Trying to "fix" a new gumbo - duck and andouille

Last time I used farmed duck. These wild ones are smaller and I imagine leaner as well. I kind of like Uncle Bob's idea above of roasting the ducks first THEN removing skin THEN making a stock from the carcass. It's gonna be a lot of steps, I know, but better than using canned stock!

kcadams1980 in Home Cooking

Trying to "fix" a new gumbo - duck and andouille

Thanks Jung... I actually have whole wild birds that my neighbor shot himself and oh-so-generously gifted me! So we're gonna be using the whole duck.

Great suggestion about poking holes in the duck to boil - I didn't think of that!

kcadams1980 in Home Cooking

Trying to "fix" a new gumbo - duck and andouille

Hey all,

I'm originally from NOLA (now in Houston, sigh), and have been making chicken and sausage gumbo for years and years. My family recipe is pretty simple - a dark roux (I've used peanut oil most successfully, tried bacon grease and duck fat with less success), the trinity, chicken stock, bay leaf, thyme, oregano, cayenne, parsley/green onion and some tabasco and/or LA hot sauce to taste. I got the idea to just swap out the chicken for duck, but both times I've tried this, I end up with an overly greasy gumbo (oil slick on top). Here's what I've done in the past, and what I'm thinking about trying this time, if there are any roux-guru's who'd like to troubleshoot! BTW, I have looked at other threads about rouxs, just wondering if there is something specific about the duck that might be causing this issue (eg, more fat than chicken?).

Last time I tried this version, I made my roux with equal parts duck fat (obtained while browning the duck parts first) and flour. Low and slow, got nice and choclately after an hour or so. Next I added the chopped trinity veg and gradually added room temp chicken stock to the mix. Once I got my pot full, added the herbs & sausage, then cut up the duck into bite size pieces and added them. Bring to a boil and simmer down for 2 hrs or so. I noticed during the simmering process that I got a giant brown oil slick on top of my gumbo. The taste was just fine (love duck!) but I want to fix the grease problem.

Here's what I'm thinking this time around... I think that perhaps the half and half fat (oil) and flour might need to be adjusted. Something like 2parts flour to one part oil (I'm gonna stick with the peanut oil this time, seems more forgiving). I've got 4 wild ducks that I'm gonna put into a stock pot with stock veggies and BOIL to cook the duck meat - creating a duck stock and cooking the meat for the gumbo. Let the stock chill and scoop any fat off the top that solidifies. And I guess taking the fatty fat duck skin off prior to cooking is probably a good idea as well! Any thoughts on browning the sausage first to render out some fat? I've never done this with my chicken and sausage, but hey there's a first time for everything. Oh yeah, and I don't have a smoker so I can't smoke the ducks first (bummer).

Thanks!
Kelly

kcadams1980 in Home Cooking

Grilled tandoor chicken pairings

Yup, I picked up some Prosecco yesterday... I agree I think GW is the way to go too... I know it's all the rage right now, but I just haven't really found a off-dry (or sweet, imo) riesling that I actually like. I like GW b/c it has some residual sugar but a nice kick of spice so it doesn't taste too much like grape juice...

kcadams1980 in Wine

Grilling prawns - shell on or off?

Thanks for the suggestions all! I think I will do a "modified" version of the regular marinade (might just do some oil with the tandoori spices) and go shells-off on the grill. I didn't even think about using the shells for a stock or sauce - good point!

kcadams1980 in Home Cooking

Grilled tandoor chicken pairings

Okay, okay... I know the OBVIOUS answer is an off-dry reisling, but I am looking for other suggestions. I'll also be making some indian spiced grilled prawns, and a grilled red bell pepper/tomato/sweet onion salad (it's grilling time, finally!).

I've been drinking a lot of GV lately, which I think would also work... And I thought about some bubbles - prosseco?

Oh yeah, $15 and under, I'm on a strict wine budget enforced on pain of yellow tail by the DH.

Thanks!

kcadams1980 in Wine

Grilling prawns - shell on or off?

Hi all,

I'm doing grilled tandoori chicken on friday evening (I start the marinade tonight), and I thought that grilling a few indian-spiced prawns would be super delicious as well! I have some questions about execution though...

I know that you cannot marinate seafood for too long (especially in a tandoori marinade that has yogurt, lime juice, etc) or it loses its texture. Would you marinate these prawns at all, just for a shorter time? Could I use the same marinade I will already have made for the chicken?

Also, I don't have a lot of experience grilling shellfish - would you leave the shells on to grill? My grill is charcoal, btw.

Thanks!

kcadams1980 in Home Cooking

Help! Need your best recs for champagne/dessert wines from 2003 for my anniversary.

Just a thought - I'm not sure how well these age, but Schramsburg Brut Rose and Blanc de Blanc from CA are pretty nice substitutes for the real thing. We had this at our wedding (in 2003). I believe they are in the $30/bottle range so prb a nice treat to drink now for your anniversary and save the Yquem!

kcadams1980 in Wine

Charcoal Grilled pork tenderloin and veggies - what to drink?

I actually picked up an Oregon pinot noir (the easier choice I thought!) and a white rhone blend. But yes, I was thinking a gamay might be nice if we were doing "fruit" with the pork, but it will probably just be tomato salsa on the side.

kcadams1980 in Wine

Charcoal Grilled pork tenderloin and veggies - what to drink?

Ha! I know, that's what the hubby will do for sure, but I'm not really a beer drinker...

kcadams1980 in Wine

Charcoal Grilled pork tenderloin and veggies - what to drink?

It is great weather in Houston right now, and we need to grill! I *could* go with some old standby's, but I was hoping you all might have some interesting different choices....

Simple grilled pork tenderloin (probably a dry spice rub, but no sauce) and grilled summer vegetables (bell pepper, onion, mushrooms, zucchini). And perhaps a few grilled tortillas.

Ideas?

kcadams1980 in Wine

Thank you Chow posters for getting me out of my wine-rut!

It's been a great couple of weeks for trying new wines... My comfort zone has always been American, S. American, Austrailia/NZ - nothing wrong with those regions IMO, but I admit I've been kind of intimidated by the wines of Europe (okay other than Spain, I could make my way around those). I mean, those labels! Not so helpful if you don't know what you're looking for and don't speak the language (French, Italian, German, etc.).

Since I have seen so many posters rec Gruner V. I thought I'd give that a whirl first. Had some reservations about anything coming from Germany/Austria/Alsace based on memories of sickeningly sweet late harvest reislings I've been forced to drink at non-wino friends' houses. I was pleasantly surpised by the GV, and it's now on my regular rotation! Nice complexity and the minerality was more pronounced for me than, say, a NZ Sav Blanc (which I have found to be more citrusy).

Then I said, okay, let's try some lesser known Italian whites... Just say no to PG!! Several posters here made great suggestions and - although I literally had to take a post it note with me to the wine shop - I found two brand new varietals that I really liked and were under $15. So now I've got a feel for Soave Classico and Vernaccia (don't ask me to recall the Italian vineyard!) - again, I was surprised by the complexity of these whites and they completely erased the idea of thin, watery PG out of my head! Good call, can't wait to try the rest.

Throw in a Louis Latour ardeche vin d pays ("duet"), which was pretty decent but honeslty not my favorite - and I have a lot more confidence when looking for new wines! Oh, and I am not a white-only drinker - just found it easier to try some new things when staying in the same vein.

Cheers to expanding horizons!

kcadams1980 in Wine

What's the weirdest or most awful wine you've ever tasted?

Second. That one takes the cake.

kcadams1980 in Wine

My Favorite Houston Restaurants, yours?

Wow, no mention of some of my all-time faves in this thread! Okay, other than Feast, but that's a given!

Mexican:
Spanish Flowers on N.Main
El Pueblito
Maria Selma's

Thai:
Vieng Thai & Nidda Thai. Done.

Vietnamese:
(RIP) Mai's
Van Loc
Les Givral's

BBQ:
Pizzitola's
Hickory Hollow

Breakfast/brunch:
The Breakfast Klub
Berryhill on Montrose (food is pretty average, but it's gotta go on the list for bottomless mimosas and the party on the patio!)
Hugo's

The Heights (my hood, deserves its own category):
The Glass Wall (always a great experience here)
Zelko Bistro
Onion Creek Cafe
Haven't gotten to Stella Sola yet, but its next on my list...

-----
Van Loc Restaurant
3010 Milam St, Houston, TX 77006

Breakfast Klub
3711 Travis St, Houston, TX 77002

Les Givral's
801 Congress St Ste 101, Houston, TX 77002

Glass Wall the Restaurant
933 Studewood St Unit A, Houston, TX 77008

Hickory Hollow
101 Heights Blvd, Houston, TX 77007

Vieng Thai
6929 Long Point Rd, Houston, TX 77055

Maria Selma
1617 Richmond Ave, Houston, TX 77006

Stella Sola
1001 Studewood, Houston, TX 77008

kcadams1980 in Houston

Tonight's bottle... I need some time to reflect on this ;)

Yes! Great suggestions on some italian whites with some actual character - thanks!

kcadams1980 in Wine

What's the weirdest or most awful wine you've ever tasted?

LOL! Okay that one is about as weird as the "green chile wine" we had in NM. It was like drinking fermented jalepeno juice and neon green food coloring! One of the few times in my life I actually poured a bottle down the drain...

kcadams1980 in Wine

What got you "into" wine?

That's a good one! We've also referred to it as "Bag-O," but of course only if it comes out of the box! Nasty stuff....

kcadams1980 in Wine

What's the weirdest or most awful wine you've ever tasted?

I spent Christmas week in a mountain cabin in Ruidoso, NM - did y'all know they make wine in NM? It was the first I'd heard of it...

While we were milling around the shops in the old part of the town, I came across something so bizarre that I HAD to buy it - "New Mexico Green Chile Wine." And the wine was LITERALLY neon green colored - like a green apple jolly rancher!

I don't even know if I could give real tasting notes, basically this was a really awful, sickeningly sweet bad quality white with some jalepeno juice or something thrown in.... The flavor was so WEIRD, I think it may have actually been worse than the BIG BOX.

kcadams1980 in Wine

Tonight's bottle... I need some time to reflect on this ;)

Great suggestions all! I've successfully gotten over my misconceptions about wines from Austria with GV, now time to dash those memories of awful mass produced pinot grigios! Just curious, b/c I know next to nothing about Italian whites (other than the aforementioned pinot grigio that I've always found pretty thin and insipid) - are there any fuller-bodied whites from that country? I'm not talking about heavily oaked chard or anything, but I've always associated Italian whites with "light" in my mind, but I'm not sure if that's really accurate...

kcadams1980 in Wine

Tonight's bottle... I need some time to reflect on this ;)

One of my favorite quick, weeknight meals (anything that can be done in one pot gets a big thumbs up from me!) is (I guess) an italian-inspired simple dish made with seared chicken thighs, marinated artichokes, a little white wine (whatever I've got, lol) kalmata olives, diced tomatoes, mushrooms and pasta (cavatappi). I typically just grab one of my "go-to" bottles of chard or maybe a viognier, but I'm trying to get out of my NW comfort zone a bit and am open to suggestions!

I know I could easily go red here, but I'd prefer not to because I need some white for the dish anyway... I've never bought anything French other than a pouilly fuisse - probably because the labels scare me. I'm serious.

$15 and under - any ideas?

kcadams1980 in Wine

What got you "into" wine?

My folks were drinkers of that big box of sorrows, Franzia "Chillable Red." My dad used to drink it out of a giant plastic cup with ice while changing the oil or fixing the sink. Oh yeah, I'm not kidding. Being from an Irish-American family, I saw a lot more beer, whiskey and Baileys than I did wine growing up. I pretty much followed in their footsteps in college and my early 20's with "the box," as well as some other stuff we called "2 buck chuck."

I REALLY starting "getting into wine" when I was working as a server for a local upscale "old school" steakhouse while I was getting my masters. That was the "beginning" of my wine education (thought admittedly it was pretty NW-centric), and I've been off to the races ever since.

kcadams1980 in Wine

2011 - What are you Drinking!

Picked up a case of 2007 Casa Lapastolle Alexandra Cuvee Chardonnay (Chile) after a friend turned me on to it. $13 (aprx) at Spec's which is our biggest wine distributer here in Houston, TX. It's big, got a lot of alcohol, and yeah there is some oak, but hell I love it! I've never tried to pair it with food though, just polish off a bottle on its own, lol.

Some other good stuff I've had this year:
2006 Robert Hall Viognier
2005 Chateau de Pez St. Estephe (okay sorry, that one is over $20 but I had to include it!)
2008 Layer Cake Shiraz
2007 Glazter Gruner Veltnier
2008 Cupcake Chardonnay (scoff away!! lol)

kcadams1980 in Wine

Root beer braised short ribs - need suggestions on the risotto side. :)

thanks for all the great suggestions! Luckily we have a great meat market in my neighborhood, so I can talk to an actual butcher...I think I'm going to opt for (I'm torn) a porter-braised or coffee-ancho chili braise. Found this amazing sounding recipe from Cafe Annie (a famous spot here in Houston) using canned chipotles (which we LOVE), coffee and a little maple syrup. Sounds like a good mix of smoke/spice and sweet to me!

I will look for a simple risotto - good call on the truffle oil! If I chicken out, I can always do some creamy grits, er - polenta.

Oh, and thanks for the great wine rec's! I've seen Layer Cake Syrah before but never tried... I thought that a Malbec might be nice as well... I'll let you all know how it turns out!

kcadams1980 in Home Cooking

Root beer braised short ribs - need suggestions on the risotto side. :)

Hey, I'm totally open to suggestions on that too.. Like I said, I've only ever braised short ribs in wine - this is my first time trying something a little sweet.

kcadams1980 in Home Cooking

Root beer braised short ribs - need suggestions on the risotto side. :)

Ok... My husband's bday is this Sunday and he looooves short ribs whenever we go out. I have to confess I've only made pretty simple braised versions in wine, but there is this one spot we go where the glaze is sticky sweet and fabuloso. So I'm experimenting a bit ;)

I was thinking that, instead of braising in red wine as usual - maybe root beer? Obviously with all the veggies that normally go in the braise as well. Then reduce the braising liquid later for a sweet sauce? We'll see how that goes...

Beyond the short ribs, my DH is SET on risotto. Personally, I would have preferred a creamy polenta, grits or mashed potatoes but he just loves the rice. I've only ever done risotto as a main course - usually with substantial ingredients like seafood, or mushrooms, etc. Obviously I want the beef to be the star, so any suggestions on risotto that might be subtle enough to pair with?

Okay, my last question is about wine.... My first instinct was a peppery syrah, or maybe even a zin (though I've had some awfully fruit-fwd zins in the past that im unsure about this), but I'd love some out of the box suggestions on that. The DH is not a big wine drinker (that makes ONE of us!), but he likes big bold reds with a lot of SMOKE. Maybe he interprets pepper or tobacco as "smoke?"

Such a long and detailed post - but y'all are the best on this forum!!

kcadams1980 in Home Cooking

Side dish rec's for grilled strip steaks w/chimichurri

I'm trying to go with an Argentinian theme for the 4th at our place... We'll be grilling strip steaks with chimichurri and pairing with a malbec or maybe something else... Any ideas for sides? We'll have room on the grill, and also have a smoker box.

kcadams1980 in Home Cooking

Major fire at Mai's in Midtown

Totally lame! Such a Houston institution... I ate there a couple of weeks ago.

kcadams1980 in Houston

Need some gumbo help... roux separation (oil rising) woes.

Hi all,

I am actually a NOLA native, so I am embarrassed that I have to ask for help on - of all things - gumbo! I've always stuck with a pretty simple chicken and andouille recipe that's been in my family for years... nothing fancy, roux is equal parts veg oil and flour, chicken, sausage, the holy trinity and stock etc. I hadn't made it in several years b/c well, it takes forever, but last time I made it something just didn't turn out right. My roux came out a perfect brown, but once I added the stock and let it simmer, the oil separated from the "flour" base of the roux and it stayed that way... Doesn't look too nice presenting a bowl of gumbo w/a layer of grease on top! Truthfully I'm not sure what I did differently to cause this... How does one get a "smooth" roux base for gumbo? I must be doing SOMETHING wrong, b/c I've NEVER had a gumbo from a restaurant with a separated roux. Help please, I need to make next week for a work party and I want to impress!

Thanks,
Kelly

kcadams1980 in Home Cooking

Ft. Worth - Gift certificate rec's for inlaws

I'm in Houston, but my husband and I want to get his folks a gift certificate for a nice dinner in Ft. Worth. They live in Arlington, and mother-in-law uses a walker and in not-so-great health, so we'd like to keep it on the west side of the metroplex.

Here's what I'm looking for: non-chain, interesting restaurant with quality menu, fairly casual atmosphere (nothing too trendy/modern, they are older). Ethnic is fine, they are adventurous eaters. Any help is greatly appreciated, as I know next to nothing about the restaurant scene in DFW! Thanks.

Kelly

kcadams1980 in Dallas - Ft. Worth