Duck and Porcini Stuffing
For Braised Duck Legs:
4 Each Duck Legs, washed and patted dry (Chicken legs can be
used if duck is not available)
Sea Salt and Pepper
1 Ounce Dried porcini
2 Cups Beer* (Dubbel)
1 Each large Carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 Each Yellow Onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 Each Celery Stalk, coarsely chopped
½ Each Leek, white part only, washed and coarsely chopped
4 Each Garlic Cloves, peeled and chopped
4 Each Thyme Sprigs, fresh, leaves removed
2 Each Bay Leaves
1 Each Orange, just Zest of
3 Cups Chicken Stock, preferably homemade
Sea Salt and Pepper
To Complete Stuffing:
1 Each Artisanal Bread Round (I used a Pumpkin Seed Sourdough),
Cubed
4 TBSP Butter, unsalted
1 Each Yellow Onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 Each Celery Stalk, coarsely chopped
½ Each Leek, white part only, washed and coarsely chopped
4 Each Garlic Cloves, peeled and chopped
4 Each Thyme Sprigs, fresh, leaves removed
1 Bunch Sage, fresh, chopped
Duck meat and braising liquid
Beer Soaked Mushrooms
Sea Salt and Pepper
Preheat an oven to 300° F
Directions:
Heat your choice of beer in a separate sauce pan and add porcini mushrooms and let sit for 10 minutes, to re-hydrate the shrooms.
Under cold water, rinse off the duck legs (check your local Asian Market for duck legs) and pat dry with paper towels. Season each with salt and pepper. Over medium heat, heat a 6-8 quart oven proof sauté or dutch oven pan for 3 minutes. Add duck legs, making sure that they are not touching. Cook for 3 minutes on each side, or until evenly browned. Remove from pat and set aside in a bowl or on a plate.
Add onion, celery, leek, garlic and thyme to the same pan, seasoning with salt and pepper; using the duck fat that has rendered from the duck legs. Keep heat at medium and stir occasionally for 6-8 minutes or onions are transparent. Deglaze the pan with most of the beer (some dirt might be in the bottom of the pan, like yeast in a bottle and leave it behind) and save the mushrooms for the stuffing. Add bay leaves and chicken stock, cooked duck and juices from cooking. Bring to a simmer, cover with lid or aluminum foil and place in center of the oven for 3-4 hours or the duck is fork tender.
While the duck is cooking; prepare the remaining stuffing ingredients. Cube the bread of your choice and place into a large bowl.
In another sauté pan over medium heat, add butter and melt. Add onions, celery, leeks and garlic and cook for 6-8 minutes. Remove from pan and add to the bread bowl. Add mushrooms, thyme and sage.
Remove the pan from the oven, removing the duck legs. Strain the sauce into the bread bowl. Take the duck legs and remove all the meat from the bones. Shred this meat into bit size pieces and add to the bread bowl. Stir to combine and check moisture of the mixture. The stuffing should be moist, not wet. If needed add more stock or beer to reach this consistence. Check for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if needed.
Take a rectangle casserole pan, and rub the inside with butter. Add the stuffing mix evenly and bake in 350° oven for 30-45 minutes or golden brown on top.
Enjoy.
*For the beer choice, I would recommend a brew that is more malty than hoppy, such as a Dubbel, Grand Cru, German Bock, Brown Ale, ESB, or stout. Think of the rich flavor of the duck, the earthiness of the mushrooms in this dish, use a beer that will bring out those flavors.
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Beer Brined Chicken
This recipe can be doubled and used for a turkey.
Ingredients:
2 Quarts Beer*
2 Quarts Water or ice
1 Cup Kosher Salt
½ Cup Sugar
4 Each Bay Leaves
1 Bunch Thyme, fresh
1 Each Yellow Onion, peeled and chopped
1 Each Lemon, quartered
4 Each Garlic Cloves, peeled and sliced
Directions:
Option 1: If you have planned ahead, this option will give you more flavors. In a large pot, add beer, salt, sugar, bay leaves, thyme, onion, lemon and garlic. Bring to a simmer for 10 minutes and remove from heat. Add the remaining ice; it will help cool the brine solution. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until brine is well chilled. Use either a large 2 gallon container or 2 gallon Ziplock bag and add the chicken or turkey, then top off with the brine. Place in the refrigerator or in an iced cooler for 12-24 hours. Remove the chicken from the brine, rinse well, pat dry and let rest while the over is preheating to 475° (For Chicken) or 375° (For Turkey). Place bird on a roasting rack or large sauté pan and roast until the internal temperature is 160°, about 45 minutes for a chicken. Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes before carving.
Option 2: In a large container or 2 gallon size Ziplock bag, add all the ingredients (water instead of ice) except the chicken or turkey; mix well. Add the chicken or turkey to the bag. Place in the refrigerator or in an iced cooler for 12-24 hours. Remove the chicken from the brine, rinse well, pat dry and let rest while the over is preheating to 475° (For Chicken) or 375° (For Turkey). Place bird on a roasting rack or large sauté pan and roast until the internal temperature is 160°, about 45 minutes for a chicken. Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes before carving.
Option 3: Follow either option 1 or 2. Instead of using an oven, use a smoker and keep the temperature at 250° until the internal temp is 160°. For wood chips, I would recommend Apple, Pecan or Cherry wood chips soaked for 30 minutes in the same beer you used in the brine.
* For Beer, My suggestions are: Oktoberfest, Hefeweizen, Bock, Pale Ale, or Brown Ale. You may use a Stout or Porter if you wish, just cut the brine time to 6 hours or the bird will just taste like a Stout or Porter.
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Vanilla Bean Beer Infused Pot de Crème
Ingredients:
4 Cups Heavy Cream
1 ½ Cup Beer*, reduced to 3 Tablespoons
½ Cup Sugar
2 Each Vanilla Bean, split length wise
6 Each Egg Yolks, Large
8 Each 6 Ounce Ramekins
Directions:
In a medium size pan, add cream, sugar and vanilla bean(use the tip of your knife to cut open the bean, use the edge of your knife to scrap out the seeds) over medium heat. Bring mixture slowly to a simmer and remove from heat, covering with a lid. Let mixture steep for at least 1 hour. This will allow the cream to be fully infused with the vanilla bean.
While the cream is infusing, in another pan, add your beer of choice. Over medium low, slowly reduce your beer to a light syrup consistency. Be sure to watch the beer, as in the beginning it may boil over. If you speed this process, you can scorch the beer. Once beer has been reduced to 3 tablespoons, remover from the heat.
Once the cream mixture has steeped for an hour and the beer has been reduced, this is where the fun begins. One tablespoon at a time, add some of the beer deduction to the cream mixture. Mix well and taste. Keep adding the beer until you get a flavor you like. Remember, if you add too much, you’ve added too much. Always error on the not enough. If you do add too much, the flavor will be very strong. You are looking for a balance in flavor. Since I’m not sure what beer style you are using, results will vary. If you do add too much, you can always double the recipe.
Remove the vanilla beans (rinse them under warm water, pat dry and place them in your sugar container. They will flavor your sugar) from the mixture. In a separate bowl, whish your egg yolks until they are a pale yellow. Add a few ounces of the cream mixture to the egg yolks to temper them; repeat this two or three times, or until all of the cream mixture is added to the egg mixture. Pour mixture into a pitcher, cover, and refrigerate overnight, or continue with recipe.
Preheat oven to 300°
Carefully pour the mixture into each ramekin; if there are any air bubbles, use a toothpick to pop them. Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap. Place them in a large casserole pan and fill with enough warm water to cover the ramekins by two thirds and then move to the center of the oven. Bake the pot de crèmes for 45-55 minutes, depending if you refrigerated them or not. Remove from the oven when the mixture has slightly set. Remove the ramekins from the water bath and cool. Place cooled ramekins in the refrigerator for 12 hours to set, or until you can’t wait any longer to try them.
Enjoy.
* For beer, I’d suggest a few favorites: Belgian Tripel, Grand Cru, Kriek, Framboise, or Rochefort 10. You may also want to experiment with a Russian Imperial Stout, Holiday Spiced Beer, Fruit Beer or even a DFH 120 Min. IPA for those hopheads.
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