Category Archives: Markets

The wonders of duck fat

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duck fat potatoes 2010

Being of German extraction, I think you should always have a bag of potatoes in the house.

Whatever else you may or may not have on hand, with potatoes and oil you can make a meal:  roast potatoes.

If you have eggs, you can add a couple on top – over easy.  Throw in toast and you’re living large.

With a container of rendered duck fat, however, you can produce the most fabulous roast potatoes of your life.

Now you know why I serve duck for Easter.  Not only are roast ducks delicious, but I wind up with a couple of cups of fat that I can use over the next 6 months.

While I don’t use a traditional rendering method, it works just fine for me, so I thought I’d pass it along.

It’s easy.  Go to 99 Ranch Market or your supermarket and buy a duck.  You’ll probably get a Pekin, which is the most common meat duck in the US.  When I was growing up they were called “Long Island” ducks.  Apparently a number of them were exported from China in 1873, with several winding up in New York’s Suffolk County.  This part of Long Island then became a major duck farming area.

You might see Musovy ducks – stronger tasting and leaner – or the Pekin-Muscovy hybrid, Moulard.  Since you’re not making confit (in which case the Moulard would be your pick), and you want lots of fat, I’d go with the Pekin.

Rub with salt and roast on a rack at 350 deg. F until the internal temperature reads 165.  A broiling pan works well for this – the kind you get when you buy a range.  Some cookbooks tell you not to rub ducks with salt prior to roasting, but this is crazy to me.  I want crispy skin and don’t care if there is salt in the rendered fat.  If you have convection, use it.  This is not a good time to use wine or apples or any of that other stuff because you don’t want to flavor the fat.  When you move the duck from the rack to a serving dish or board, don’t allow all the juices run out of the opening into the roasting pan.

OK, so now you have a duck for four that you can serve with braised red cabbage and whatever else you want.

You should have a nice amount of fat with some drippings in your roasting pan.  Try to leave drippings in the pan, to the extent possible, in the next step.  When just comfortable to handle, carefully pour fat through a fine-meshed sieve into a large glass measuring cup, or something like it, and leave on your counter until the fat has risen to the top of any drippings.  At that point you can just pour (or almost pour – the melting point of duck fat is 76.5 F) the fat into a food-safe plastic container, being sure not to pour any of the drippings out.  This is very important because they will reduce the shelf-life of the fat considerably!  Wrap the container in plastic and store in the back of your fridge.

Drippings scraped from the pan and those remaining in your measuring cup can be stored in a small container for use in the next few days.  I don’t bother separating out that last little bit of fat, and simply make a big batch of roast potatoes with this mix of fat and gelee, or use the latter in a pan sauce.  I try hard not to waste anything on an animal.

rendered duck fat 2010

If you want to make roast potatoes, just substitute all, or half, of your canola or olive oil with duck fat.

Duck fat tastes so good you’d think it was terrible for you.  On the contrary, it’s high in monounsaturates and has good things going for it in the way olive oil does.

Before I jot down my roast potatoes recipe, I want to give a nod to Pear Street Bistro in Pinole.  A couple of years ago I had an appetizer there that involved crispy roast potatoes covered with melted Gruyere and a side of short rib gravy.  Since that time I’ve stretched many a meal out of leftover braising sauce, melted cheese and roast potatoes!

Crispy Roasted Duck Fat Potatoes

4 extra-large Russet potatoes, washed/scrubbed, dried and cut into large pieces (1-1/2″- 2″)
1/4 cup rendered duck fat, give or take, dep. upon potato size
Kosher salt
Freshly-ground pepper

1).  Place potatoes on a large sheet pan*
2).  Add the duck fat and salt to your liking
3).  With your hands, rub fat, salt and potatoes together so potatoes are coated
4).  Bake at 400 deg. F (convection, if you have it, but keep an eye on things to prevent burning) for about 40 minutes, or until you see some serious browning action
5).  Take out and turn potatoes.  Use a spatula with a sharp edge and scrape/pry under potatoes so you don’t leave crusts on the pan.  Some will stick, some won’t.  If they are too dry, you can add a little olive oil, making sure there is oil where taters make contact with the pan
6).  Continue to roast until very brown on all sides.  I tend to overcook them a bit so they’re very crisp on the outside and buttery soft inside
7).  Remove from pan carefully with said spatula and sprinkle with a little ground pepper

*You should have at least one really big sheet pan!  For most of us this will be 15″ X 21″ – AKA 3/4 sheet pan, based on commercial sizes.

Lime gelatin with Fleur de Sel

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Homemade lime gelatin with sea salt

A bumper crop of limes in my backyard when winter came to an end had me thinking of ways to employ them.

I do quite a bit of Thai and Vietnamese cooking, so having limes handy makes sense.  There’s one dwarf Bearss and one dwarf Mexican – both terrific producers.  The Bearss gives me large, seedless, regular old limes, and the Mexican, small, thin-skinned, sour fruit.  Both are in wide, deep containers.  They get plenty of sun, I water them regularly during the summer, and I stay on top of the fertilizer situation, which is key, particularly the nitrogen.

If you live in the East Bay, I encourage you to plant a little citrus orchard, even if you need to do it with containers.  Get yourself these two lime trees, a Eureka lemon, a Meyer lemon,  and perhaps a Kaffir lime, depending upon what you like to cook.  I also have a Calamansi, a hybrid native to Southeast Asia and very popular in the Philippines, that I’ll talk about in another post, but it does not do quite as well in non-tropical climates.  Keep your trees in the same vicinity for pollination.

So, what to do with all these limes?

My son, now 23, is always clamoring for some kind of fruit-flavored gelatin.  If it’s fluorescent, so much the better.

Not a problem, as I am never without a large canister of Knox unflavored gelatin.  Why?  I admit to being a fan of terrines, molds and aspics.  In fact, I’m all about the whole garde manger (cold foods) thing.  While I put together numerous roasted vegetable terrines in my day, I have no problem busting out some sort of crazy thing from the salad section of a 1958 American cookbook.  The more retro and scarier the better.  Why not?  It’s a hoot when you present your friends with a dessert that involves Jell-O, mayonnaise and shredded carrots in 5 colorful layers.

This time I thought I’d use my 1940’s-era metal aspic molds for little lime gelatins, and then top them with a sprinkling of fleur de sel – the cream of the sea salt crop.  The salt idea came from my fondness for Thai lime drink, which is a little salty.

I made the little ones as a kind of palate cleanser, and several custard cup-sized versions without salt to serve to my son in lieu of packaged Jello-O.

If you find it too sour or sweet, adjust the recipe.  Note, however, that a reduction in total liquid volume will require an adjustment in the amount of dry gelatin needed.

I would be surprised if you think this recipe is not sour enough, though, as I was generous with the ratio of lime juice!  That said, I don’t know what kind of limes you’re using.

The bottom “lime”:  Please make your own gelatin desserts using unflavored gelatin and fruit juice.  You’ll save money and be able to control the sugar.  Buy a large container of Knox brand at a store that serves the restaurant trade, like Smart & Final.

Lime Gelatin with Fleur de Sel

1 Tablespoon Knox, dry, unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
3/4 cup fresh lime juice
3/4 cup boiling water
1/2 cup sugar
Green food coloring
Fleur de Sel

1).  Stir dry gelatin into the 1/2 cup cold water and allow to bloom for 10 minutes
2).  Combine boiling water and sugar thoroughly in a glass bowl  (I use a tempered glass pitcher – easier to pour from)
3).  Stir in bloomed gelatin until completely dissolved
4).  Stir in lime juice
5).  Add a little food coloring; make it as green as you like
6).  Pour into molds and place in fridge
7).  Unmold when very firm (dip bottom in hot water for a second if it sticks) onto small serving plate
8).  Sprinkle a very small amount of salt on the top right before you serve

Korean rice cakes

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Korean Rice Cakes with XO Sauce

Korean Rice Cakes with XO Sauce

When I visit that Mecca for Asian groceries that is 99 Ranch Market (3288 Pierce Street, Richmond), I usually run into interesting products I haven’t worked with before.  Often the item is something I’ve seen on a plate in a restaurant or read about and have been wanting to try my hand at.

Enter a 1-pound bag of Korean rice cakes I found in the refrigerated noodle section.

Korean rice cakes (garaddeok)

Korean rice cakes (garaddeok)

Rice cakes, called ddeok, are an integral part of Korean cuisine, and there are numerous kinds.  Some are made from glutinous rice, some from non-glutinous, some are sweet, some savory.

A little squeeze of these plain solid tubes through their wrapper told me they’d be like Shanghai rice ovals, namely dense and chewy.  Called garaeddeok, they are the main ingredient in ddeokbokki (spicy Korean rice cakes), a popular dish that’s readily available from street vendors.  The heat in the dish comes from the addition of a pungent chili paste called gochujang.

I figured I’d follow the directions on the package and deviate as needed based on a little research.  Sometimes English instructions on Asian food products are minimal, so it helps to get an elementary grasp of how a noodle or cake is dealt with from a trusted book or blog.  For example, it’s good to know about any soaking or pre-cooking requirements.

Advice that was universal:  better to undercook  than overcook garaeddeok, given that they should be quite chewy when served.  Many cooks suggest rinsing and soaking, though this was not mentioned on the package.  Most cooking treatments involve a spicy sauce that self-thickens from the starch in the cakes.  Check, check and check.

Apparently these commercially prepared and  packaged cakes run a far second to fresh ones purchased at rice cake shops in Korea.  I believe that.  I would imagine the texture suffers in large-scale production.

The bare-bones recipe I developed turns out a tasty dish.  Try it and then move up to real ddeokbokki recipes, which I plan on doing now that I have an idea of how garaddeok behave when subjected to heat and liquid.

These rice cakes are very chewy, but give them a try.

Here’s advance warning that you’ll be seeing other dishes inspired by Korean ingredients on the blog.  The number of authentic Korean restaurants in the East Bay of late has allowed me to sample a broad range of  dishes – not just barbecue or bibimbap, but things like tofu soup – so my interest is at an all-time high.

Korean Rice Cakes with XO Sauce
   serves 4 or 5 as a side dish or part of a larger meal

1 pound Korean rice cakes (garaddeok), cut into 2-inch lengths, if purchased whole (and if you get them whole, tell me where you got them!)
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 green onions, chopped (both green and white parts)
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1-1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons (or more) XO sauce (buy this seafood-based chili-garlic sauce in Asian markets)

1).  Rinse rice cakes and soak them in cold water for 30 minutes
2).  Heat oil in a wok (or a heavy, slope-sided cooking vessel); non-stick is a good choice for this dish
3).  Saute the green onions and garlic until a bit soft
4).  Add chicken stock and soy sauce and bring to a boil
5).  Add rice cakes, separating them carefully first if they’re stuck together
6).  Cook over high heat for 3 minutes, moving them around regularly so they don’t stick together
7).  Add XO sauce and continue to cook as above; if very dry, add a little more stock
8).  When sauce thickens sufficiently, turn off heat and serve, but don’t cook them more than another 3 or 4 minutes

Korean rice cakes cooking in wok

Korean rice cakes cooking in wok

Costco in Richmond has whole smoked whitefish again

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smoked whitefish 2010

Yes, you heard that right – these bad boys are back.

I was experiencing agita because I had not seen any whole smoked whitefish at Costco for about 6 weeks.  I mean, they did not have them at Passover.  Why get rid of smoked whitefish at Passover?

Happily, I saw some the other day, so I’d shake a tail feather if you want to make some whitefish salad to go with your bagels this weekend.

To remind you, this product comes direct from The Acme Smoked Fish Company in Brooklyn.  Average size is about 2 pounds and average price about $16.  Worth every dime, and the price is fabulous.

Red Hawk cheese

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Cowgirl Creamery's Red Hawk cheese

Cowgirl Creamery’s Red Hawk cheese

Not too long ago I parted company with $17 at Berkeley Bowl West for a 10-inch round of Cowgirl Creamery’s funky, pinkish Red Hawk.  I buy this every once in awhile because it’s not only pricey, but incredibly rich.  It’s a triple-cream cheese with a brine-washed rind that’s aged 4 weeks.  It’s a bit soft when young, but becomes very soft and then runny when ripe.  When very ripe, it’s got some serious stank going on – and I mean that in the best way possible.  Spread on a crusty Acme sourdough roll with some raspberry preserves – you’re home.

Cowgirl Creamery has been putting out some excellent cheeses since 1997.  They’re local (Point Reyes Station & Petaluma), and use local organic milk, so I like to give them business when my wallet allows me to.

Their most popular cheese may be Mt. Tam, a firm, buttery and earthy triple-cream, and it is good, but I can’t stay away from the lush and plush Red Hawk.

All their cheeses are award-winning.  Have a look at their website before you pick some up so you know what you’re getting, but there’s no way you can go seriously wrong.

There’s a Cowgirl Creamery in the SF Ferry Building (One Embarcadero, San Francisco), which will allow you to purchase bread at The Acme Bread Company down the hall at the same time.  Certain Bay Area markets, like Whole Foods and Berkeley Bowl, usually have a decent selection, but Red Hawk can sometimes be hard to come by.

The Cheeseboard Collective (1504 Shattuck, Berkeley) is a place I’ve seen Cowgirl Creamery products, but I usually go there to be educated about some cheese I’ve never heard of.  This is not only a great cheese shop, but it’s connected to the birth of California cuisine (think Alice Waters and Chez Panisse, which is across the street.)  If you go to the Cheeseboard you can pick up some fabulous bread and olives, too, as well as a spectacular cheese roll, which you can eat on the way home.