salmon baked, I sauteed my diced onions and bell peppers at medium heat for about 8 minutes or so.  After everything was cooked I let it cool in my fridge.  

Now that everything's cooked the salmon cakes need to be assembled.  In a bowl I mixed about a cup of mayo, half cup of mustard, 2-3 dashes of Tabasco and Worcestershire, juice of 1 lime, about half teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning and my salmon and vegetables.  Mix together remembering not to break the salmon up too much, you still want some big pieces of salmon for texture.  Right now you have a wet salmon mix.  Add bread crumbs until you can form a ball without it falling apart...about 1.5-2 cups.  You can use any kind of breadcrumbs you want.  I recommend Panko Breadcrumbs which is a Japanese breadcrumb.  It has a much crunchier texture when you cook with it.  

Form your salmoncakes into whatever shape you desire.  Get a pan out with some oil hot and lay down your salmoncakes.  Once you've put all your cakes in, turn down the heat to medium and just let it cook.  You want a nice golden brown on each side, which will probably be about 1.5 minutes each side.  Don't worry about it being "cooked" in the middle...EVERYTHING IS COOKED IN IT.  If you're making this ahead of time, you can heat your oven to 200 degrees and keep your cakes warm in there for 10 minutes or so.

I'm very tired as I write this blog so if I missed anything please let me know and of course I will answer any questions you guys have.  Enjoy!

bien manger

-cwis

Video Finally Up!!

Chicken Roulade

Here is my first and last video I will ever do for my blog.  This is the reason I haven't blogged for over a week...

bien manger
-cwis

**UPDATE**
my video is too long for youtube to upload. it's almost 30 min long and youtube only allows 10 min videos...HELP!

Liquid Gold

What's gold, doesn't burn, doesn't spoil, and doesn't smoke? Give up? CLARIFIED BUTTER!! DUH!! Clarified Butter aka Drawn Butter aka Ghee is butter in its purest form.

Have you ever burned butter when you were cooking eggs or breakfast?  It's so easy to burn butter and it's a pain in the butt!  What makes clarified butter clarified is that you're taking out the milk solids from the butter.  The milk solids is what burns because it's protein and of course we all know that protein burns.  In fact, after you remove the milk solids from the butter it is no longer considered dairy.

I use clarified butter for EVERYTHING...well almost everything.  You would you use it just like oil.  You can use it to saute, sear, fry, even poach!  You can also use it for dipping lobster or even making hollandaise.  But once you clarify it you wouldn't use it like butter.  That means can't spread it on butter or use it to make a beurre blanc (butter sauce).  When cooking with clarified butter it gives the flavor of butter but like I said it won't burn smoke or spoil...so easily.

Though you can buy it at the store it's so much easier to make. Let me show you how!

You want a good quality butter. Well...you always want good quality EVERYTHING.  What's a good butter?  Definitely not the ones you find at your local super market.  You might want to try places like Wegmans or Wholefoods and don't be afraid to ask around.  One thing you definitely want to ask is, "How old is the butter?"  You want fresh butter...the freshest you can get it.

Ok...so all you need is a cheese cloth (coffee filter works just fine), a jar, a pot, and of course...your montequilla (butter in spanish).

Place your butter in the pot and put over low heat.  Clarifying butter is not something that should be, can be, or will be rushed.  If the heat is too high the milk solids will burn and your clarified butter will taste burnt....not good.  So take your time please.

After about 15 minutes or so you'll see this foamy white stuff floating on the top...what is this?  You guessed it...milk solids!

At this point you can do 2 things.  You can either skim the top with a ladel removing all the milk solids OR you can take your cheese cloth, slightly wet it, put it over the jar and pour the butter into the jar.  The cheese cloth will catch the milk solids.  The reason you wet the cloth is because fat and water do not mix.  So if you poured it through a dry cloth it'll soak into the cloth and some of the milk solids will make it through.  BE CAREFUL!  THE BUTTER WILL BE HOT!...idiot

Now how do you know if you've clarified correctly?  MAKE SURE IT"S CLEAR!  I mean absolutely NOTHING in it...you should be able to see the table looking down through the butter.  It should look like...well...LIQUID GOLD.  After you've clarified your butter you must let it cool for about an hour before covering it and refrigerating.  The butter will solidify so don't worry when you take it out the next day and it's become rock solid.  All you need to do is take a spoon and scrape a little off the top and throw it into the pan.  And watch how the butter DOES NOT burn, it just melts and awaits to make your food taste delicious. 

This whole process should take you no more than 30 minutes.  So it's not a day long process.  I mean half the time is just melting the butter! 

Of course you can go out and buy clarified butter but i'll tell you why you should clarify you're own.
Land O Lakes sells a 5lb. tub of clarified butter for over $100!!  Now of course you're not gonna need 5lbs of butter but i'm just telling you to compare.  You can buy 5lbs of whole butter for about $10.  So you do the math.  Just putting that out there.  If you ask anyone that knows me I really cook everything with butter (except asian food and some spanish food).  I sear my steaks, make my sauces with it, saute my vegetables and cook my breakfast with it.  It's soooo versatile!!

Oh yeah, clarified butter will stay good for (from my experience) about 4-6 months refrigerated.  But if you don't plan on using all your butter you can freeze your clarified butter.

Now go out and start clarifying!!

bien manger
-cwis

PS - I'm sorry for my absence!  I've been pretty busy but I am happy to announce that I do have 3 other unfinished blogs and I've come across and WHOLE DUCK.  So from the whole duck about 3-4 blogs will be created.  One being Duck Confit :)