Hot-Smoked Duck Ham

I never thought duck ham could be so delicious. I bought a whole duck which I was going to grill Peking-style but it got very cold outside at 30°F last Saturday. I didn't want to look ridiculous grilling while wearing a winter jacket so I abandoned the idea of Peking duck as it is a very involved process if cooked in a regular oven. I started to debone the bird but stopped to check for duck preparations in CHARCUTERIE by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn. Hot-smoked duck ham instantly caught my attention. It takes 2 to 3 days to prepare but it's worth all the work. The ham is flavorful, tender, and the sweetish salty fat deliciously melts in the mouth. If it's a little bit drier, it's almost like prosciutto or Spanish jamon Serrano. I'll see if I can find already boned duck breasts at the stores and will definitely make again for the coming holiday.

If you are planning to smoke the ham indoors in the oven you can use 2 large disposable aluminum roasting pans, one smaller aluminum pan to catch the drippings, a metal rack, and strips of aluminum foil. Soak 1 cup of hickory chips in water for 30 minutes and place them on both sides of one of the pans, then place the small aluminum pan in the middle, place the rack on top of the small pan, then lay the duck breasts on the metal rack. Cover with the second roasting pan, covering the sides where the pans join with strips of aluminum foil. If you have a kettle smoker, set the temperature to 180° F.

Hot-Smoked Duck Ham
adapted from CHARCUTERIE by Michael Ruhlman

brine
2 quarts water
¾ cup kosher salt
¼ cup sugar
4 teaspoons pink salt
½ cup maple syrup
½ cup Madeira
1 bunch fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon juniper berries
1 tablespoon chopped sage

duck
6 boneless Long Island duck breasts, skin on

• Brine: Combine all the ingredients in a large pot. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until completely chilled.
• Duck: Add to the chilled brine and weight down with a plate. Refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours. Rinse the breasts under cold water and pat them dry. Refrigerate them on a rack set over a small baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or up to 24 hours.
  
• Hot-smoke: Preheat the oven to 180 or 200°F and cook the breasts for 2½ hours or until internal temperature registers 160°F. Refrigerate until chilled.

the most delicious breakfast I ever had: smoked duck ham, scrambled eggs, sweet rolls and sour cherry preserves, and espresso coffee

Pork Menudo Pie

I suddenly was craving for savory pie earlier today. I have pie dough already divided into very small disks in the refrigerator and with some leftover pork menudo, I baked a few small pies. Pork menudo and buttery crust, it's so good!

Pork Menudo
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1½ pounds pork, diced into ¼ inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 teaspoons sea salt
ground black pepper
1 large tomato, diced
1 cup water or chicken broth
1 large potato, diced into ¼ inch pieces
½ cup diced pork liver, sauteed in 1 teaspoon oil, optional
1 cup frozen green peas

• In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil, add garlic and onion, stir fry for 2 minutes. Add red bell pepper, and pork. Stir fry for 3 minutes. Add tomato, salt, black pepper, and water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add potatoes, simmer for 5 minutes. Mixture should be thick and saucy. Add cooked pork liver, if using, and peas and cook 2 minutes until peas are heated through. Serve with rice, in pan de sal. Or bake them in flaky pie shells.
  

Red Anjou Pear Tart

Pears are not a favorite of mine but once in a while when I see a really interesting recipe using red anjou or Starkrimson pears I get easily seduced. It is hard to resist this pear tart and I have to admit I have fallen head over heels in love after one bite. The tart has the right amount of sweetness, the spices are not overwhelming, and the tender but not mushy pears are not gritty at all. What a wonderful fall dessert and just perfect for this year's Thanksgiving dinner.

Red Anjou Pear Tart
adapted from Vanilla-spiced Caramel and Pear Tart
November 2010 issue of bon appétit

crust
1 pound puff pastry, store-bought or homemade

pears
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 whole star anise

3 whole cloves

pinch of coarse kosher salt

half of a vanilla bean, split lengthwise

6 medium firm but ripe red Anjou pears, peeled, halved lengthwise, cored

filling
¼ cup unsalted butter

half of a cinnamon stick, broken in half

2 whole star anise

6 whole cloves
half of a vanilla bean, split lengthwise in half

4 tablespoons sugar

1 large egg

a pinch of coarse kosher salt

1 ½ tablespoons all purpose flour

1 egg white, beaten

• Crust: Roll out pastry into a 12-inch round. Transfer pastry to a 10-inch springform pan, pressing pastry firmly onto bottom and 1 ½ inches up sides of pan. Cover with plastic film and freeze crust until firm, about 2 hours, or leave in the freezer overnight until ready to bake.
• Pears: Melt butter in heavy large skillet over low heat. Add sugar, spices, and salt. Scrape the seeds from vanilla bean; add bean and seeds to the skillet. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring until sugar melts and turns brown, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; add pears, rounded side down. Cook until pears are almost tender, turning and moving skillet around occasionally for even cooking, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on ripeness of pears. With a rubber spatula, carefully turn pears over and continue to cook until pears are very tender, about 10 minutes longer. Remove skillet from heat. Let the pears cool in skillet with the spices.
• Filling: Melt butter in small saucepan over low heat. Scrape seeds and add to the skillet along with the bean. Add cinnamon, star anise, and cloves. Increase heat to medium; cook until butter is golden, about 3 minutes. Remove vanilla bean and spices from butter; discard. Whisk sugar, salt, and egg together in a medium bowl then whisk in flour. Gradually whisk in the browned butter into egg mixture.
• Bake the tart: Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 400°F. Brush frozen crust with beaten egg white. Pour filling into crust; spread evenly over bottom of crust. Using a slotted spatula, remove pears from skillet, allowing excess syrup to drain back into skillet; reserve syrup. Arrange pears, rounded side up, atop filling. Bake for 1 hour or until crust is deep golden and filling is set and brown at the edges. Run a small knife around sides of pan to loosen the tart. Release pan sides. Transfer tart to a platter and let stand uncovered for a few minutes to cool slightly.
• To serve: Just before serving, boil syrup in skillet until reduced to about 1/3 cup, 1 to 2 minutes. Discard spices. Drizzle syrup over pears. Serve tart slightly warm.

Crusty Pandesal

hamdesal, ham and egg sandwich on crusty but soft pandesal

sausage Mcpandesal with egg and cheese

The recipe for these crusty but soft pandesal buns is adapted from the hamburger bun recipe in ADVANCED BREAD AND PASTRY by Michel Suas. It has a 12-hour pre-ferment which I thought would make the pandesal more flavorful. And they are specially with brown sugar glazed ham and moist omelet or breakfast sausage patties, egg, and a slice of sharp cheddar cheese.

Crusty Pandesal
adapted from Hamburger Buns
ADVANCED BREAD AND PASTRY by Michel Suas

sponge
4½ ounces bread flour
2 ¾ ounces water
1/8 teaspoon instant yeast

• Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until well incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to ferment at room temperature (65 to 70°F) for 12 hours.

final dough
13 ¼ ounces unbleached all-purpose flour
8 ½ ounces water
1 1/8 teaspoons instant yeast
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 ½ tablespoons sugar
1 ½ ounces soft butter
¼ cup milk powder
sponge
very fine bread crumbs

• In the bowl of a standing mixer with the dough hook attachment, mix all the ingredients except bread crumbs on low until fully incorporated. Increase the speed to medium and knead for 5 to 6 minutes until a soft smooth dough forms.
  
• Transfer into a container, cover with plastic wrap and let ferment on the kitchen counter for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
  
• Knead lightly then divide and scale to 2 ounces. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes. Shape into ovals and flatten slightly. Dredge in bread crumbs and place on sheet pans 2 inches apart. Cover with plastic wrap, put the pans in food grade plastic bags to proof for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
  
• Bake in a preheated 400°F oven for 10 minutes, lower the heat to 375°F and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until golden. Let cool on wire racks.