Northwest Wine - Online Magazine
Pairing Pinot gris with Food
Alsatian Onion Tart
Every onion comes into the world hoping to find its end in this tart. As the French would say, "C'est mortel!" This recipe is every onion's dream come true.
Here's what you need:
For the pastry
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 to 5 tablespoons ice water
For the filling
4 bacon slices (1/4 lb), cut crosswise into 1/8- to 1/16-inch-wide strips
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 lb onions, halved lengthwise and very thinly sliced crosswise (10 cups)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup creme fraiche or heavy cream
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Special equipment: a pastry scraper; an 11-inch tart pan (1 1/4 inches deep) with a removable bottom; pie weights.
Here's what you do:
1) Make the pastry: Blend together flour, butter, shortening, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle evenly with 4 tablespoons ice water and gently stir with a fork (or pulse in processor) until incorporated.
2) Squeeze a small handful: If it doesn't hold together, add more ice water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until just incorporated, then test again. (Do not overwork mixture, or pastry will be tough.)
3) Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 6 equal portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion. Gather dough together with pastry scraper and press into a ball, then flatten into a disk. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.
4) Roll out dough on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin into a 14-inch round and fit into tart pan. Trim excess dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, then fold overhang over pastry and press against side to reinforce edge. Lightly prick bottom with a fork and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
You can also simply buy a pre-made 9-inch pie crust if time is tight.
5) Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F.
6) Line chilled shell with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until pastry is set and pale golden along rim, 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and bake shell until golden all over, 10 to 15 minutes more. Transfer shell to a rack. (Leave oven on.)
7) Prepare filling while shell bakes: Cook bacon in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer bacon with a slotted spatula to paper towels to drain and pour off most of the bacon fat. Add butter to skillet and cook onions with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper over moderate heat, stirring, until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Cover surface of onions with a round of parchment or wax paper (or cover skillet with a tight-fitting lid) and continue to cook, lifting parchment to stir frequently, until onions are very soft and pale golden, about 20 minutes. Caramelizing the onions makes them richly sweet. Stir in bacon, then remove from heat and cool 10 minutes.
8) Whisk together creme fraiche, eggs, nutmeg, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl, then stir in onions.
9) Fill and bake tart: Pour filling into tart shell, spreading onions evenly, and bake until filling is set and top is golden, 25 to 35 minutes or until center does not jiggle. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes:
- Dough (as a disk or fitted into tart shell) can be chilled, wrapped in plastic wrap, up to 1 day. Let disk stand at room temperature 20 minutes before rolling out.
- Tart can be baked 1 day ahead and cooled, uncovered, then chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Experiment with the recipe; try replacing the onions with sliced leeks, boiled in salt, pepper and chicken stock.
An alternative to making your own crust or even buying a pre-made crust is to use puff pastry as the shell. If you do this, here is the drill. Remove the puff pastry from the box and lay flat in a working surface. Cut the pastry into squares measuring 8" across. To get two squares out of a 13" packaged sheet, you may have to cut out one square and then combine the two resulting rectangles. Place 1/4 of the cooled onions into each rectangle and spread, stopping about 1" from the borders. Fold up the borders.
Active time: 1 1/4 hr Start to finish: 3 1/2 hr
Makes 6 main-course or 10 first-course servings.
Source: Adapted from the Zuni Cafe Cookbook and Chef André Soltner of the Lutece restaurant in New York City courtesy of New York Times from October 2003.
[paired with the Apolloni 2002 Pinot Noir]
Smoked Duck and Toasted Hazelnut Sandwiches
Smoked duck delivers layers and layers of flavor to this sandwich. Getting that flavor can be easy, or it may take some time. Being adherents to the slow food movement, at Sub Rosa we tend to smoke our own duck - but that takes an outdoor wood smoker of some sort and knowledge of how to cook duck and keep it moist. There are shortcuts for those who want the best possible appetizer with the minimum of effort.
If you are in an urban area, you might have one of those fancy markets that actually carry this sort of thing. There might be an Asian market in your town that carries smoked duck. Chinese restaurants have been known to have whole roasted or smoked duck for sale to the public.
Here is what you will need:
8 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups) smoked duck, skin and fat removed, finely diced
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1/2 cup finely chopped scallions, including the green stem
1/4 cup roasted and chopped hazelnuts
1 to 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 baguette, cut into 1/2-inch slices
Here's what you do:
1) Roasting nuts before they are added to game dishes, salads and baked goods brings out their flavors. Heat intensifies the flavor of their natural oils, just as lightly browned butter is more flavorful than uncooked butter. In general, most nuts can be roasted at 400 degrees for 8 minutes, with the exception of dense nuts, such as hazelnuts. Roast hazelnuts at 275 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes, or until their skin cracks. To remove as much of the skins as possible, rub the nuts with a rough dish towel or between your hands inside of a large paper bag.
2) Mix the duck, celery, scallions and chopped hazelnuts with the mayonnaise. Season with salt, if necessary, and pepper. Serve open-faced on sliced baguette. Makes 4 servings.
Source: Wild About Game by Janie Hibler - Portland, Oregon
Ginger-Tangerine Duck Breasts
Duck makes a rich and hearty meat for the grill. Here the bright flavors of tangerine and ginger make the perfect complement. Try the deep-red and meaty Mallard or Muscovy duck breasts, or a wild variety, for their full flavor.
Here's what you need:
For the marinade:
Juice from 1 large tangerine (1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon grated ginger
5 tablespoons Asian spice blend such as 5 Spice, a Thai spice blend or something similar either dry or in paste form.
4 large duck breast halves
For the sauce:
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 cup sliced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons tangerine zest
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
Juice from 6 large tangerines (1-1/2 cups)
1/4 cup Major Gray's Chutney (or Sub Rosa's mango chutney)
Kosher salt
Here's what you do:
1) To make the marinade: In a small bowl, combine the tangerine juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and 1 tablespoon of the Thai spice blend. Place duck breasts in a re-sealable plastic bag set inside a bowl. Pour marinade over duck breasts. Refrigerate for 4 hours, turning occasionally to distribute marinade.
2) Meanwhile, prepare the sauce: In a heavy-bottomed one-quart saucepan, heat the sesame oil. Sauté the ginger and the tangerine zest for 1 minute; add the vinegar and sugar and simmer, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the vinegar is absorbed into the ginger. Pour in the tangerine juice and simmer for 20 minutes, until the juice is reduced to one half. Whisk in the chutney; simmer for another 5 minutes and strain.
3) Remove the duck breast from the marinade, reserving the marinade. Pour the marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for one full minute. Remove from heat.
4) Coat each breast with 1 tablespoon of the Asian spice blend and season with salt to taste. Place the breasts over Direct Medium heat, fat-side down, and grill for approximately 20 minutes for medium-rare, turning the breasts every 4 to 5 minutes, basting with the reserved marinade after each turn.
Allow the grilled breasts to rest for 5 minutes before cutting into slices. Serve the duck with the sauce and sugar snap peas, if desired.
Makes 6 servings.
Source: Adapted from a recipe at Weber.com
Tips for Cooking With Duck
Duck has quite a bit of flavorful yet greasy fat hidden away inside. Cooking that fat out while still keeping the meat tender is the key to succulent duck. I've been known to 'blanch' a whole duck in boiling water for 10 minutes before cooking/smoking just to render the fat. That way I am not overcooking the meat just to get rid of duck fat. My feeling with all game and exotic birds like duck or goose is to cook them lightly and gently. Don't be afraid of a little pink.
You can undercook a duck with little downside, but you don't want to overcook it. Like beef chuck and pork shoulder, duck are well-exercised bird that take best to slow cooking, especially the legs. And also like those other meats, duck is tender, rich and comforting when you treat them right.
Here are two ways to cook them:
- Braise: (for the most succulent meat). Season with salt and pepper, put the legs, skin side down, in a pan; cover, and turn the heat to medium. When the skin has browned and much fat is rendered, turn the heat to low and cook 90 minutes, turning occasionally, until whole duck or legs [if cooked separately] are very tender.
- Oven Method: To make the barbecued duck: Preheat the oven to 400F. Clean the duck and rub the duck skin and cavity with salt and the pepper mix until well seasoned. Place in a roasting pan and roast for 60 to 75 minutes, until completely cooked through but not dried. Remove from the oven and cool. When cool, remove and discard the skin and remove the meat from the carcass; save the bones for stock. Cut the meat in 1/4-inch dice. Heat the oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 1 minute. Add the duck meat and maybe a barbecue sauce if you like. Bring to a boil over medium heat and season with salt and lime juice. Remove from heat and keep warm until ready to use.
Where to buy duck:
Two places we recommend to buy duck on-line:
Nicky's USA
http://www.nickyusa.com
223 SE 3rd Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97214
800.469.4162
Try the whole dusk and the boneless Muscovy Duck Breasts.
Nicky's is the motherlode in Oregon for incredible quality and a super wide range of meats. Want a whole frozen alligator? They have one. Purveyors of all sorts of game including venison, wild boar, elk, caribou, rabbit, partridge, pheasant, ostrich, goose, goat, lamb and buffalo.
Grimaud Farms Online Store
www.gimaurd.com
1320-A South Aurora
Stockton, California 95206
800.466.9955
Grimaud Farms specialize in raising Muscovy duck in the San Joaquin Valley. You can buy whole birds, boneless breasts, duck confit and yes, even foie gras from them.
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