"Duckliciousness"
At Orchard Kitchen we have talked a lot about all the parts of the pig we rejoice in using when we buy a whole pig.
In addition to the obvious use of fresh pork roasts, we cure hams, render lard for superior pie crust, make sausage, cure jowls and we make one of my favorite things; head cheese. There are many, many tasty uses for a pig.
If there were a feathered equivalent to the mighty pig, it would be the duck.
We are blessed to have a relationship with Stokesberry Sustainable Farm in Olympia, where Jerry & Janelle Stokesberry raise organic Peking ducks. We buy the whole ducks and their livers and we make myriad delicacies. Of course we love to cook the breast of the duck, on its crispy skin, as a perfect fall entry with mushrooms and farro (see our December 8 & 9, 2017 Orchard Kitchen Menu). We also cure the tasty legs for confit, and they will make their appearance this weekend in our estate grown Corona Bean Cassoulet. We rendered all the extra skin for duck fat to cook with and make all that confit. And later in the winter we will dig into the freezer for those lovely livers, which will make an amazing duck liver mousse. Did I mention that we put the duck breast “tenderloins” into a Spanish-style Pork & Duck Chorizo Seco? That will make an appearance later in the New Year.
Pork and duck dry cured sausage. A perfect marriage of two of my favorite proteins.
Cheers,
Vincent