No Duck…
I think store bought salad dressing is an abomination. I think Paul Westerberg is one of the most underrated musicians of the latter part of the 20th century. And I think duck is superior to chicken in every way.
Even so, duck can be hard to come by. It does take some knowledge to prepare home. Ducks float, so you’ve got all that subcutaneous fat to render off. Ducks fly, so their meat is darker and more flavorful. (West Virginia’s game hunters should be OK with that, right?) And one whole duck usually feeds just a couple of people.
But it’s worth the work. Because of the extra fat, duck skin will crisp up almost like bacon when properly seared. That’s right, hippies, we leave the skin on. And all that extra fat left in the pan? Hopefully, you have enough sense to saute some Swiss chard or spinach in that. Or–if you’ve never had potatoes and ramps fried in duck fat, then you have truly missed out on one of life’s great pleasures.
Duck is not easy to find in restaurants around here either–even in restaurants with duck on the menu. I’m talking about you, Thai House in Dunbar. The last 2 times I’ve been there I ordered duck–only to be told “no duck.” No duck? Why?
I was naturally excited last weekend when they finally did have duck. Instead of my normal Gang Dang Ped (which is fried duck in a coconut curry sauce), I went for the Basil Duck. Basil Duck, it turns out, is served with the same brown sauce as the Pad Kee Mao. It tasted great, but it could have used a side of rice to soak up some of the wonderful sauce. But at last, I had my duck.
– Josh
April 17th, 2006 at 3:04 pm
Paul Westerberg RULES!
Oh, and so does duck. Extra crispy, preferably.
If you’re preparing duck at home, you have my infinite admiration. I gotta try me some o’ dat.
April 19th, 2006 at 12:27 pm
Got any opinion on possum? Also a pretty fatty animal. With proper preparation you end up with a meal and a change purse afterwards.
April 19th, 2006 at 4:13 pm
Yum. Don’t forget — cash or check only.
April 19th, 2006 at 5:52 pm
Good reminder, spinster girl. What is it with places that don’t take cards? That’s the one and only complaint I ever had about Delish. (May it rest in peace.)
April 20th, 2006 at 9:44 am
I’ve heard some of the smaller places don’t take cards because there are fees they have to pay for the machines and even in the transactions on the machines. The donut place over in Kanawha city not very gracefully passes the fee on to its customers.
February 1st, 2007 at 2:04 pm
[…] For the third (or main couse, if you will) I chose the “Duo of Duck”–seared duck breast with duck sausage and Mediterranean risotto. It’s no secret that I’m a fan of duck, so I was happy to keep the theme going. If you’ve never had the pleasure before, the skin on a properly seared duck breast becomes very crispy–dare I say it, almost like bacon; duck meat tastes much like the dark meat of chicken, only much more more intense. Because of this “strong” flavor, duck is often paired with a sauce that’s either sweet, sour or both. Such was the case at the Bistro, where the plate was given a precise portion of a dark, fruity reduction sauce. The duck “sausage” was really more of an expertly prepared meatball. The outside of the meatball had a beautifully seared, crunchy crust; the inside was smooth and moist. It was spiced with fennel seed, a traditional seasoning for sausage. Paired with the flavorful meat of the duck, however, it was unlike any sausage I’d had before. Very nice. […]