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00:04Cook's Country is about more than just getting dinner on the table.
00:09We're also fascinated by the people and stories behind the dishes.
00:14We go inside kitchens in every corner of the country to learn how real people cook.
00:20And we look back through time to see how history influences the way we eat today.
00:25We bring that inspiration back to our test kitchen so we can share it with you.
00:31This is Cook's Country.
00:37Today on Cook's Country, Brian and I make slow roasted ducks with blackberry sauce.
00:43Jack shares tips for making a tinned fish board.
00:47And Lawman makes a vegetarian bean bourguignon.
00:50That's all right here on Cook's Country.
00:58We'll see you next time.
01:02During the holidays and on special occasions, some of us enjoy roast turkey and others really
01:08love baked ham.
01:09But Brian loves duck.
01:11I love duck so much.
01:13It's kind of like, you know, you could use every part of the pig.
01:15Duck is the same way.
01:16There's so much fat on this thing.
01:18You know, all the parts could be used in various ways.
01:21First things first, when you're going to roast the duck, you need to start with the trimming.
01:24There's a tremendous amount of fat on this.
01:26So even right inside here, you have this fat that you could just pull off.
01:31Okay, so we'll trim all this off.
01:33This little Pope's nose, the little tail of the duck, we're going to take that off as well.
01:38Okay, this is all the neck skin.
01:40We're going to take that off.
01:42So at this point, whenever you start to see the breast meat poke through or just shy of that,
01:47that's enough on that side.
01:48Over here, I want to get any of the stuff that's hanging over the cavity.
01:52Okay.
01:53So we'll do the same with the second.
01:56So once we've removed enough skin here, we're going to trim the wing flats and the wing tips off.
02:02Because what happens in the oven, these pieces would just tend to dry out and become leathery.
02:06It doesn't look as nice.
02:07So you can take these off.
02:09Just kind of wiggle a little bit to find the bone, the joint there.
02:16Just kind of pop right through it.
02:17And that'll be good for a stock pot.
02:20And again, the same on the other side.
02:23So we can move our ducks over to a wire rack here.
02:28And now we're going to salt them.
02:29We want to season the inside of each duck with two teaspoons of kosher salt.
02:35And now the exterior of each duck, we're going to hit with five teaspoons of kosher salt.
02:41All right, so the ducks are well salted.
02:42Now the next thing is we're going to throw these in the refrigerator uncovered.
02:46So the skin gets a little bit dry and some of that moisture evaporates out of the duck.
02:50We'll leave them in the fridge for 24 or up to 48 hours.
02:53But I'm going to wash my hands first.
02:55All right, Tony.
02:55So our ducks have been salted for a good 24 hours.
02:59And now before we start tying them up and putting them in the roasting pan,
03:02we want to make a basting sauce.
03:03So we're going to combine one quart of water with half a cup of soy sauce and a quarter cup
03:10of honey.
03:11We're going to pour this over top of the ducks before they go into the oven.
03:14And this is going to encourage browning and help tighten the skin.
03:18Turn this to high heat and let it come to a quick boil.
03:22Once it comes to a boil, we'll shut it off and apply it to the ducks.
03:25But before we could do that, we need to stuff our ducks.
03:27And we're going to stuff them with oranges.
03:28And this is not to encourage flavor, but is to help the duck keep its shape.
03:33Whenever you buy these ducks, sometimes they come with the carcass a little bit more smushed than the others.
03:37So the orange is kind of the great equalizer in helping the duck maintain its shape during cooking.
03:42So each duck gets an orange that's been cut in half.
03:46And now we'll spin this around.
03:48We're just going to tie these legs together, put the string underneath both the legs,
03:52and then I wrap it twice and then cinch it together.
03:56Okay, I want to trim the excess.
03:58Now we can transfer our ducks to our roasting V-rack here.
04:02So we're going to put the ducks facing opposite directions.
04:05If we were to put the ducks facing the same direction, you see how close these thighs come to each
04:09other?
04:09They're not going to cook at the same rate because they're so close and the heat can't pass through them
04:13as these exterior thighs.
04:15So we're going to flip them around so each of these thighs gets a little bit more heat in the
04:20oven as they cook.
04:21All right, so our soy honey water mixture is coming to a boil.
04:26Just kind of whisk that to make sure it's fully combined.
04:28And now we're just going to ladle this over top.
04:33We're borrowing the concept from Peking duck.
04:36The hot liquid is poured over top.
04:38What it does is it tightens the skin up and so it makes it more round and like taut.
04:42So the heat of the oven really kind of cooks it at a nice even rate.
04:46You know, you don't get a lot of these peaks and valleys on the skin.
04:49We also have honey in here and soy sauce, which we're both going to encourage a lot of browning.
04:54So this seems like it's a good amount of liquid to pour over top, but there is a third reason
05:00why we're using so much.
05:02As these ducks start to cook in the oven, they're going to cook for over three hours at 300 degrees.
05:07And then they're going to get blasted right at the end.
05:09And if we didn't have any liquid in the bottom of the pan, all that duck fat would drip into
05:13the bottom of the pan
05:14and just cause a whole lot of smoking in your kitchen.
05:16So this will catch all that fat that's dripping off and prevent that smoking.
05:21Multi-purpose.
05:23So we're going to throw these ducks into a 300 degree oven.
05:25I've adjusted the rack to the lower middle position.
05:28And we're going to let them go for three and a quarter to three and a half hours until
05:32this leg thigh joint hits 190 to 195 degrees.
05:39All right, Tony.
05:40Oh my, look at those.
05:43That was wonderful too.
05:44Do you mind closing that oven door for me?
05:47I got you.
05:47And cranking the oven up to 450 degrees.
05:50Okay.
05:51Gotcha.
05:52So we're looking for 190 to 195 degrees in this leg thigh joint.
06:00We're at 191, so that's perfect.
06:02So that means that our leg thigh joints are nicely cooked and they're going to be tender,
06:07you know, rather than tough and chewy.
06:09All right, our oven is up to 450 degrees.
06:11And we're going to throw these ducks back in there.
06:13And that high temperature is really going to encourage the browning on the skin.
06:17So we'll let that go for 10 to 25 minutes.
06:25Okay.
06:26So while the duck finishes cooking, we're going to work on our sauce.
06:30And we're going to do a blackberry sauce.
06:33So fruit and duck are great partners together.
06:35So we're going to add three cups of blackberries to our saucepan here.
06:41Three quarters of a cup of honey.
06:44And then three quarters of a cup of sherry vinegar.
06:47This has a really nice tart, oaky flavor to it.
06:51Three sprigs of thyme.
06:53A quarter teaspoon of black pepper.
06:55And eighth of a teaspoon of kosher salt.
06:58All right, so we're going to turn this on to medium high.
07:01And we'll just give that a little stir to combine.
07:04As this cooks, you know, the blackberries will naturally start to break down.
07:07But we're going to encourage them along by mashing with a potato masher.
07:10And what we're looking for at the end of the day is a temperature between 218 and 220 degrees.
07:15Because at that temperature, this liquid will remain syrupy, even once it's cooled.
07:19So that'll take about 15 to 20 minutes.
07:21All right, Tony.
07:22So we're just going to encourage those berries to mash.
07:25By doing this, we're helping thicken the sauce a little bit.
07:29I've still got another 10 minutes or so to go.
07:33But I think the ducks are actually ready.
07:35So let's go take a look.
07:36All right.
07:39Oh, wow.
07:40Wow.
07:42Those are gorgeous.
07:44They are gorgeous.
07:45And they smell amazing.
07:47Tony, look what you did.
07:49They're amazing.
07:50Those are so gorgeous.
07:52Gorgeous.
07:53Almost shellacked.
07:54Yeah.
07:55The skin is nice and tight.
07:56Very, very well bronzed.
07:58It's looking gorgeous.
07:59These are going to need to rest for another 45 minutes.
08:02And during that time, we can finish up our sauce.
08:04Okay, let's do it.
08:06All right, Tony.
08:07Our sauce has been cooking for about 20 minutes.
08:10We're at 219 degrees, which ensures that we're going to have a nice syrupy consistency
08:14once it's strained.
08:16So cut the heat off and we'll pass it through a fine mesh strainer here.
08:22All right, so our sauce is all set.
08:24We'll add a half teaspoon of sherry vinegar to our sauce, just to brighten it up a little bit at
08:29the
08:29end, stir that in.
08:30And we're going to let our sauce cool down to room temperature because as it cools,
08:33it'll start to thicken up to a nice saucy consistency, almost syrupy.
08:37So it'll coat the duck really nicely when we serve it.
08:39So let the duck finish resting for another few minutes and then come back, carve it and start eating.
08:44Sounds good to me.
08:45So it looks good, huh?
08:47Spectacular.
08:48Are you ready to start carving?
08:49We're going to first separate these legs.
08:52We're going to cut the string here.
08:53And now the way I like to do it is I like to first remove the leg thigh joint.
08:58So go through the skin right there and you just let your knife kind of just fall through it.
09:06And because this is cooked so well, you kind of just grab onto that thigh bone
09:13and just pop it out and sort of follow along there.
09:18Looks like you're just following right along the body, right?
09:22Yeah, absolutely.
09:22You're not.
09:23Pull that off and we'll do the same on the second side.
09:27Then we're going to remove the drumettes.
09:31So again, just kind of use the weight of the bird.
09:33Pull it up a little bit.
09:34Make a small incision there.
09:36Expose the joint.
09:38Just go right through this leg thigh joint here.
09:43Put the thigh meat in there.
09:46Leggy.
09:48We're going to remove the breasts now.
09:50So you can see this little one that's going down here.
09:52We're going to cut on either side of that.
09:54And sometimes you want to kind of coax it out with your thumb.
09:56It looks so tender and juicy.
09:59And we're just going to cut each breast into four pieces.
10:02So we'll put the breast over there.
10:05So we'll do the second duck here.
10:07This last breast right here in the center.
10:10Perfect.
10:12Okay, we did it.
10:12The duck's broken down.
10:13Amazing.
10:14Ready to do it?
10:15I am.
10:16What can I tempt you with here?
10:17A little piece of breast, a little piece of leg or thigh?
10:20Yeah, a little piece of breast and a little piece of thigh.
10:22How about that?
10:22Okay.
10:24Mmm, thank you.
10:26And thigh for you.
10:29I'm going to give you a little bit of our blackberry sauce,
10:32which you see is nice and syrupy right now.
10:34I love that texture.
10:36Okay.
10:36All right.
10:37Go for the breast first.
10:38Okay.
10:39You can see the skin has rendered a good bit too.
10:42I do.
10:47It's so good.
10:48Oh my goodness.
10:49And that was before sauce.
10:52Right.
10:53Ready for sauce?
10:53Yeah.
10:55Oh, wow.
10:56Oh, just a contrast.
10:59I love that little tartness.
11:01It's amazing the way that the blackberry accompanies the duck, right?
11:04The tartness of the berries sort of pulls out that fatty, delicious lusciousness in the bird.
11:10It's really great.
11:11Yeah.
11:11And we have other sauce variations on our website.
11:13All right.
11:14And it feels so special occasion, right?
11:17It could just make your guests feel like you really went to an extra step for them.
11:22Yeah.
11:22You know, this recipe takes a little time, takes a little planning,
11:25but the steps aren't hard at all, you know, and the payoff is so amazing.
11:30Brian, this was amazing.
11:32You're very welcome.
11:33And if you would like to make these delicious ducks,
11:36salt two ducks, one to two days to dry out the skin.
11:39Coat with a soy sauce honey mixture and finish with a blast of heat.
11:43From Cook's Country, slow roasted ducks with blackberry sauce.
11:51I think this might be on my holiday table this year.
11:53It's definitely one of my new favorites.
12:00There are very few cases where preserving food for years makes it better.
12:04But in the case of tinned fish, I think that might be true.
12:08This all started with Napoleon who wanted to feed his armies and they developed technology,
12:13take lightly cooked seafood, put it in a can with some brine,
12:16seal it and put it under vacuum pressure to kill the microbes.
12:20And so I'm going to take you through the world of making a sea cuterie board.
12:25You see what I did there?
12:25Not charcuterie.
12:27And explain how I put together this board and think about the contrasting flavors.
12:31And then what I do with some of these things individually in my cooking.
12:34Now let's start with the basics, anchovies.
12:37And these are our two favorite brands, Mero and Ortiz.
12:41I love them.
12:42This is, you know, the bacon of the sea and it needs to be on my board.
12:46Other basics, tuna packed in olive oil.
12:48And I've got the Ortiz and the Tonino brands here.
12:51Again, these are our favorites in this kitchen.
12:53They have won our tastings.
12:55It needs to be packed in extra virgin olive oil.
12:58Next up in the front here, I've got mackerel and I've got trout.
13:02And any place that you could be using the tuna, you could be using mackerel or trout.
13:07Now over here, I've got sardines.
13:10Again, this is a classic choice.
13:12I love not only to put it on my board, but to put it with white wine and a little
13:17bit of butter
13:18and create a Sardinian pasta sauce with sardines.
13:21Oh, it's so wonderful and delicious.
13:24Now let's say we want to branch out.
13:25Those might be considered the basics.
13:27How about octopus in garlic sauce?
13:30And as you're thinking about these interesting additions, the kind of more unusual items,
13:35think about the texture of the seafood as well as what's the packing liquids.
13:38Now over here, I have these beautiful mussels.
13:40Look how gorgeous they are.
13:42Now these are in escabeche.
13:44That's a vinegar-based sauce, so it's really bright and puckery.
13:47Next to them, razor clams.
13:49Now these are just in brine.
13:51It's really nice and salty.
13:52They have this incredible chewy texture and really sort of complement some of the softer
13:57things that are on the table.
13:58And then up here, we've got pink salmon, and this is in extra virgin olive oil.
14:03Now you're thinking, okay, what are the vessels that we're going to be putting all this on?
14:07And you can go sort of classic, like we've got crostini here, but I love these Portuguese crackers.
14:13They're very plain, but they're sturdy and they're thin, and they allow the seafood to shine.
14:18And then if you want something a little unusual, potato chips are actually kind of a nice vehicle
14:23for some of the fish here on the table because they're salty and they're kind of fatty.
14:28Speaking of fatty, so it's nice to add some richness as well.
14:31And salted butter is surprisingly good with seafood.
14:35Or you can add these beautiful jammy eggs, again, to add a little bit of fat and richness
14:41if you're making a meal of this.
14:43Now you're going to need acidity because there's a lot of big flavors here and you're going to want
14:48to clean your palate.
14:49So cornichon, that's a favorite choice, just sliced in half.
14:53I love pickled jalapenos because they give me spice and acidity.
14:58Now you could go sort of classic, lemon is always a good choice.
15:02And then you need freshness because there's a lot of big flavors here and I want some grassiness.
15:08So watercress, fresh dill, we could have arugula, sliced radishes.
15:14Again, they give you a little heat as well as freshness.
15:16So there you have it. It started with Napoleon, but you can make it so much better at home.
15:28Cooking something in the style of bourgognon means braising it in red wine, often a Pinot Noir.
15:34Now beef bourgognon is a classic. It's finished with mushrooms and pearl onions.
15:39But today, Lama's going to show us an equally festive vegetarian version of beans bourgognon.
15:44That's right, Julia. We wanted a vegetarian version of the French classic that was good
15:49for our vegetarian friends and family for Thanksgiving, Friends-Given, for any celebratory holiday.
15:55I love it.
15:56So we're going to start with one and a half pounds of portobello mushroom caps.
16:00Okay. So portobello, that's a meaty mushroom.
16:02Exactly. They're nice and beefy. They're going to be great swap for the beef.
16:06So we already started prepping some of them, and we've cut them into one-inch pieces.
16:10We're keeping the ribs intact because they're going to help with the color and flavor of the stew.
16:18I'm just going to put those aside.
16:20And here I have a half ounce of porcini mushrooms that have been rinsed and patted dry.
16:25And we're just going to mince these up. This is going to add a nice concentrated, intense mushroom flavor.
16:31Mm-hmm.
16:32Now, adding to the heartiness of this dish, some dried Christmas limer beans.
16:37These are cool looking.
16:38They have like a, I guess a calico texture to them or a fudge ripple, if you will.
16:44I like the fudge ripple.
16:46They're very fun and festive.
16:47Mm-hmm.
16:47So here I have eight ounces of those beans that have been brined.
16:51To brine these beans, we mix two quarts of water with one and a half tablespoons of table salt.
16:55We put them in the brine for a minimum of eight hours up to 24 hours, and they sit at
17:00room temperature.
17:01Brining helps with even cooking, a creamier texture, and tender skins.
17:05So I have seven cups of water here.
17:08Just going to add the beans.
17:10So we're going to cook these beans separate from the rest of the stew.
17:13Because there's wine in the dish, it has a very acidic environment,
17:17and that acid causes the beans to cook slowly and unevenly.
17:20So this way, cooking it separately, we have total control of the beans,
17:24and we found that this is the best way for the best results.
17:27Okay.
17:27And we want to bring it up to a simmer over medium low heat.
17:31And we're only going to cover this part way.
17:34Since we're cooking it for 20 to 30 minutes, having it part way,
17:37the water's not going to bubble over, and it's not going to evaporate.
17:40Makes sense.
17:42It's been 20 minutes.
17:43It's time to check the beans.
17:44Mm-hmm.
17:45So what I'm going to do, fish one of them out,
17:48and I want to press it so that it gives a little bit, but doesn't smash all the way.
17:53To finish cooking, we're going to add one and a half teaspoons of table salt,
17:57and cover the pot off heat, and let it sit for 15 minutes.
18:01This is going to have the beans gradually finish cooking.
18:04Okay.
18:05Nice and gentle.
18:06All right, Julia, now it's time to cook the mushrooms.
18:08So we're going to start with a quarter cup of water,
18:12and two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
18:14So we're going to bring the heat up to medium high,
18:17and we want to get the water till it's simmering.
18:20And what's going to happen is the water is going to turn into steam.
18:22The steam, once we add the mushrooms, is going to have the mushrooms cook very quickly.
18:26Mm-hmm.
18:27They're going to release their water, collapse, and then the water is going to evaporate.
18:31All that mushroom juice is going to evaporate.
18:33And what's left is the oil, which is going to keep the mushrooms from sticking to the pot,
18:37and it's going to help brown the mushrooms, creating some nice flavorful fond.
18:41Wow, that's really clever.
18:44So now that it's come to a simmer, we're going to add our mushrooms,
18:48and half a teaspoon of table salt, and a quarter teaspoon of black pepper.
18:53Give it a good stir.
18:56Then we're going to put the lid on, create that steam, and it's going to go for about five minutes
19:02until the liquid releases and the mushrooms collapse.
19:06Okay.
19:07It's been five minutes.
19:08I'm eager to see what's under the lid.
19:10Wow.
19:11I'm just going to give it a stir.
19:13You see all the juice.
19:14Now we're going to let that cook off for about six to eight minutes.
19:17Okay.
19:18So, Julia, it's been six minutes, and the liquid is evaporated,
19:23and the pot is nice and dry.
19:24We have all that nice fond on the bottom.
19:26Mm-hmm.
19:26Now we're going to add two carrots that have been peeled and minced,
19:30and one large shallot that's been minced,
19:32two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
19:36I'm going to give it a stir.
19:38And we're going to cook this until the vegetables are just starting to brown,
19:42about three to four minutes.
19:45So the carrots and the shallots have browned.
19:48We're going to add our porcinis,
19:52four minced garlic cloves,
19:55two teaspoons of minced fresh thyme.
19:57I'm just going to stir that and cook this for about 30 seconds until it's fragrant.
20:02We're going to add three tablespoons of all-purpose flour.
20:05This is going to help thicken the stew.
20:07I'm going to cook that for about 30 seconds.
20:11Next, we're going to add some red wine.
20:13You can't have a bourguignon without the red wine.
20:15No, you can't.
20:16We're adding one cup.
20:17So this is going to help deglaze the pan,
20:20get all those nice flavorful brown bits incorporated into the rest of the ingredients.
20:24Now I'm going to add two tablespoons of white miso paste.
20:29And I have two tablespoons of soy sauce and one tablespoon of tomato paste.
20:35Now, this dish is not shy on flavor.
20:38And these particular ingredients are going to add that umami to this stew.
20:44So because we've developed all this flavor, normally in a stew like this,
20:48you would add some beef broth, chicken broth,
20:50or since this is a vegetarian dish, you'd add vegetable broth.
20:53Mm-hmm.
20:54But because we've developed all that flavor, I'm adding five cups of water.
20:58Nice.
21:00And last but not least, two bay leaves.
21:05We're going to bring this to a boil over high heat.
21:08We want the sauce to thicken and reduce to a consistency of heavy cream.
21:11That will take about 20 to 25 minutes.
21:14So it's been about 25 minutes. The sauce is thickened.
21:17Looks beautiful.
21:19Luxurious.
21:20Here are our perfectly cooked beans that we've drained.
21:24They're nice and tender.
21:25Oh, yeah.
21:26And I'm going to add them to the pot.
21:28We're also going to add one cup of thawed pearl onions.
21:32Mm-hmm.
21:33That's a classic addition to a bourguignon.
21:36And two tablespoons of red wine.
21:39Stir everything, make sure everything's incorporated.
21:42Now we're going to cover them and we want to cook this for another 15 minutes so that the onions
21:47and the beans can warm through and absorb all that great flavor that we've created.
21:52Okay.
21:53It's been 15 minutes.
21:57Oh, what a beautiful looking stew.
22:00Smells great.
22:01Mm-hmm.
22:01Now we're going to take out our bay leaves.
22:03It's time to say goodbye.
22:05Thank you for your service.
22:06Last but not least, a quarter cup of minced fresh parsley.
22:09This is going to add some fresh flavor and a pop of color.
22:13Ready to eat?
22:14I am.
22:14So I have a nice little surprise here.
22:16I'm going to serve it over some polenta.
22:19That is a lovely idea.
22:21So it's going to be very hearty and filling.
22:23Mm-hmm.
22:26It does smell good.
22:28And you know, from a distance, it almost looks like beef bourguignon because those mushrooms
22:33really look like little pieces of beef, but it's vegetarian.
22:37All right.
22:38I'm going for one of these Christmas beans first.
22:45Mm.
22:47Perfectly cooked.
22:48And those beans are nice and creamy.
22:49That's what I was going to say.
22:50Nice and creamy.
22:51The skin is nice and tender.
22:52Mm-hmm.
22:53I'm just going to go for a little bit of the sauce here.
22:56Mm.
22:57There is a lot of flavor.
22:59There is miso and soy and porcini.
23:02All that really boosts the flavor.
23:05Exactly.
23:05Tomato pays.
23:06Mm-hmm.
23:07I could definitely see serving this at a holiday when you had some vegetarians around the table.
23:12Because I think meat eaters and vegetarians alike would fall in love with this.
23:17Lawman, awesome.
23:19You're welcome.
23:20If you want to make this fantastic vegetarian stew, brine Christmas beans and cook them separately.
23:26Cook one and a half pounds of portobello mushrooms in a Dutch oven with water and oil.
23:31And punch up this stew's flavor with powerhouse ingredients, including miso, soy, and porcini.
23:36From Cook's Country, a terrific recipe for bean bourgognon.
23:41You can get this recipe and all the recipes from this season, along with select episodes and
23:46our product reviews at our website, cookscountry.com slash tv.
23:51This really is holiday worthy, especially with the polenta.
23:56Mmh.
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