And here they are, the winning recipes from Duck Duck Rye, the duck and spirits tasting sponsored by Jimmy's No. 43 and Hudson Vallley Duck Farm that took place at Jimmy's No. 43 on Sunday March 22nd.
A recap of the winners, for those who weren't there to taste the duck and meet the chefs:
Tied for First Place was Ash Fulk from Hill Country BBQ & David Vigil from East NY Farms and Olivia Roszkowski from Natural Gourmet Institute. Coming up close behind them was Brandon Byrd from Parker Red Culinary Experiences by Ted & Honey.
Ash Fulk's secret to the winning duck neck recipe he and David Vigil prepared:
We seasoned them for a whole day and then we covered them in duck fat, which is the way you should do any cooking. Threw them in the smoker for about 6 hours, let it smoke so it has a nice oak on it, chopped them up, then breaded and fried them, just like grandma does—my grandma anyway."
Chef Olivia Roszkowski's SMOKED DUCK CONFIT, HONEY DUCK FAT AIOLI, CRACKLINGS,
BLACK PEPPER PIZZELLES, QUICK PICKLED VEGETABLES
For cracklings:
2 cups duck skin, cut into ½ inch pieces
3 cups cold water
For honey duck fat aioli:
1 whole egg, room temperature
1 egg yolk, room temperature
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon raw local honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup melted duck fat, room temperature
For quick pickled vegetables:
1 English cucumber, sliced thinly
1 jalapeno, minced
1 yellow pepper, cut into thin strips
1 cup brown rice vinegar
1 cup water
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon sea salt
For smoked duck confit:
4 duck legs
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon maple crystals
3 cups duck fat
2 tablespoons indoor oak chips
For black pepper pizzelles:
1/2 cup local manchego, microplaned
1 cup stoneground local whole wheat flour
3 eggs, room temperature and beaten
½ cup melted duck fat, room temperature
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
duck fat, to oil pizzelle maker
1. Cracklings: Add skin and cold water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until all water has evaporated, and duck fat turns crispy and golden.
2. Aioli: Add egg, yolk, lemon juice, sea salt, honey and mustard to a food processor and pulse until combined. Slowly stream in duck fat until emulsified.
3. Pickled vegetables: Add sliced cucumber, jalapeno, pepper, vinegar, water, maple syrup, and salt to a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, take off heat, and cool.
4. Smoked confit: Coat duck legs with coriander, peppercorns, salt and maple crystals. Allow to brine for at least 2 hours, or overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Rinse brined legs thoroughly under cold water, pat dry, and transfer to ovenproof dish. Coat with duck fat, cover, and bake for 3 to 4 hours, or until tender. Remove from oven, debone and de-skin to serve, shredding gently. Smoke in an indoor smoker, using 2 tablespoons oak chips, for 6 minutes.
5. Pizzelles: Fold in the cheese, flour, eggs, fat, baking powder, pepper and sea salt in a medium bowl. Preheat pizzelle maker and coat with a small amount of duck fat, using a pastry brush. Add a ¼ teaspoon of batter for small pizzelles, and up to 1 teaspoon for larger ones, and bake for 90 seconds, or until golden and crisp.
6. To serve: Place duck confit in desired serving vessel and top with aioli, pickled vegetables, cracklings, and pizzelle.
Chef Brandon Byrd's Duck Pastrami Recipe
Cure:
1/4 cup Kosher salt
1 Tablespoon ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon ground coriander
1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar
1.5 teaspoon ground juniper berries
1 teaspoon pink curing salt, #1
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
4 large duck breasts
Rub:
3 Tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons coarsely ground coriander seed
1 Tablespoon coarsely ground juniper berries
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1. Mix all ingredients for the cure in a small bowl
2. Coat the breasts entirely in the cure mixture. Place the breasts in a even layer in resealable plastic bags, and put in the refrigerator.
3. Flip the bags every 12 hours, curing 72-96 hours. You a looking for a tight feel to the meat.
4. Remove the breasts from the bags, and rinse off the cure with very cold water.
5. Place the breasts in a container and cover with cold water. Change the water every 30 minutes for 2 hours.
6. Using a smoker or a grill with your wood of choice, cook at 250F skin side down for about 1.5 hours, until the internal temperature registers 155F.
7. Rest and cool the duck completely before slicing. May be served chilled or warm.