Pâté de canard en croûte

Tools
Mixing bowls, large
Wooden spoon
Trussing needle
Butcher’s string
Skillet, large
Baking sheet
Pastry brush
Canard
Duckling	5 pounds
Salt	½ teaspoon
Pepper	1/8 teaspoon
Allspice	Pinch
Cognac	2 tablespoons
Port	2 tablespoons
Pâté
Onions, finely minced	½ cup
Butter, unsalted	2 tablespoons
Port, Madeira or cognac	½ cup
Pork, lean, ground	¾ pound
Veal, lean, ground	¾ pound
Andouille sausage, finely chopped	½ pound
Eggs, lightly beaten	2
Salt	1 ½ teaspoons
Pepper	1/8 teaspoon
Allspice	Pinch
Thyme	½ teaspoon
Garlic, minced	5 cloves
Oil, cooking	3 tablespoons
Croûte
Flour, all purpose	6 cups
Shortening	2 ounces
Butter	4 ounces
Salt	1 ½ teaspoons
Sugar	¼ teaspoon
Eggs	2
Water, cold	2/3 cup
Wash
Egg	1
Water, cold	1 teaspoon

Canard

1. Bone the duck.
   See Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child (page 570), or review a video on YouTube.com for details. 
2. Lay the boned bird skin-side down on a board. 
3. Slice off the thickest layers of breast and thigh meat, and cut into cubes about 3/8-inch across. 
4. Place the cubes back on the duck, season, and sprinkle with cognac and port. 
5. Roll up the duck, place in a bowl, and refrigerate. 

Pâté

1. Cook the onions slowly with the butter in a small skillet for 8 to 10 minutes until they are tender and translucent but not browned; scrape them into a mixing bowl. 
2. Pour the wine into the skillet, and boil it down until reduced by half; scrape into the mixing bowl. 
3. Combine the meats together, and then mix in the eggs, garlic, and seasonings with a wooden spoon until lightened in texture and thoroughly blended.
4. Sauté a spoonful, and taste; adjust seasonings accordingly. 
5. Mix in the cubed duck meat and marinade. 
6. If not used immediately, cover and refrigerate. 

Stuff

1. Spread the duck on a board, skin-side down. 
2. Heap the stuffing in the center, and shape it into a loaf. 
3. Bring the duck skin up over the loaf to enclose it completely. 
4. Sew it in place with a trussing needling and thread. 
5. Make three or four ties around the circumference of the duck to give it a cylindrical shape. 
6. Heat the oil in the skillet until it is almost smoking. 
7. Brown the duck slowly on all sides. 
8. Remove, and allow to cool.
   The trussing strings remain on the duck to hold its shape while baking. 

Croûte

1. Place flour, salt, sugar, shortening, and butter into a large mixing bowl. 
2. Rub the flour and butter together rapidly between the tips of your fingers until the butter is broken into pieces the size of oatmeal flakes.
   Do not overdo this step as the butter will be blended more thoroughly later. 
3. Whisk the eggs and water together.
4. Add the water, and blend quickly with one hand, fingers held together and slightly cupped, as you rapidly gather the dough into a mass. 
5. Sprinkle up to 1 tablespoon more water by droplets over any unmassed remains, and add them to the main body of the dough. 
6. Press the dough firmly into a roughly shaped ball. It should just hold together and be pliable but not sticky. 
7. Place the dough on a lightly floured pastry board. 
8. With the heel of one hand, not the palm which is too warm, rapidly press the pastry by two-spoonful bits down on the board away from you in a firm, quick smear of about 6 inches.
   This constitutes the final blending of the fat and flour, or fraisage. 
9. With a scraper or spatula, gather the dough again into a mass; knead it briefly into a fairly smooth round ball. 
10. Sprinkle lightly with flour, and wrap in waxed paper. 
11. Either place the dough in the freezer for 1 hour until it is firm but not congealed, or refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. 

Bake

1. Preheat to 400°F; ensure a rack is in the middle. 
2. Roll two-thirds of the dough into an oval shape that is 1/8-inch thick. 
3. Lay it on a baking sheet. 
4. Place the duck on the oval, breast up. 
5. Bring the pastry up around the duck, patting it into place. 
6. Roll out the remaining dough 1/8-inch thick, and cut it into an oval to fit over the top of the duck. 
7. Paint the edges of the bottom pastry oval with a pastry brush dipped in beaten egg, and press the top oval in place. 
8. Flute or pinch the edges together to seal them. 
9. Make circles or ovals with a 1 ½-inch cookie cutter any remaining dough, and press fan-shaped lines into them with the back of a knife. 
10. Paint the top pastry oval with beaten egg, and press the cutouts over it in a decorative design; paint with egg. 
11. Make an 1/8-inch hole in the center of the pastry, and insert a brown paper or foil funnel; this allows cooking steam to escape. 
12. Insert a meat thermometer into the hole through the funnel, and down through the duck skin into the pâté. 
13. Place the duck in the oven, and reduce the heat to 350°F. 
14. Bake for 2 hours, or to a thermometer reading of 180°F. 
15. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool for several hours; the crust will soften if the pâté is refrigerated too soon; chill. 

Serve

1. Cut around the crust just under the seam of the top pastry oval; lift the oval off carefully so as not to break it. 
2. Remove the circular trussing strings, and then cut and pull out the sewing strings underneath the duck. 
3. Place the duck back into the pastry and replace the top oval.

Notes

• In an attempt to impress a gather of friends for Thanksgiving, I decided to challenge myself with deboning a duck for the first time. With a good, sharp knife it's an easy enough task. I thought I hacked up my first duck a little, especially around the leg meat, but it finishes perfectly in the oven.
• Trim the fat around the neck, tail, and legs to help create the proper shape.
• I cut into the breast and thigh meat with a crosshatch design, but it would have been better if I removed the meat and mixed it with the pâté per the original recipe.
• In my first attempt, I ran out of eggs and didn't complete the croûte part. Still taste great but I think the pastry will take it to the next level.
• Needs a sauce of some sort to pull it all together. Thinking about a cranberry-ornage, of course.

First attempt without the pastry

Recipe from Master the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child.

Julia Child's boeuf bourguignon

An early bourguignon effort, and one of my first postings on Oct. 14, 2010 to this dish blog. In honor of 14,000 views in a little over 2 years and 8 months of posting, I'm updating this formerly-photo-only dish with the full recipe!

Bacon, remove and reserve rind, cut bacon into sticks ¼-inch thick and 1 ½-inches long	6 ounces
Water	1½ quarts
Olive oil	1 tablespoon + 1½ tablespoons + 2 tablespoon
Beef, lean stewing, dry with paper towels, cut into 2-inch cubes	3 pounds
Carrot, sliced	1
Onion, sliced	1
Salt	1 teaspoon +
Pepper, freshly ground	¼ teaspoon +
Flour	2 tablespoons
Wine, red	3 cups + ½ cup
Beef stock	2 to 3 cups
Tomato paste	1 tablespoon
Garlic, mashed	2 cloves
Thyme, dried	½ teaspoon
Bay leaf, crumbled	1
Onions, pearl white, skins removed	18 to 24
Butter	1½ tablespoons + 4 tablespoons
Herb bouquet, tied in cheesecloth	4 parsley sprigs ½ bay leaf 4 thyme sprigs
Mushrooms, well cleaned, quartered	1 pound
Parsley sprigs	Garnish

1. In 1½ quarts of water, simmer the rind and bacon for 10 minutes; drain and dry. 
2. Preheat the oven to 450°F; position rack in middle. 
3. In an oven- and cooktop-safe 10-inch skillet that’s 3 inches deep, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over moderate heat, and sauté the bacon (not its rind) for 2 to 3 minutes, until browned lightly. 
4. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon to a side dish. 
5. Heat remaining pan drippings until almost smoking before you sauté the beef. 
6. Sauté the beef, a few pieces at a time, until nicely browned on all sides; set aside with bacon. 
7. Add the carrot and onion, and brown. 
8. Pour out the sautéing pan drippings, leaving the vegetables. 
9. Return the bacon and beef to the pan, and toss with salt and pepper. 
10. Sprinkle with the flour, and toss again to coat the beef lightly. 
11. Set the pan in the oven for 4 minutes. 
12. Remove to toss the beef, and then return to the oven for another 4 minutes. 
13. Remove the pan, and reduce the oven to 325°F, and ensure there’s a rack in the lower third position.
    (Chef note: I ended up reduced to 300°F after 15 minutes.)
14. Stir in 3 cups of wine, and enough stock so that the meat is barely covered. 
15. Add the tomato paste, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and bacon rind. 
16. On your cooktop, bring to a simmer, and then cover. 
17. Transfer to the oven; regulate the heat, as needed, so the liquid simmers very slowly for 2½ to 3 hours. 
18. Meanwhile, add 1½ tablespoons of butter and oil to a skillet, and heat until bubbling. 
19. Add the pearl onions, and sauté over moderate heat for about 10 minutes, rolling the onions about so they will brown evenly as possible. 
20. Add the wine, season to taste with salt and pepper, and add the herb bouquet. 
21. Cover and simmer slowly for 40 to 50 minutes, until the onions are tender but retain their shape, and the liquid have evaporated.
    (Chef note: Go low and slow; it took about 60 minutes.)
22. Remove the herb bouquet; and set the onions aside. 
23. Meaner-while another meanwhile, heat 4 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over high heat. 
24. When you see the butter foam has begun to subside, indicating it is hot enough, add the mushrooms. 
25. Toss and shake the pan for 4 to 5 minutes. 
26. As soon as the mushroom have browned lightly, remove from heat; set aside. 
27. When meat is tender, pour the pan contents through a sieve set over a saucepan. 
28. Rinse out the pan, and return the beef and bacon to it. 
29. Distribute the onions and mushrooms over the meat. 
30. Skim any fat off the sauce; simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, skimming off additional fat as it rises.
31. You should have about 2½ cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons of stock. 
32. Adjust seasonings, if needed, and pour over the meat and vegetables. 
33. Cover the pan, and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. 
34. Serve in its dish, or arrange the stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles, or rice, and garnish with parsley. 

Recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck.