The Delicious Dozen

I've always believed that the best times in life occur when good friends and great food are present. Last weekend I had the pleasure of being invited to my sister's dinner club, "The Gourmet 12". Every other month they pick a weekend and a theme, each couple brings a dish, food is prepared, wine is poured, and merriment is had by all. The last time I was invited the theme was Argentinian Grill and I managed to get away with not cooking a thing, merely offering advice or a hand when needed. This time however, seeing as how food had already been decided upon I instead offered my services as a bartender, shaking up the perfect cocktail to fit their theme of "France Meets India": rangpur lime-infused gin and homemade curried sour mix topped with a mango-rose foam, aka "The Bollywood". I then paired this with an amuse bouche of fresh strawberry topped with honey and toasted almonds. Once everyone had their libations in hand it was time to start the real cooking. First up was a seared foie gras crostini topped with pomegranate seeds and a drizzle of 25 year balsamic vinegar. The crunch of the pomegranate seeds and the fruit-forward acidity of the vinegar balanced flawlessly with the rich, sweet duck liver. From there the kitchen quickly filled with people cooking, drinking, and munching on foie gras and strawberries. The entree for the evening was a coriander-crusted duck breast with a red wine and mango chutney reduction. Accompanying this was a plethora of side dishes from charred broccoli to cucumber cilantro salad, crushed fingerling potatoes, even an Indian tofu scramble. The final result was a spread worthy of even the most discerning gourmand.

Coriander-Crusted Duck Breasts with

Red Wine and Mango Chutney Reduction

Duck Breasts

• 2 Tbsp coriander seeds
• 2 ea 1 lb duck breasts
• salt and pepper to taste

Sauce

• 3/4 cup red wine
• 1 tsp whole grain mustard
• 3 Tbsp prepared mango chutney
• 1/2 tsp orange zest
• 2tsp orange juice

In a large skillet, toast the coriander seeds over medium high heat until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Let cool completely, transfer to a spice grinder, and grind to a powder.

In a saucepan over medium-high heat reduce red wine and orange juice by half, then add mustard, chutney, and orange zest and stir together. Turn heat to low and keep warm until ready to serve, stiring occasionally.

 

Score the duck skin in a cross-hatch pattern and season with coriander, salt, and pepper. Heat a skillet on medium-high. Add the duck, skin side down, and cook until the skin is browned and crisp, about 5 minutes. Turn the breasts skin side up and cook until medium-rare, 4 minutes longer. Remove duck from pan and let rest for 5 minutes. To serve, thinly slice the duck crosswise and drizzle with sauce.

The Strawberry Proxy

With the recent heavy rains in California and Mexico, as well as the January freeze in Florida, the strawberry crop has taken a hefty blow this year. Of course we'll still find strawberries in stores for Valentine's Day, but the quantity and quality that we'll see seems to be uncertain ("The Packer" Strawberry availability in question for Valentine's Day). This little predicament got me thinking... can you really enjoy that bubbly champagne on the big night without some juicy, delicious strawberries to back it up? Can you even make a special drink for this holiday without incorporating them? And so began the quest to devise a sweet cocktail with all the romance of a flawless ripe strawberry, yet made with more dependable ingredients. Well, two bottles of champagne and a bottle of rum later, I came up with the perfect proxy: my Vanilla-Ginger Royale. Both ginger and vanilla bean are available year round and rarely have the quality or consistency issues of fruits. Additionally both of these ingredients are aphrodisiacs, as is the alcohol, making for a very efficient libation.

Vanilla-Ginger Royale

• 1/2 oz Vanilla-Ginger Simple Syrup (recipe follows)
• 1 oz rum
• Rose Sparkling Wine

Combine rum and syrup in a tumbler and top with ice. Stir briskly, strain into a champagne flute and top with rose sparkling wine. 

For the rum I've used 10 Cane brand here, but I would also recommend Cruzan white rum; really anything thats light in color and doesn't say "Bacardi" on the front. As for the wine, Barefoot Cellars makes a sparkling rose cuvee with a slightly sweeter flavor that works perfectly. The drier brut champagnes I tried didn't fair as well with this cocktail. You may find it necessary to adjust the quantity of simple syrup base on the type of wine.

Vanilla-Ginger Simple Syrup

• 1 vanilla bean
• 1/4 cup fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup water

Combine sugar, water and ginger in a saucepan over medium high heat, whisking occasionally. Cut the vanilla bean lengthwise, scraping the seeds from inside, and add both the seeds and pod to the saucepan. Once the mixture has come to a boil and the sugar has completely dissolved remove from heat and let steep for 15 minutes. Strain and cool.

The end result will still have a few specks of black from the vanilla, which I personally don't mind and actually find quite attractive dancing in my sparkling wine. If, however, you would prefer a cleaner appearance then use several layers of cheese cloth in addition to your strainer. This syrup should keep in a refigerator for up to a month.