Duck Tales (woo-ooo!)

The Alton Brown educational experiment continues.

Chapter 1: Searing

I am completely loving Brown's I Just Came Here for the Food because I am learning a lot, but also gaining a healthy dose of confidence (which I am finding is a critical ingredient to this whole cooking thing). Chapter 1 of the book is about searing, which, being a meat lover, I feel that I know a good deal about. Heck, before Kel and I moved into our home and got a grill my favorite way to cook a steak was a quick sear on the stove top and finish it in the oven for that perfect medium rare. I was almost to the point of skipping on to Chapter 2 (yes, I was overly cocky) until a recipe that caught my eye: Cast-iron seared duck.

I figured that it was time to challenge myself, time to take the bull by the horns (the duck by the feathers?) and try something I have 1. never cooked and 2. never eaten before. Let's do this!

So off to the West Side Market we go. 90 minutes later we leave with duck breasts, acorn squash, and some apple cider (along with other WSM essentials like a beautiful skirt steak and some Chinese Five Spice). The feeling I had leaving the market was sublime- I can't remember the last time I was so excited to cook something that was new to me. I knew that this was step one of my culinary education and I couldn't wait to get it started.

I was ready to cook. I had read the recipe for the duck and the side dish (apple cider roasted acorn squash) about 100 times so I knew them both backwards and forwards. Kelly has always told me that this was essential, but it wasn't until I read it in Alton's book that I took it to heart (sorry about the Kel). I figured out the timing of the dishes so they would both be done around the same time, I made sure the mise en plas was done before I started any cooking, and I checked the recipes one more time to make sure there would be no curve balls. I had never been so prepared for a meal in my life and that showed in the and product. Sure the squash cooked a little faster than what the recipe said, sure the hot skillet shot even hotter oil on my hand, and maybe a doubted myself for a brief moment before Kelly cut into the duck- but I never lost composure and I never once thought that we would be ordering pizza that night.

In the end we had a lovely meal - local duck, local squash (recipe found here), even the wine we drank was from a local winery. I thoroughly enjoyed the duck - oh my god is that crispy skin the best - and can't wait to make it again.

Maybe this halfway gourmet is taking a step closer to not-so-halfway. Only time, and a few more cooking adventures, will tell.