At the Grill with Chef Scott Roberts: Duck

We're switching things up a bit with post 3 of 4 in our series with chef Scott Roberts. You can read his recipe for scallops here, and grilled sea bream here. This time we're taking a break from seafood to learn about duck. 

My favorite part about photographing this segment (aside from getting to eat it after) was watching the organization and tidiness of his process which can only be described as military-like cleanliness. Or, the #1 thing that makes an allergic person both relaxed and happy when dining out.  I literally had to do nothing here, aside from move the lights around, stand on a floor pouf to get the angle, and click my camera. Everything was either already prepped and in its own container, or washed, dried, and presented nicely on a plate. Just like this:

In Scott's words:

"A good restaurant should operate like a machine. Keeping a clean and organised workspace is the first step cooks can take to improve productivity and quality."

And in my words:

Quebec Duck Breast, Pickled Plum, Rapini, Szechuan Pepper

Free from dairy, nuts, peanuts, egg, soy, mustard, wheat, oats, fish, shellfish

Ingredients
1 duck breast
1 tsp. szechuan peppercorns
salt to taste
a sprinkle of maple sugar
6 morels
a couple sprigs of thyme
olive oil
1 bunch of rapini

For the plums:
3 plums
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1 1/4 cups water
4 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp salt

Method

First, spare yourself any embarrassment and learn how to properly pronounce morels. I've been saying morals for years.

The next thing to do is prep the plums which should be done ahead of time. Slice them into 4 segments, and then into bite sized pieces. Bring vinegar and water to a boil with the sugar, salt, and plum scraps. Let it sit for 10 minutes, covered and off the heat. Strain the warm liquid over the plum segments and then let sit for at least 2 hours.

For the morels, quickly rinse and pat dry as they can be gritty.

Since this is part of our "At The Grill" series, you're probably wondering what was grilled here. And the answer is the rapini. If you haven't grilled rapini, lettuce, or any leafy green, please stop everything and go do that. It's very important that you know how good it tastes. To cook it like Scott did, heat up the charcoal grill, drizzle the greens with a little olive oil, and toss them on until they are tender and have a nice char.

For the duck breast, you'll notice that it's very fatty on the skin side. Rub that side with the cracked peppercorns and salt, and then put it face down into a hot stainless steel pan. Let it fry for 12 - 15 minutes on medium heat. Then take it off the heat and let the flip to let the other side cook for a minute. Sprinkle a little maple sugar on the skin, then transfer it to the charcoal and grill it on the skin side until it's medium to medium rare depending on your preference. Duck is not like other poultry and can safely be eaten rare. 

Let it rest for 10 - 15 minutes before plating. Add the morels and thyme to the pan and give them a nice fry until tender and aromatic. 

Again, I came over and everything was just arranged like this. 

To plate it, cut the duck breast into 1-inch thick slices, slice the morels in half, and pull the nice looking leaves off the rapini. Arrange it around the plate and then add the plums and plum juice as a sauce. 

The rapini is smokey, the plums are sweet and tart, the morels are earthy, and the duck breast is rich and tender. 

Serves 2

If you would like to contact Scott for catering, events or other opportunities, feel free to send an email to scott7@gmail.com

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Ingredients
5 cups white bread flour + some for dusting
2 tsp quick rise dry yeast
2.5 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2 cups warm water
2 tsp sunflower oil
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon

Method
Add the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt to a large bowl and mix well.

Make a well in the center and add the oil and water at one time. Begin stirring slowly until all the dry ingredients are incorporated and the dough has come together in a ball.

Dust some flour onto a clean surface and begin kneading the dough for several minutes until it's smooth and elastic.

Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for 1.5 hours. It should double in size.

Preheat oven to 425F.

Remove the plastic wrap and punch the dough in the center. Then transfer it onto a clean surface dusted with flour. Cut into 3 equal portions and roll each one into a rectangle that's about 1/4 inch thick. Dust the cinnamon over the dough evenly and then roll each one into a loaf.

Place the loaves a few inches apart on a large baking sheet and let stand for a half hour.

Place tray in preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 400F and bake for another 10 - 15 minutes.

The cooked loaves should be light brown on the outside and sound hollow when tapped.
Top the sliced bread with a smear of coconut oil, a dusting of cinnamon, and a sprinkle of raw sugar.

*You can freeze any unbroken bread in a freezer strength plastic bag. It will last for up to 3 weeks.

20-Minute Salmon and Salad

Free from dairy, nuts, peanuts, oats, mustard, egg, soy, wheat.

In the heat of summer the thought of being behind a hot stove is the last thing you want to do. But who wants to compromise on eating good food? Here's my recipe for crispy Atlantic salmon with a cucumber salad and avocado mayo. My brother and I are eating it right now! And I made it in under 20 minutes. Here's how...

Salmon

You'll need 1 portion of salmon (about the size of your fist) per person. Pat both sides of the fish dry with a paper towel and then season generously with salt and pepper. Heat up 1 tbsp. of good olive oil in a non-stick pan and place the salmon fillet in skin-size down. Cover with a splash guard if you have one because it will sizzle! Sear for about 5 minutes, or until crispy, then flip over and sear on the flesh side for another 7 minutes on medium-high heat.

Salad

Full disclosure here, I didn't come up with this recipe, I got it from Bran's mom. You can prep the salad while the salmon is cooking. Slice up 1 cucumber, mince one clove of garlic, and chop up about 1 tbsp. of dill. Add them all to a bowl and toss with salt, a drizzle of olive oil, and a drizzle of red wine vinegar. Mix well and set aside.

Avocado Mayo

Add 1 avocado, the juice of 1 lime, and some more chopped dill (about 1 tsp) to a blender or Magic Bullet and blend until creamy and smooth.

Serve 1 fillet of salmon, a scoop of salad, and a dollop of the mayo per person. Enjoy with a glass of white wine or lemonade. Yum!

Mands.

Pomegranate Salad with Saffron Dressing

Would you believe that this colorful, fresh salad was the product of a fridge clean-out? Sometimes letting fruit come to its full ripeness on your counter or sitting in the crisper can yield tasty results. See the recipe for this high-fibre side dish below.

Allergen Info
This recipe does not call for any dairy, nuts, peanuts, soy, or shellfish. It can be made gluten-free by excluding the mustard

Ingredients
1 large blood orange (any type of orange will work)
Seeds from 1 pomegranate
A few good handfuls of spring mix or your favorite baby lettuce
1 pinch of saffron
1/3 cup good extra virgin olive oil
the juice of one lemon
the juice of half a lime
1 dollop of organic honey
freshly ground black pepper
good sprinkling of sea salt to taste
1 tsp Dijon mustard (optional)

Method
1. Remove the seeds from the pomegranate by scoring the top of the skin with a paring knife and then ripping the fruit into 4 chunks. Fill a bowl with cold water and plunge the fruit, and your hands, into it. Proceed to remove the seeds underwater and then drain and dry.
2. Peel the orange and cut into segments. You can cut the chunks as large or small as you like.
3. Arrange the lettuce, orange, and seeds on a platter and set aside. Dress right before serving.
4. You will need a small mixing bowl for the dressing. Pinch the saffron in your finger tips to break up the strands or grind them down using a mortar and pestle. Add to the bowl along with the salt, pepper, lemon juice, lime juice, olive oil, and honey. Beat well. For a thicker dressing you can add some Dijon mustard but it’s not a necessity.

Serves 4

Sniffle-Healing Chicken Soup

Something dark was lurking on Saturday morning... I woke up stuffed up, hot, shivering, and sniffling. A cold was on the horizon and I was very unhappy about it. So naturally I got a lot of rest and made a big pot of nutrient-rich chicken soup. No boxed stock here, this was all natural. And here's how I did it...

This recipe is free from dairy, nuts, peanuts, egg, soy, fish, shellfish

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 bag baby carrots, chopped
3 stems of celery (leaves on)
1 red onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
2 zucchini, diced
3 yukon gold potatoes, diced
10 button mushrooms, sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced
a handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste
a handful of pastina made from 100$ durum wheat semolina (small cut pasta such as bow ties or straight noodles)

Method
Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until it becomes fragrant. Season well with salt and pepper. Then add in the carrots, celery, and red pepper and continue to cook until they become translucent and browned. Season again.

Add the potatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, and parsley and mix well. Drop the chicken breasts (whole) on top. Fill the pot with water until there are about 3 inches of liquid above the chicken, then bring to a boil on high heat.

Reduce to medium heat and let simmer with the lid askew for an hour. Remove the lid and let simmer on medium-low heat for at least another hour. It should have reduced quite a bit. Stir often.

About 20 minutes before serving remove the chicken and shred using 2 forks. Add it back to the pot along with the pastina. Stir well.

Serve as soon as pasta is cooked. It should yield 6 - 8 hearty bowls