Recipe: Duck Confit & Duck Butter on Toast (Wild Garlic Duck Butter)

by Simon Fernandez of ferdiesfoodlab

Confit duck is so simple to make it’s unbelievable! It’s also a way to preserve you duck so it will last longer. You can do the legs plain without any additional herbs and spices and flavour them later or you can let them infuse with flavours for the dish you have in mind!

I like to add a lot of garlic, onions and a little chilli to the mix. These slow roast to great tasting warm kind of soft reduction with beautiful savoury flavour. When mixed with a little cream and butter this makes a great alternative spread!

for confit duck legs

2 duck legs

3 onions

1 bulb garlic

2 chillies

big sprig of rosemary

250ml vegetable stock

~

Brown off the duck legs in a frying pan seasoning them well.

Place all ingredients into an oven prof pot with a lid.

The stock should almost cover the duck.

Top up with a little olive oil and place the oven at 150C for 2-3hours

for duck butter

80g confit garlic and onion (from confit duck legs)

80g creme fraiche

80g butter (s)

~

Bring to boil, or microwave in favourite high sided microwave proof container.

Blitz to a rich confit duck flavoured sauce.

It’s not quite puree when it’s warm but it sets into a luxurious spread.

Great on toast or for croutons.

This is also a great base for wild garlic & duck butter . . . next post!

Experiment / Recipe: Sous Vide Ox Cheek w/ Salad of Palm Hearts

by Simon Fernandez of ferdiesfoodlab

Lunch today has very much been a “let’s see what’s in the kitchen” kind of vibe. It’s really a test run to see how sous vide ox cheek comes out. I’d normally cook ox cheek slowly for 2 - 3 hours. This breaks down the fat and gristle, into an unctuous gelatine that really contributes to the stickiness of the sauce, and the vegetables and potatoes. That’s a classic and simple way to cook them.

For the sous vide test I wanted to keep the cooking process as isolated as possible to understand how the texture is affected, then have some fun experimenting with the accompaniments! Oh and get to use the pea shoots I planted a couple of weeks back : ) will post about that in the next post!

Pea shoots coming along nicely in the garden!

Sous Vide Ox Cheek w/ Salad of Palm Hearts 

check list:

Red pepper puree

Ox cheek sauce & spring onions

    (calçots style - Catalonian dish).

Miso creme fraiche puree.

Hollow palm hearts filled w/ miso creme fraiche puree.

Buttered rounds of Afghan sesame bread.

Lemon vinaigrette w/ spring onion.

Pea shoots (from the garden).

Seared spring onion.

Seared ox cheek.

ingredients (serves 2)

for the ox cheek

2 ox cheeks

2 sprigs thyme

2 sprigs rosemary

2 tsp garlic butter

~

Sear the ox cheek until golden brown.

Put all the ingredients into a vac pack or zip lock bag.

Sous vide at 80C / 9h.

After the ox cheeks cool, put them into the fridge until needed (or use immediately).

If they’ve come from the fridge gelatine will have set. Put the bag into hot water ~80C for 15-20mins to bring them up to temperature.

Take the cheeks out reserving the stock.

Sear them to finish it before serving. (They’ll be an awkward shape which is another good reason to brown before they go into the sous vide)

Do NOT put the remains of the back directly into the frying pan with the meat the gelatine will quickly reduce and stick to the pan!

Keep it for sauce!

for the ox cheek sauce

remnants from the sous vide bag (jelly, butter, leaves removed)

200ml chicken stock

200ml double cream

4 spring onion (bottom 2/3)

~

Peel the spring onions and cut the bottom 2/3’s off each.

Keep the tips for the vinaigrette.

Put stocks into the pot and bring to the boil.

Add the spring onions and boil for 2-3mins. Then remove them and put aside for later.

Add the cream and reduce the liquid until it reaches coating consistency.

Keep an eye on the saltiness as it reduces!

for the miso creme fraiche

15g miso 

200ml creme fraiche (hung for 24h)

lemon juice (as much as it will take!)

palm heart centres (optional)

~

Hang the creme fraiche in muslin over night.

Mix the miso & creme fraiche and season with lemon, salt and pepper.

It should be sharp as possible without being too loose.

for the palm heart salad

120g palm hearts (centres removed)

2 buttered toasted sesame afghan bread (cut into 6 rounds)

vinaigrette (lemon & spring onion)

50g miso creme fraiche

~

Cut the palm hearts into thirds (or halves).

Pop the centres out, these can be used in the miso puree or left as they are. They’re super soft!

Fill the hollow palm heart segments with miso puree after they’re plated.

Cut the Afghan bread through the middle, toast the sesame side, butter and cut into rounds.

for the garnish

pea shoots

lemon zest

maldon salt

black sesame seeds

apparatus / equipment

sous vide machine

to serve 

Pipe the red pepper puree onto a hot plate.

Place the palm hearts, fill them with miso puree & top with sesame seeds

Slice the ox cheek, and place it.

Add the crispy rounds & the seared spring onions, dress with spring onion vinaigrette & lemon zest.

Finally top with ox cheek sauce and serve immediately.

thinking ahead

The ox cheeks, red pepper puree, miso puree, vinaigrette will all last unto 5 days in the fridge.

conclusions

The ox cheek had a lovely texture and great gelatinous element to it. I chilled them overnight, warmed them through and seared them a touch more. Cracking!

For the ox cheek sauce, less is more!! Otherwise it over powers the acidity on the rest of the plate! 

Maybe lightly pickle the palm hearts for a touch more acidity!

reference links & variations

SousVide Ox Cheek 75C / 20h - maybe try this time / temp combo next.

Food n Chef  82.5C / 8h 

Modernist Cuisine 81C / 9h

Recipe: Scrambled Eggs w/ Soft Yolks (no bother Hollandaise)

by Simon Fernandez of ferdiesfoodlab

Nothing beats a nice relaxed Sunday brunch, with the papers.  Especially when it’s a gorgeous, bright, crisp sunny day! Perfect to pop out somewhere to have it made for you! Well that’s all true but on this particular occasion I thought I’d take advantage of the nice weather to go for a spin on my bike, and when I got back I was in the mood for a solid brunch! 

I fancied something along the lines of a fry up but healthier. I had some smoked salmon and eggs but there was absolutely no way I was making a hollandaise sauce : /

Solution: Salmon with scrambled eggs with soft egg yolks. Add a little toast and soft cheese et voila!

ingredients (serves 2)

for the scrambled eggs w/ soft yolks

5 eggs

30g butter (or garlic butter)

30g cream (or creme fraiche or soured cream)

2 spring onions / 10g chives (chopped)

seasoning

for the accompaniments 

smoked salmon 

cream cheese 

buttered toast

for the garnish

spring onion

lemon (for salmon - zest & cut into wedges)

sea salt 

fresh ground black pepper

method

accompaniments

Put some plates on to heat and get the accompaniments ready before hand. 

Make the toast as you make the scrambled eggs!! After all who like cold toast or cold eggs!!

scrambled eggs w/ soft yolks

Separate 4 of the yolks from the eggs, keeping the yolks in their shells so they don’t break.

Add the butter, egg and egg white to a pan on a medium heat. Stir them occasionally to mix in the yolk the butter. I like mine to have a little substance so I let chunks form and then stir a little.

Put 500ml of boiling water into a bowl and add the egg yolks, this will just cook the white and make a thin cooked outer.

Chop the greens and mix them into the egg white and butter. 30 seconds later add the cream and seasoning serve onto toast or a warm plate. Making an indent in the middle to hold the yolks!!

Remove the egg yolks from the water with a slotted spoon - tapping them on some kitchen towel on the way to release excess water - and place them in the centre of the scrambled eggs. 

Add accompaniments and serve immediately!!

(Successful) Experiment - Recipe: Seared Duck Breast - Baked Potato Fraiche - Juniper & Cranberry Cabbage

by Simon Fernandez of ferdiesfoodlab

Duck is such a great ingredient, my first memory of actually going out and getting a duck to cook with, I think it was my 2nd year at university, it was after an extraordinarily long revision session, my friend and I were both exhausted and twitching for a fag and a pint. Now there ain't many places open at 4AM that will serve you, and we got to thinking 'What the hell we were going to do!?' After a fair amount of head scratching, we kind of gave up on the idea and decided that a plan for Sunday lunch should be forged, and that is where the idea for roast duck came from. Canny mind me mates got, because he suggested that we could get a duck at that very moment from the New Smithfield Market (we were in Manchester), and, what's more, there was a very good chance that there would be a bar there where we could get a pint! So off we went, needless to say we got our beer, a game of pool and our duck - including giblets and head (still attached) and feathers!!!! More than we bargained for . . . .  more about that in another post!!!

Anyway this recipe is something a little different, and takes less than 30minutes to cook . . . . result!!

ingredients (serves 2)
for the duck & creme fraiche sauce
2 duck breasts
2 tbsp creme fraiche

for the baked potato
2 medium potatoes
20g touch of butter (softened)

for the juniper & cranberry cabbage
1/2 tsp juniper berries (crushed)
1 orange (juice & zest)
1/3 savoy cabbage (1cm strips)
1 tbsp cranberry jelly
1 clove of garlic (crushed)

for the garnish
a little parsley

equipment
heavy based pan for searing!

method
Get your mis en place in place! (Prep the ingredients, and have 'em all to hand!)
Turn the oven on 230C / G8 / 450F.
Put the cast iron pan on the gas!
Slice the duck skin across the width every 5mm.
You don't need oil for duck breast it has enough fat of its own! Salt the skin and put in the pan skin side down!
Medium high heat until the fat has rendered off and the skin is crispy and golden! Should be about 10 -15mins
While the duck's on, fork the potatoes all over so they release steam and put them in the microwave full blast for 5 mins.
Put the oj, juniper berries and cranberry jelly into a pan and leave to simmer.
Put the cabbage on to steam for 5mins.
Once the microwave pings take the potatoes out, put them onto a tray and give them a quick brush of butter, and dust with salt flakes. Then put them into the oven for 5 mins.
By now the skin on the duck should be golden, turn it over and brown the meat side. Take it out when it's done to your taste, and put it to rest on a warn plate.
You can tell how cooked it is by pressing on the breast with your finger or a wooden spoon the same way as you would a piece of steak. [link to real or fake how to cook steak]
Add about 100ml of water to the pan to deglaze it, and then add the creme fraiche, mix until smooth.
Drain the cabbage and mix it with the juniper sauce.

to serve
Pour the jus released from the duck into the creme fraiche sauce, and mix in.
Cut a cross in the top of the potato and add the remaining butter and the creme fraiche sauce.
Place the cabbage on the plate.
Cut the duck into slices and plate, garnish the potato with a little parsley.

Less than 30  minutes for the lot, and I have to come clean: the cabbage - the most experimental part - of this recipe was one of me mums concoctions! Very good it is too!               

I love microwaved baked potatoes, they always remind me of staying at me grans and watchin' Woody Allen films! (aged 8!) "Sleeper" is one that I'll never forget, possibly where I got my crush on Diane Keaton!