by James Peterson
- 65 recipes More than 50 color photographs 168 pages, 8 1/2 x 10
- ISBN: 1-58479-295-7
- EAN: 978158479295-6
- US $30.00 CAN $48.00
Few ingredients are as intimidating to the home cook as duck – that is, unless you grew up in a European household as I did with my Slovak heritage. We had duck probably twice but at least once a month – always as Sunday dinner. The Slovak or Czech method of cooking duck is quite different from the way today’s chefs are preparing it….namely, the degree of doneness! Duck roasted in the Slovak or Czech method was always well done – but still juicy and flavorful. The whole duck was salted and sprinkled with caraway seeds, inside and out. Then the duck was placed in a roasting pan, and at a medium heat, simply roasted. As the fat rendered out of the duck, my mother would drain it, saving it for other uses of course! A brown gravy was made from the remaining drippings and the roasted duck was carved and always served with bread dumplings and sauerkraut which was also cooked with onions and caraway seed sautéed in duck fat. But I digress ….
Fast forward a few decades ….and with the guidance of award-winning author James Peterson, any home cook can learn to prepare duck. The Duck Cookbook is the only complete guide to duck that I’ve seen and highly recommend. With his signature style, Peterson explains the different varieties available and the best cooking methods for each part of the duck. Today, at least one or more duck growers are selling white pekin duck parts – for example, Maple Leaf Farms http://www.mapleleaffarms.com is selling individual retail packages nationwide in most major supermarkets of a trimmed duck breast, or the leg/thigh portion of the duck. You no longer have to buy a whole duck and carve it up just to get two duck breasts!
Chapters in The Duck Cookbook begin with lessons on a single cooking technique—from sautéing to smoking—then move on to specific dishes such as soups, salads, and confit. Peterson’s detailed instructions ensure that readers will have the proper skills to handle any kind of duck preparation. The book’s 65 recipes range from straightforward, delicious whole roasted duck and sautéed duck breasts (with a variety of sauces) to sophisticated terrines and mousses. Braised Duck Legs with Red Cabbage is one of my favorite recipes in this book and Juniper Berries and Duck Confit Spring Rolls are among the other many tempting recipes.
About the Author
James Peterson has written seven award-winning cookbooks, including Simply Salmon (STC). He taught cooking for 17 years—at the French Culinary Institute and the formerly known Peter Kump’s Cooking School in New York (now called the Institute for Culinary Education) —and is now a frequent guest teacher at schools around the country. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
