Tyler Florence's Real Kitchen_ An Indesp - Tyler Florence [14]
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Take the lid off the wok, set the duck on a plate, remove the rack, and discard the foil with the rice. The wok can now be transformed into a roasting pan. Put the rack back inside the wok, place the duck on top, and put the whole thing in the oven without the lid. Roast the duck for 1 hour to crisp the skin and set its deep mahogany color. The legs will jiggle easily when the duck is done.
As the duck roasts, make the sauce. In a pot over medium-low heat, combine the plum wine, rice wine vinegar, water, cornstarch, ginger, orange peel and juice, soy sauce, and garlic. Cook down for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Season with salt and white pepper.
With a very sharp knife or cleaver, carve the duck and arrange the pieces on a serving platter. Spoon the sauce over the duck and garnish with the sesame seeds.
Green Curry Chicken
1 hour
If you have never experimented with Thai ingredients before, try this recipe—the flavors are mental. Lemongrass, coconut milk, basil, lime: They all hit the palate in perfect harmony. If you love Thai food, this is a great dish to start playing around with—and it’s very easy. The floral aroma of green curry simmering on the stove is hypnotic. Kaffir lime leaves are crucial to this dish and are worth the trip to your local Asian market. Serve with Perfect Steamed Jasmine Rice.
Serves 4
Canola oil
1 onion, cut in 8 wedges
2 green bell peppers, cut in 8 wedges
1 stalk lemongrass, white bulb only
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
4 teaspoons green curry paste
6 kaffir lime leaves
2½ cups unsweetened coconut milk
¼ cup Chicken Stock
Juice of 1 lime
1½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut in 1-inch strips
Sea salt
⅓ cup coarsely chopped basil leaves
⅓ cup coarsely chopped cilantro
Lime wedges, for garnish
Place a large, deep skillet over medium heat and coat with a 2-count drizzle of oil. Sauté the onion and green peppers for 3 minutes to soften. Split the pieces of lemongrass down the middle and whack them with the flat side of a knife to open the flavor. Add the lemongrass, ginger, curry paste, and lime leaves to the skillet and stir for 2 minutes. Add the coconut milk, chicken stock, and lime juice. Lay the chicken pieces in the mixture to poach; add a pinch of salt. Stir the whole thing together and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Shower chopped basil, cilantro, and another pinch of salt over the chicken; then serve in dinner bowls with lime wedges. Big flavor!
Thick Pork Chops with
Spiced Apples and Raisins
1½ hours to make + 2 hours to brine
One trick that I learned a long time ago about cooking pork is that you have to brine it. The brine for this recipe is a sugar-salt solution mixed with apple juice concentrate (you will need 2 cans of frozen juice) for the brine and spiced apples. With its sweet apple flavor, this is an intense marinade that works miracles on pork chops. Trust me—once you taste a thick pork chop that’s been flavored in a brine, you will never go back. Cozy up to your butcher to get the pork chops cut to your liking. Thin pork chops—no way! Serve this with Corn Pudding.
Serves 4
Pork Chops
1 gallon water
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sea salt
1 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
1 ½ teaspoons whole black peppercorns
2 fresh thyme sprigs
4 double-cut bone-in loin pork chops, 1 pound each
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
Spiced Apples and Raisins
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced in ½-inch-thick wedges
Leaves from 2 fresh thyme sprigs
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
3 tablespoons brown sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Pinch of cardamom
Pinch