I know I’ve been MIA the past week and I miss writing. It’s getting busier in school and I am literally drained after a day’s work.
Here’s what we’ve done the past week. I’m putting it all in one entry to keep you updated! I’m currently multitasking… Taking my lunch and writing this post.
We had our Duck and Lamb Fabrication Days last week. I’m not a duck fan because I think it’s too fatty. While Peking Duck is a staple in Chinese restaurants, especially during family celebrations, it never really appealed to me. I just watch my relatives and friends devour it. Or I’ll eat the kropeck (prawn crackers) that’s usually served on the side… The ones that are not drenched in duck’s fat that is.
I was assigned to do Duck Confit. The confit process takes a long time because you want to preserve the meat in its own fat. Acquiring that fat is a whole different story. I had to skin (literally) more than 5 ducks and boil the skin in water until all that’s left is duck fat (oil) and it has fried the skin, too. Yeah it sounds icky, but it looked even worse… And very unhealthy. Haha It can be done to other kinds of meat as well, by the way.
After cooling the oil, I had to cook the duck legs in more water with the duck fat. It needs to be braised for hours and will be used for a different lesson/class.
I wasn’t assigned to cook any of the lamb dishes, but I’ve paid close enough attention to my team mates who did. It is not very different from beef – cooking method wise. But it is very tasty!!
L-R: Pigeon Financier with Stuffed Artichoke in Truffle Demiglace; Grilled Lamb Loin ala Parisienne in Cognac Demiglace; Grilled Duck Breast in Sauce Brigarade with Wild Rice; Duck al Caparas; Lamb Shanks in Pomodoro and Demiglace; Rack of Lamb in Soubise Sauce with Wild Mushroom Ragout; Leg of Lamb stuffed with Spinach, Pine Nuts and Italian Sausage in Mint Demiglace Sauce
After 2 days of Duck and Lamb… The more interesting “meats” came next. They called it Variety Meats Day. These are non traditional meat cuts …and ofals (i.e. liver, kidneys, heart, etc.). These are very popular in the Philippines, more popularly known as street food, barbequed and sold really cheap. I have only tried isaw (chicken intestines)… And I wouldn’t eat it on a regular basis! So preparing and cooking ofals was not really thrilling! Haha
On a lighter note, each of us had to flambe foie gras. I’ve only seen this on TV, and have not tasted it before this class. Flambeing it was easy… Eating it and knowing what it is was a challenge! But foie gras wasn’t that bad. In fact, I wanted more than what I had flambeed! It is high on cholesterol though so just beware. Yes, it’s goose/duck liver… Who cares?! It’s super super yummy! Hehehe
L-R: Ox Tail Ragout with Onion Brulee; Rognons De Veau Flambes (Flambeed Kidneys); Chicken Liver Pate; Grilled Duck Breast
Enjoy!
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