Duck Leg Confit Salad

It took 5 whole minutes to put this together -

3 minutes to pan fry the duck legs (left at room temperature for about 30 minutes from the fridge)
1 minute to prepare the salad dressing
30 secs to segment the orange
30 secs to shred the duck legs and plate up

The duck leg confit that I have been 'confitting' the past 10 weeks met with its destiny on my dinner table tonight. Here's how I prepared it.

I love food with bright colours on the dinner plate, and I stare rudely at them for a long time.

Salad dressing recipe (I liked it but hubster found it too sweet)

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp orange juice
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp aged balsamic vinegar
Sprinkle of coarsely crushed olives
Sprinkle of citrus dust
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Fine Dining At Home 2/3 - Pan-fried Scottish Salmon

 Here's Recipe 2 from Chef Lee Bennett of Equinox Restaurant at Swissotel Stamford in Singapore:

Pan-fried Scottish Salmon with Warm Salad of Beetroot

I got my friends to plate their own dishes - you can tell none of us will make it to Masterchef, but it sure added much more fun to the evening.

If you think the list of ingredients for the first dish was too long, wait till you see this one, with an even longer list in the method. Ready?

Ingredients for citrus powder and olive dust
5 oranges
2 lemons
200g pitted black olives

Ingredients for pan fried Scottish salmon and warm salad of beetroot
2 Charlotte potatoes, large
2 sprigs of rosemary
2 garlic cloves
2 beetroot, large (note to self: just need one)
1 fennel, small
3 radish
1 bunch of wild rocket and frisee
4 x 150g salmon, centre cut

Ingredients for basil pesto
2 bunches of fresh basil
2 garlic cloves (I used 4)
150ml olive oil
100g toasted pine kernels
100g grated parmesan

Method for citrus powder and olive dust
1. Peel orange and lemon skin onto a metal tray.
2. Place in the oven at max 80C and leave overnight. (Totally dehydrate for maximum flavour)
3. Cut the olives into half on to a separate tray and leave to dry with the oranges.
4. Use a clean blender to blend the olives into coarse bits.

Old world charm vs new world food processor

Method for panfried Scottish salmon and warm salad of beetroot
1. Place potatoes to cook in gentle simmering salted water
2. Add some garlic and rosemary. (Optional: Leave in water for up to 2 days for flavour)
3. Once cooked, refresh in cold water and peel the skin off, then dice into 1cm cubes

4. Pour some rock salt on a baking tray, pierce the beetroot and place onto the salt.
5. Cover the tray with a layer of tin foil and cook in the oven at 150C for around 90 minutes. (I cooked for 120 min and they were still too crunchy. Note to self: will increase temp to 200 next time or boil to soften before putting into oven.)
6. Once cooked, remove skin and dice into 1cm cubes. (Store separately from potatoes as they stain.)

7. Thinly shave the fennel and radish into ice cold water using a mandolin.

8. Pick through the wild rocket and frisee, wash and pass through a salad spinner.

9. Put the beetroot and potato into a bowl together and season lightly, dress with olive oil, a pinch of the citrus powder and olive dust.

10. Mix the greens with the fennel and radish, then add a drizzle of olive oil.

11. Season the salmon with salt. (Oops, just realised I didn't do this and it tasted fine!)

12. Add a drizzle of oil into a hot non-stick pan.

13. When hot, place salmon on the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Turn it over and cook for another 2 minutes. (I did one minute on each side to avoid flaky salmon which I don't enjoy. At one minute, I got just past the sashimi stage.)

14. Remove salmon from the pan.

As a side tip, Chef suggested you can add crisp and crunch to the dish by grilling the salmon skin. 60C in the oven overnight. 

Method for basil pesto (key to this dish)
1. Pick the basil.
2. Blanch in boiling water for 30 secs then refresh in ice water.
3. Once cold, remove and squeeze water out completely
4. Place into blender with minced garlic, olive oil, pine kernels and parmesan
5. Blend to a smooth paste. (I blended to rather coarse so I could still bite on the little chunks of nuts which I love)

My pesto was a big hit that night. We ended up eating everything with the pesto, and my friend even placed an order with me! Expensive but oh so very healthy and delish.

The beauty of toasted pine kernels

My big hit that night - home-made pesto with fresh basil from the garden

Plating
1. Spread the basil pesto on a plate in a circular movement.
2. Add 2 Tbsp of the beetroot and ptoato onto the plate followed by a handful of the salad.
3. Top with the salmon then sprinkle the citrus powder and olive dust around the plate.
4. Ready to serve.

So, have I tired you out just reading the ingredient list? For me, I was inspired to try it and found it worth the colossal effort and every minute of my time, and highly rewarding to be feeding my friends good food, real food. Sick as it sounds, I would do this all over again.

Up Next: Recipe 3 Sage-scented Pork Tenderloins

Grilled Aubergine Parcels

This picture was taken with an iPhone under a big tree with ants threatening to swarm in on our food, so do excuse the quality.

It's our Ladies Vegan picnic lunch date again, and since the success of my ratatouille in the park, I expected to keep up with the imaginary standard I have now imposed on myself. A simple salad doesn't quite cut it. So I decided on this aubergine (eggplant, brinjal) parcel recipe. It had looked cute on this Meditteranean cookbook I got for my last birthday. Those cookbook writers always make them look so easy. 

Recipe

2 large long aubergines

225g mozzarella cheese

2 plum tomatoes

16 large basil leaves

salt and pepper

2 Tbsp olive oil

For the Dressing

4 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp sun-dried tomato paste

1 Tbsp lemon juice

For the Garnish

2 Tbsp toasted pine nuts

Torn basil leaves

Verdict: I need to do this delicious and healthy dish one more time, if nothing else for a better shot!

Braised Purple Cabbage - No word in English rhymes with purple

I read on the internet that no word in English rhymes with purple. How can that be true? I had thought every word had its corresponding rhyming word/s. Circle? Riddle? Cradle? Title?

In the context of food, purple food is a good thing. The purple cabbage is a highly nutritious vegetable, full of Vitamins C and A. It can be eaten raw or added to a coleslaw - did I just form a culinary rhyme?

Here's another easy peasy recipe for you to try as a side dish. This 5-minute quick braise is one easy way to cook the cabbage if you don't like it raw.

Recipe adapted from Food Wishes


Ingredient (serves 2-3 as a side dish)
- 2 Tbsp duck fat or olive oil or butter
- Half a cabbage head
- 1/4 cup red wine (optional)
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar (optional, and only if you like a tangy taste)
- 1 Tbsp honey or a handful of raisins, if you like it sweet (healthier replacement to sugar)
- 1 cup of stock or water
- Salt and pepper to taste

Method
1. In a heated pan, add oil, then add shredded cabbage. Stir till cabbage is slightly soft.
2. Add liquids and allow to simmer for a few minutes.
3. Add raisins or honey if you like a sweeter taste.
4. Add salt and pepper, taste and adjust.
5. Cook till it reaches the softness you like. Done.

Cut a V-shape to remove the core

Slice into ribbons. Size is not important, just make sure they
are of the same size so they cook evenly

Don't they look pretty?

I used duck fat, but you can use butter or olive oil

Raisin is a healthier replacement to sugar

Colour turns darker when cooked

Avocado, Orange and Almond Salad - easy peasy lemon squeezy

It's vegan Thursday with the girls again. Last week's Ratatouille was a hit. Today's will be simple and pretty. A plate of sunshine. Here are the ingredients I used:

2 oranges
2 tomatoes
1 avocado
3-4 Tbsp EVOO
1-2 Tbsp lemon juice
1-2 sprigs spring onion or 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Pomegranate
Black pitted olives
1 yellow onion, cut into rings
1 shallot, chopped
Salt and ground pepper
Handful of roasted almond flakes

Am packing it out to lunch and will add the almond flakes later. Looking forward  to girlie conversations.

Prawn Mango Salad

My portioning and plating as presented to Chef in today's lesson.
He said it's good but that the greens can be given a bit more height.

We learned the importance of portioning and plating today and heard anecdotes of 5-star hotel kitchen nightmares when they don't get the portioning right. Today's dish is Prawn Mango Salad with Avocado, all my favourite ingredients, yum! The recipe is at the bottom of this post. 

Chef critiqued on everyone's plating - it was interesting to hear his professional views
since plating can be rather subjective.

I have my clear likes and dislikes of the plates displayed but the views of an Extra Virgin Chef do not count now.

Eli had the most unique creation - he made a pineapple shape out of the ingredients. His Middle Eastern sense of aesthetics makes me laugh. 

Plus cubing the ingredients made them look rather delish to me too! I like to think Eli's is funny and mine aspires to be more elegant. We will be assessed on this dish in the practical exams next week. 

Recipe
Serves 2

200g prawns, deveined

1 ripe Thai sweet mango

Half avocado

Half red onion, small dices

10g coriander roots (not the leaves. Chef said many people unwittingly throw the roots away not realising its high nutrients.) Update: I have since added a picture of this - see below.

50g mixed greens (rockets, baby spinach, etc..)

Dressing:

75ml olive oil

Juice of one lime

Dash of wasabi to taste

1/2 tsp honey

Salt to taste

Method

Season prawns with salt and steam for 7 minutes (you can also blanch)

Remove prawn shell and cut into dices saving some prawn for garnish

For the dressing, mix well olive oil, lime juice, wasabi, honey and salt. Chill it.

Save ingredients for garnish.

Peel mango and cut lengthways, finely slice

Cut avocados in half and remove seed.

Use a table spoon to scoop the avocado and slice lengthwise

Cut onion into small dices

Finely cut coriander roots

Toss all ingredients in the bowl and adjust the seasoning

Chill the bowls for service.

Portion and plate the salad

Take out the service bowl and give a base with the greens

Portion the salad correctly into 2

Arrange the salad on the greens

Garnish with the ingredients that are saved for the purpose

Serve chilled

Verdict: Easy, nutritious, tasty. Just make sure to use only fresh greens. 

Use coriander roots for this recipe.