Duck Season!

I am not a hunter. Well, not an animal hunter. But I do love a nice walk in the woods. Sadly, this time of year, just as the ticks are disappearing, the hunters take over the woods in large numbers. I don't begrudge them their opportunity to display their place on the food chain. I just wish it wouldn't mean it wasn't safe for non-hunters to stroll amongst the bracken.

Last week I was thrilled to be able to serve the coral mushrooms. I had never had them before and only twice had eaten wild harvested mushrooms of any kind. Those others were chanterelles and morels. For a girl who has lived in many places but never one where we foraged from the woods, this was thrilling. I can't wait to see what else we might find via foraging.  I was even able to add some sumac seeds for seasoning. I have driven by tons of sumac for years with the intention of stopping to grab a cluster or two and try it out. Sumac is a spice that is used in many middle-eastern recipes. It has a somewhat citrus-y edge to it. I just let the seeds dry out on the shelf above my stove, separated the seeds from the stems and crushed them with a mortal and pestle. I used them in the mushrooms we topped the tilapia with last week. BTW—I have heard that there are no poisonous sumacs in Missouri. They have a totally different shape to the flower head than the ones we see here, roadside.

Two weeks ago I told you I had bought a case of duck. That amounts to 6 whole Peking ducks. Fortunately they came minus heads and feet. I'll never forget walking the streets of Toronto and San Francisco and seeing the smoked Peking ducks hanging in the shop windows—with heads and feet. Over the weekend I butchered the ducks, separating out the wings; legs and thighs; breasts, backs and necks; and giblets.  I took any skin that was unconnected to other parts and rendered it down. That means I cooked it in a pan until the fat melted away from the skin. This left cracklings—crispy skins, that I lightly salted and quickly devoured after sharing a bit with Rick. The rendered duck fat is considered one of the delicacies of the food world. While extremely tasty, it is considered a healthy fat. It is used to cook duck confit—pronounced cohn fee'. Duck confit is a dish where duck is cooked at a very low temperature (180 F degrees) in its own fat for several hours. The meat is slowly brought up to a cooked temperature and the resulting cooked meat simply melts in your mouth. We'll use it to make duck tacos at lunch on Wednesday. Served with shredded red cabbage, chipotle cherry salsa and crumbled goat cheese.

The breasts are cooked entirely differently. It is unusual in that it has a red meat—like beef. They, too, have a fat-laden skin that crisps up nicely in the pan. Unlike other parts of the duck, the breast is quite tender and is usually only cooked to a medium rare. It'll be accompanied by L'orange sauce, whipped sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli. We only have 12 breasts to go the whole week. I'll begin serving them on Tuesday evening and they are only available by reservation, dinner only. If you want me to save you a portion, you'll need to call in and have me put your name on it. They will go for $18 each.

I usually only serve one seafood entrée during the week as a special for dinner, but I am changing it up a bit this week. Tuesday and Wednesday I'll serve a crawfish gumbo over rice. I'll use a traditional gumbo recipe that begins with a slow roux—flour and oil cooked together and stirred over a low flame until it gets to a caramel color. This can take half an hour in itself. We'll add in some sausage, okra, garlic and the Cajun holy trinity—onions, celery and bell peppers. It'll be kicky without being overwhelmingly spicy. If you like creole or cajun you'll be in gumbo heaven. Served with a side salad and fried okra. $10.99

Thursday and Friday nights I have fresh Prince Edward Island mussels. I love steaming them in a garlic-infused wine broth and serving them in a bowl with rice and their own juices. I have 10 pounds coming in. Again—calling in a reservation to save you a portion would be brilliant. As with most meals we serve at dinner, you'll get a soup or salad plus a side of stir-fried late season veggies. $17

If you were looking for the sashimi tuna this week, I put it off until next week, probably. Several people had asked me not to have both the duck and the tuna the same week. I listened.

Music this week—Vinnie Ray  and Thom Hoglen will be playing jazz violin and guitar this week. They are a really nicely tight group that play superb jazz. You may have heard them a couple of weeks ago. The music is loud enough to get your attention but not overwhelming. If you wish to have private conversations during the music, ask to sit in Annex. The main dining room is by reservation. If you miss them this week, catch them next week, as well.

Now onto that lunch menu—

Tuesday~ keeping it simple. The new Equinox salad will be featured and the price chopped 50 cents. This new salad will be around until late December. I begin with a bed of spinach and arugula. Then I add in feta, apple, pear, pomegranate, red onion, almonds, wood-fired chicken and bacon. The dressing is a hot bacon dressing. Usually $6.99; Tuesday $6.49

Wednesday~ Duck confit tacos. You'll get 2 wrapped in either mandarin pancakes or flour tortillas. We'll add a touch of  chipotle cherry salsa/sauce, shredded red cabbage and crumbled goat cheese. Served with choice of side. $8.00

Thursday~ Coral mushroom and poached chicken crepes. I love the very delicate flavor of the coral mushrooms. I don't wish to overwhelm the flavor of the mushrooms with a smoked chicken, so I am going with poached to keep it mild. We'll use fresh thyme, tarragon and parsley and oregano from the garden. As mushrooms have a slightly woody undertone in their flavor, I am composing the herbs to solidify that base then adding a touch of dill as a topnote. This is done much the same way as perfumes are made. You may not have noticed but layering of flavors is one of the skills of a good cook. It is the nuances of flavor and scent that tantalize the palate. I'll serve this with a side of fresh butternut squash sauteed with garlic and sage. $7.50

Friday~ Seafood chowder. I have some lovely red snapper, mixed shellfish, and clams that we can combine to make a hearty stew. We'll serve this with a crusty bread and side salad. $8.00

Soups this week~

I'll start out with a classic chicken noodle we make from scratch. Lots of garlic, cooked down onions, celery, egg noodles. Yum. Simple. It'll help to clear your head from the allergies rampant right now. Later in the week we'll switch to a roasted root veggie soup—made with sweet potatoes, parsnips, turnips, onions, garlic, winter squash, rutabaga, beets. Man, I am loving this cooler weather!

That's it for now. I hope you have a lovely week and that we get to see you more than once.

~~Susan