Chef du Jour

				chef du jour.doc From: Dominus@comcast.net Subject: Chef for a Day Report/Thesis Date: August 15, 2003 10:27:50 PM EDT To: aroundthekitchen@aroundthekitchen.info Reply-To: aroundthekitchen@aroundthekitchen.info Fellow Foodies: I have finally completed writing a synopsis and creating a photo album of the main events of my recent “Chef for a Day” experience at the Savage River Lodge in Frostburg. This is no Charlie Trotter’s by any stretch of the imagination but for me, a very unique learning experience and a lot of fun. You should be receiving a separate email regarding the pictures. If you have any problems logging onto the website, let me know. There are more pictures coming the owners took throughout the day. Bon appetit! Dominus From: leslie.borden@comcast.net Subject: Re: Chef for a Day Report/Thesis Date: August 18, 2003 9:57:54 AM EDT To: aroundthekitchen@aroundthekitchen.info Reply-To: aroundthekitchen@aroundthekitchen.info Dom, This sounds like lots of fun, and I’d be interested to hear more about the differences between prepping a meal in a restaurant and doing it at home. How will your home cooking change? See you around the kitchen, lb p.s. don’t know if I season my duck confit the same way Dr. Wo does, but I can teach you how I do it. Just don’t be afraid to crack open a 1-liter jar of duck fat! From: Dominus@comcast.net Subject: Re: Chef for a Day Report/Thesis Date: August 18, 2003 6:15:56 PM EDT To: aroundthekitchen@aroundthekitchen.info Reply-To: aroundthekitchen@aroundthekitchen.info Leslie: Will it change my home cooking? Not my daily routine, heavens no I would have a panic attack but for a group (4 or more), most definitely. One, I would prep days in advance instead of my normal waking up at 6 a.m. and cramming all of my prep and cooking in the same day. If you could teach me how to prepare the duck confit, I would be most grateful. I surely won’t mind opening the duck fat esp when I know how the final outcome will taste! Well, I hope anyway. See you soon around the kitchen, Dom From: drwo@woteki.com Subject: Re: Chef for a Day Report/Thesis Date: August 19, 2003 7:40:19 PM EDT To: aroundthekitchen@aroundthekitchen.info Reply-To: aroundthekitchen@aroundthekitchen.info Dom: Your Chef for a Day write up was great, thanks for sharing with us. It sounds like it was a great deal of fun. You forgot to mention in your tale that fact that you prepared homemade marshmallows! By the way, did you visit the tables, like all great chefs are entitled to do, to ensure that your diners were all thrilled with your preparations? In the meantime, Leslie and I, and for that matter Kevin, who inspired me to confit, can vie for the privilege of “teaching” you duck confit. Here’s the short lesson: duck legs rubbed with herbs (I favor marjoram and thyme), salt and pepper. Poach dug legs in duck fat (you did render all that at from the duck didn’t you?) over gentle heat for, oh, an hour and a half. Cool. Store in duck fat. Cut the knuckles off the legs and remove the tendons before poaching. Thanks again for the report. I really enjoyed it. Tom From: Dominus@comcast.net Subject: Re: Chef for a Day Report/Thesis Date: August 19, 2003 7:47:52 PM EDT To: aroundthekitchen@aroundthekitchen.info Reply-To: aroundthekitchen@aroundthekitchen.info Tom: Glad you enjoyed. Yes, I tried to abridge my travails in respect to length since I didn’t want to put people to sleep. Homemade marshmallows were a highlight. So much that I will be receiving a new KitchenAid mixer in the near future just to prepare! The duck confit recipe . . . thank you. I’m sure to have more questions come your and Leslie’s way when I begin to prep. Can’t wait to start. Dom From: leslie.borden@comcast.net Subject: Re: Chef for a Day Report/Thesis Date: August 22, 2003 11:00:49 AM EDT To: aroundthekitchen@aroundthekitchen.info Reply-To: aroundthekitchen@aroundthekitchen.info My confit is basically the same method, but I use the French quatre d’ epice (four-spice mixture of 2 parts each black pepper, nutmeg, and cloves, and 1 part cinnamon), coarse sel gris (the French sea salt), sliced garlic cloves, and bay leaves. The seasoning is obviously up to you. Leave it in the salt and spices overnight (courtesy our friend the Ziploc bag), then poach the duck in the fat. I’ve also done rabbit this way, courtesy the Red Sage cookbook by Mark Miller, though he adds some chile and cumin to the seasoning mix. He also has a good answer to the problem of the fat getting too hot. Note that Tom said “poach.” And he means it, not boil, not simmer, poach, because too much heat, and the meat, especially delicate rabbit, will get dry and nasty. Miller’s insurance policy is to bring it barely to the simmer on top of the stove, then put it in a 200 degree oven for an hour and a half. When it’s done, lift out the duck or rabbit pieces and put them in a clean crock or glass canning jar. Strain the fat into the jar, making sure to cover the meat completely - this is key to storage, ‘cause it makes an airtight seal. Store in the refrigerator for literally a couple of months (if you can bear not to eat it). My Gascon cookbook says that if you want to keep it longer (like if you are a government subsidized French peasant farmer, and that’s your food for the winter), warm it up, draw off the fat and bring it to a boil to kill anything that might’ve sprouted in it, and pour it back over. BTW, I do my braises, as well (osso buco, lamb shanks, pot roast) in the oven also, at 350, for 2 1/2 hours. That way I don’t have to worry about the sauce drying up or sticking and burning on the cooktop . See you around the kitchen, lb From: Dominus@comcast.net Subject: Re: Chef for a Day Report/Thesis Date: August 22, 2003 6:38:29 PM EDT To: aroundthekitchen@aroundthekitchen.info Reply-To: aroundthekitchen@aroundthekitchen.info Ahhhh, the aroma, the taste, the visual feast. Reminds me of a book I composed many moons ago called “A Visual Feast.” Aside from that, this looks like a major undertaking but I will put a day aside on the calendar and make an attempt. This recipe screams for my Superman cape and hat. Muchas gracias, Dom