cumin seeds

A Creative Take on Duck: Sliders with Fig Ketchup

19 Oct 2011
duck sliders with fig ketchup

Today's journey to Duck Sliders with Fig Ketchup was a group effort. Part of that group includes my brother Grant who paired this recipe with Trimbach Gewurztraminer 2009.

But there is more to the story than that. You see, I have had duck burgers in restaurants. Both times I found fault with the preparation. Let’s face it; duck can be fatty, and rich. I love fatty… and rich too. But a 1/2-pound of fatty and rich on huge buttery brioche bun makes me a little queasy.

The other version of a duck burger I shunned was closer to duck confit on a bun. More like a Sloppy Joe than a proper burger. Had they called it a Dirty Donald or something similar and served it open-faced with poached duck egg I might have dubbed it genius. But alas, they served it with lettuce and tomato. I ended up just feeling sorry for that once proud confit.

So I set off to invent my own. The lessons I learned are two-fold. One: less is more, and Two: burgers have rules, and evidently I can be a fanatic about those rules. One of the rules I fanaticize about is simple. I like burgers to have the proper condiments. Burgers like ketchup. People like burgers with ketchup. My ground duck concoction would have ketchup.

But not just any ole Heinz will do. Duck is a fairly complex flavor, to avoid getting tagged with the "gamey" moniker it's best to augment its assets. I think duck pairs nicely with fruit and spice and sweet. It can stand up to bold acidity too. Ketchup is all those things– fig ketchup is all those things and more.

Sippity Sup Continues »
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Duck Sliders with Fig Ketchup

duck slider with fig ketchup
By jgreghenry Published October 18, 2011
Prep time: 180
Yield:1 (Servings)

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb figs, quartered
  • 0.5 lb diced tomatoes, use roma or other 'paste’ variety
  • 1 t coriander seeds
  • 1 t cumin seeds
  • 0.5 c palm sugar
  • 1 c malt vinegar, plus more to taste
  • 3 T pomegranate molasses, or substitute with honey
  • 0.5 t cayenne pepper, or to taste
  • 1 t thai style chili paste
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 fresh bay leaf
  • 6 boneless duck breast halves, with skin
  • 0.5 c cilantro leaves, loosely packred
  • 0.5 c panko breadcrumbs, as needed
  • 6 scallions
  • 1 t five-spice powder
  • 1 t sriracha sauce
  • 1 pn salt and pepper, as needed
  • 12 filipino pandesal rolls
  • 1 c napa cabbage, shredded

Directions

Make the fig ketchup: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lay figs onto a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet. Lay the tomatoes onto a separate parchment lined rimmed baking sheet. Roast them both in the oven until they begin to color, about 15 minutes for figs about 20 minutes for tomatoes.

In a medium sauce pot, toast the coriander and cumin over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the roasted figs and tomatoes, scrapping up as much of the juice and crusty parts as possible, palm sugar, vinegar, pomegranate molasses, cayenne pepper, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf. Raise the heat to high and cook until the mixture reaches a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until it’s thick and jam-like, about 30 minutes. Let cool.

Discard the cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Use a blender or food processor to thoroughly puree the mixture, adding a splash of extra vinegar to achieve the proper consistency if necessary. Taste and adjust acidity with more vinegar to taste. Refrigerate for several hours before using.

Make the duck patties: Remove the skin from the duck breasts, then roughly chop them. Place the duck breasts and 1 of the skins (also chopped) in the bowl of a food processor and pulse 6 or 8 times until well combined and the texture resembles slightly wet, coarsely ground beef.

Transfer the duck mixture to a large bowl. Roughly chop about half of the cilantro. Add 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs, scallions, the chopped cilantro, five-spice powder, sriracha sauce, salt and pepper to the bowl. Next, handling the meat as little as possible to avoid compacting it, mix well. You be the judge if you think you need more breadcrumbs, add too many and the burgers will get rubbery, but the meat should hold together when pinched (but just barely). Divide the mixture into 12 equal portions and form the portions into patties to fit the pandesal rolls.

Grill and assemble the sliders: Prepare a medium-hot fire for both direct and indirect cooking in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high.

Brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Place the patties on the direct heat area of the rack, cover, and cook, turning once, just until done, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Watch for flare ups. During the last few minutes of cooking, place the pandesal rolls, cut side down, on the indirect edges of the rack to toast lightly.

To assemble the burgers, place some shredded Napa cabbage, cilantro leaves onto the roll bottoms, place a duck slider on top. Spoon on some of the fig ketchup to taste. Add the roll tops and serve.

Of Course You Can Drink Red Wine with Fish! Spiced Salmon with Braised Shallots & Sunchoke Puree

15 Feb 2011
Spiced Salmon with Wine Braised Shallots, Edamame & Sunchoke Puree from Sippity

I hope to tear down a few walls here today. I plan to do it with an unsual recipe for Spiced Salmon with Wine Braised Shallots, Edamame & Sunchoke Puree, I adapted from Holly Peterson, CIA.

The wall that's about to tumble today is the old belief that red wine is for meat and white wine is for fish. 9 out of 10 people you ask will agree with this premise. And there's a lot of conventional wisdom (and even some science) supporting this malarkey. But like all conventional wisdom (and all malarkey for that matter), it's never as simple as the simpletons would have you believe. It’s a mantra we've heard regularly, so we tend to stick to it rigidly– even when our own palates tell us otherwise.

Sure white wines are generally a good choice for fish. Fish itself is lighter and more delicate in flavor than meat dishes. One of the first 'rules' in pairing food with wine is the proper balance of ‘weight’ and ‘texture’ between the food and wine, so at the most basic level it makes perfect sense to choose white wine with fish and red wine with the heavier textures found in meat.

Sippity Sup Continues »
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Spiced Salmon with Wine Braised Shallots, Edamame & Sunchoke Puree

Spiced Salmon with Wine Braised Shallots, Edamame & Sunchoke Puree
By jgreghenry Published February 15, 2011
Prep time: 60
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 lb sunchokes, also known as jerusalem artichokes
  • 1 medium yukon gold potato
  • 3 T unsalted butter, divided
  • 0 coarse salt, as needed
  • 1 t whole black peppercorns
  • 1 t cumin seeds
  • 1 t coriander seeds
  • 1 t mustard seeds
  • 2 t sugar, divided
  • 8 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1.5 c light, fruity red wine, such as zinfandel
  • 1 c fresh or frozen shelled edamame
  • 0.5 c chicken stock
  • 0 freshly cracked black pepper, as needed
  • 1 t extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 1 t mint leaves, minced
  • 4 skinless salmon fillets, about 5-6 oz each

Directions

Make the sunchoke puree: Fill large saucepan with water. Peel sunchokes and potatoes. Cut them into 2-inch chunks and put them in a saucepan with just enough milk to cover, then add about 1-inch more of water. Add a generous pinch of salt and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook until sunchokes and potatoes are very tender, about 12 minutes. Drain well. Transfer sunchokes and potatoes to processor; add butter and puree until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. May be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand uncovered at room temperature. Rewarm over medium-low heat before serving. Prepare the spice rub: Add black peppercorns, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, mustard seeds 1 1/2 teaspoon sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoon salt to the bowl of a mortar and pestle. Grind the mixture well, but not completely to a fine powder. Pour it into a wide shallow bowl and set aside. Braise the shallots: Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a 10-inch saute pan set over medium-low heat. When the butter melts add 1/2 teaspoon sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add the shallot slices and stir to coat well. Cook about 3 minutes until the shallots begin to soften. Add the wine, and continue cooking, stirring often, until the wine has evaporated and the shallots are deeply red and jammy looking. About 45 minutes. Cover and keep warm until serving. If the edamame are frozen, briefly blanch them in boiling water. Drain. In a 1 1/2 quart saucepan set over medium heat, warm the edamame 1/2 cup chicken stock with a pinch of salt and black pepper. About 2 minutes total. Just before serving stir in 1 teaspoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon minced mint leaves. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Roll each salmon fillet in the ground spice mixture until well coated on all sides. Place each fillet onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Place the sheet onto the middle rack of the oven and bake 20 to 25 minutes, until barely cooked through and still a bit jiggly or rare. A few moment longer if you prefer the fish cooked through. Do not overcook however. To serve: Place a cup or so of the sunchoke puree on each plate. Nestle a fillet up against the puree and drape some of the shallots across the top. Spoon 2 heaping tablespoons of edamame onto each fillet with a drizzle of olive oil and serve immediately.

Notes:

serves 4 Source: Inspired by CIA instructor Holly Peterson

Market Matters- Roasted Carrot Salad, Something From Everyone

07 Feb 2010
Fresh colorful carrots

Carrots are a year 'round item at the Hollywood Farmers Market. But this time of year particularly beautiful carrots can be found in an array of colors, sizes and shapes. I love the little round French carrots; so sweet and carroty. They are the perfect size to pop in your mouth like a little carrot bon-bon, and that’s exactly what I do with them.

So this week I chose carrots for my Market Matters post. Not just any carrot however, I chose a variety of the most unusually colored carrots I could find. Because once you get out of the PigglyWiggly you will discover that there is way more to a carrot than orange. There are red carrots, purple ones, even yellow, white, and two-toned varieties.

You needn’t be frightened of these carrots. They are not some mutinized hybrid with a lot of genetic hanky-panky going on. Nope, most of these carrots are heirlooms.

Sippity Sup Continues »
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