Innovative Gourmet Flavor Combinations: DUCK SALAD NOUVELLE

Innovative Gourmet Flavor Combinations

Welcome! I've always enjoyed unusual flavor combinations. I am committed to continuing this pleasure, while eating healthy. I hope this blog will allow me to share ideas for eating healthy without losing the excitement of innovative recipes.

I am a follower of the diet plan of Dr. Eric Berg, which in my case means gluten-free, alkaline, low-fat; my health and figure have improved vastly with this. This also fits with raw-food, vegetarian, and Weston Price (nutrient-dense), D'Adamo's Eat Right For Your Type, the Perricone Weightloss Diet, and the proportions follow Barry Sears's 40-30-30 Zone Diet. Organic, ecologic, and local-eating are also guiding principles. (Interesting how they all overlap.)

But looking around the Net, and in books, a lot of what's offered for "gluten-free" eating is versions of baked goods, and imitations of wheat dishes like pizza and burritos. You won't find that here. This site will present a complete re-thinking of how to be "gluten-free".

And followers of chef Michael Roberts and khymos, as well as lovers of Japanese creativeness (as in Iron Chef) should also find gourmet ideas here. The recipes will not just echo American cooking, but present new combinations.

Some of the reasons for this way of eating are: autism, perhaps aspergers, "celiac disease", obesity, perhaps cancer and who knows what else. You won't find the word "disease" used here though. As D'Adamo explains, a large part of the world's population (mostly with "O-blood type") never got the genes to adapt to eating the new foods of wheat, etc that came into the diet during the Neolithic. So don't call it a disease! We are actually an older human type. We're not sick; we just don't have that new-fangled adaption that some folks have. And looking into traditional diets shows that much of the world did not have wheat until very recently, and got along just fine. I know I'm eating quite well. I don't miss gluten at all.

Enough! Welcome to my kitchen . . .

Friday, June 5, 2009

DUCK SALAD NOUVELLE

This is really a main dish. I'm featuring cool-season dishes as we head into summer.

This would be fabulous with an Italian Bruschetta,

and it was great with an Eagle Canyon Fume Blanc.

Hors d'oeuvre for 6 or a buffet platter for 8

AHEAD OF TIME:

Prepare: 1 to 3 medium small turnips, peeled if desired, shredded or grated.

Refrigerate overnight, covered.

Rub: 4 half-breasts of duck [of course, in a pinch, chicken could also be used]

with 1Tb walnut oil

Place skin side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Place in preheated 475-degree oven. After 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degrees and cook 10 minutes more, until an instant reading meat thermometer registers 180 degrees.

Thoroughly chill to allow the meat to become firm and the fat and juices to set - at least six hours, or overnight.

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At cooking time:

Blanch in boiling water: 1/2 pound Chinese peas

(or sugar snap peas, baby green beans, or blanched broccoli flowerets). Drain and rinse.

Remove bones from duck, cut into bitesize pieces.

In a bowl, add:

16+ sprigs fresh coriander, leaves only

salt and pepper

2 Tb red wine vinegar

4 Tb walnut oil

(gives a special taste, but if necessary, can substitute peanut or light olive oil mixed with 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil)

Top with:

2 Tb sesame seeds

6 sprigs fresh coriander

From the wonderful: American Charcuterie, by Victoria Wise (with my modifications). Buy it here:

American Charcuterie