From The Bakery
Duck Panang Curry with Julienne Vegetables
by Suzanne Virgilio on 02/13/12
Valentine's Day is here, and many of you will be heading out for a romantic dinner. But considering that Valentine's Day falls on a Tuesday, you may be staying home to make a special meal. If that's the case, we recommend treating your date to this delicoius duck panang curry dish.
Thai food is the perfect balance of sweet and spicy. While some Thai curries can be VERY spicy, Panang is milder and pairs perfectly with the flavor of duck.
The toughest part about making Thai food is the preparation. Before you start searing the duck or cooking the sauce, we recommend chopping all the vegetables and herbs. Once you've prepped everything, the recipe is actually quite easy to follow!
4 to 6 Servings
Ingredients
- 3-4 duck breast halves
- 2 red bell peppers, julienned
- 10-15 brocoli florets
- 1/4 lb frenched green beens
- 5 carrots, julienned
- 1 tablespoon hot chili garlic paste (sambal oelek)*
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 2 finely chopped shallots
- 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1.5" piece of fresh ginger, minced
- 1/4 Cup Thai Panang curry paste**
- 27 ounces unsweetened coconut milk**
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce*
- 2 Cups cooked jasmine or basmati rice
- Salt and Pepper to taste
*These ingredients are available in the Asian section of many supermarkets and at Asian food markets.
**Be sure to buy good quality curry paste and coconut milk. For all Thai dishes we make at the bakery, we use Maesri brand curry paste and Chaokoh coconut milk.
Cooking the Duck Breasts
Duck is a very fatty meat, and the fat adds to its flavor. To prep the duck, you'll want to score the skin side and season it with salt. For an example of how to score a duck breast, see this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIMKAwe8KSU
Place the duck breasts skin side down in a cold skillet over low-medium heat. Starting off with a cold skillet allows the skin to crisp without burning the skin. After eight minutes of cooking on the skin side, flip the duck and cook for another three to four minutes for a nice rosy-pink center. Once the duck has cooked, put it aside to cool, and then slice the breasts so they are ready when the time comes to add them to the curry sauce.
***There will be leftover duck fat in the pan. Pour this fat into a bowl for use in the vegetables and curry sauce.
Saute the Vegetables
Add two tablespoons of the duck fat to the skillet and saute half of the shallots, garlic and ginger until fragrant. Then, add the brocoli, green beans, and julienned carrots. Saute these vegetables for two to three minutes, and then add the bell peppers and hot chili paste. Saute for another two to three minutes to allow flavors to combine. Once vegetables are sauteed, take them out of the skillet and set them aside.
Making the Panang Curry Sauce
Add two tablespoons of duck fat to skillet and saute the remaining shallots, garlic and ginger. Once these three ingredients are fragrant, add the curry paste, brown sugar and fish sauce to the skillet. Mix these ingredients together with a wooden spoon over low-medium heat for two to three minutes. Once the flavors have combined, stir in the unsweetend cocunut milk. Bring to a boil and then simmer the sauce. You can add 1/2 cup of water if the sauce seems thick.
Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Finally add the sliced duck breast to the sauce and stire until coated.
Prepare for serving
Scoop a cup of rice onto the plate. Then add the sauce and a few slices of the duck breast on top. Top the curry sauce with the sauteed vegetables and some freshly chopped cilantro. Enjoy!
Bakery Menu February 9-10
by Suzanne Virgilio on 02/09/12
Hi everyone,
This week has some tasty offerings on the bakery side. We
went with a new scone: the roasted pineapple, mango and passion fruit scone.
This combination of fruit makes for perfect comfort food, especially after a
little snow storm!
We also couldn’t decide on whether to do a pie or cake this week, so we went with both. The warm raspberry chocolate pudding cake is a new and delicious cake added to our lineup, and the banana cream pie is back for the first time in a while.
For the savory, the smoky tortilla soup is amazing! The Ancho and Passilla chiles give this Mexican style-soup such depth and flavor.
The shrimp Florentine lasagna is layered with flavor! It starts with a bakery-made red sauce, then goes to roasted vegetable layer, a bakery-made creamy shrimp sauce, a ricotta and spinach layer, and then topped off with more of the red sauce and grated parmesan.
Thanks and see you at the bakery!
Suzanne Virgilio
Cherry Almond & Quinoa Breakfast Cookie
by Suzanne Virgilio on 01/12/12
A cookie that's made with our Cherry Almond & Quinoa granola is perfect for breakfast! It's packed with protein, fiber and antioxidants. Try baking them on the weekend so that you have them ready for the busy work week commute!
Makes about 20 Cookies
Ingredients:
- 1.5 Cups King Arthur Flour
- ½ Tsp. Kosher Salt (if preferred)
- ½ Tsp. Baking Powder
- ½ Tsp. Baking Soda
- ½ Cup Butter
- ¼ Cup Granulated Sugar
- ¼ Cup Light Brown Sugar
- 2 Lg. Eggs
- 1 Tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
- 2 Cups Granola Factory Cherry Almond Granola
- *Adding extra chopped cherries is optional
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and extract; beat until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time. Stir in 2 cups granola, and extra chopped tart cherries (optional). Spoon dough in 2-tablespoon portions onto prepared sheets, spacing 1” apart. After spooned onto tray, refrigerate the cookies for at least a half an hour. After refrigerated, bake until golden, about 12-15 minutes.
