Asian Roast Duck (made with a kick-arse Masterstock)

I will say upfront that I "borrowed" (and modified, slightly) Red Spice Road's wonderful recipe for roast duck (page 117, "The Red Spice Road Cookbook - an experience in Cooking South-East Asian Food", by John McLeay). Therefore, I feel justified in blogging about it and sharing the recipe with my readers. Also, I've previously raved about RSR's amazing menu and bar so, free advertising can't be a bad thing.

To prepare any self respecting asian duck dish you'll first need a good masterstock, to simmer the duck in. The key to a getting it right is achieving the right balance of flavours: sweet/salty, a touch of acid, rich, and with complex undertones - citrus? caramel? aniseed? It's not exactly rocket science but remember that once it's simmered down from the original mixture you'll end up with something earthier and more intense.

Once your masterstock is simmered and flavoured to perfection (and strained), bring it to the boil in a big pot and place a whole duck inside; simmer for 15 minutes. You might need to "weight" it to ensure the whole bird remains immersed - I used a large pot and put the steamer basket over the top, then shut the heavy glass lid and it worked fine. If using smaller portions of duck (or chicken), simmer for only 5 minutes or so. Place on a rack in a baking dish and bake in a 200C oven for 50 minutes. Alternatively, RSR's suggestion is to cut large chunks of carrot and place in the bottom of the baking dish, the benefit being that you get lovely roasted sweet carrot as a side dish at the end.

Masterstock (a variation on Red Spice Road's recipe):

- 3 litres of water

- 500ml white wine

- 100ml rice wine vinegar (this and the white wine was my substitute for "shao xhing" wine)

- 100ml light soy sauce

- 100ml Ketjap Manis (sweet soy)

- 250g dark brown (muscovado) sugar

- 5 cloves roughly chopped garlic

- 2 cinnamon sticks

- 3 cloves

- 6 star anise

- 4 cardamom pods

- 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns

- 1tsp cumin seeds

- 1 tsp coriander seeds

- 1 tsp fennel seeds

- peel from one large fresh orange

Put all ingredients into a large pot and bring to the boil; reduce heat and simmer for half an hour. Taste, adjust seasoning if needed (salt/pepper/sugar). Cool, then strain. Can be frozen for later use, and re-used again and again, as long as it's strained after each use.

This duck is wonderful served with plain rice - I made coconut rice which soaked up the juices nicely. Accompany with some chilli oil for heaven on a plate.

Billy Kwong

I had wanted to dine at Kylie Kwong's restaurant in Surry Hills ever since I chanced across an episode of her Simply Magic series some years ago.  I was blown away by her passion and love of Chinese food and culture, and shortly afterwards I ate my first Shanghai dumpling - beginning a love affair of my own with Chinese cooking.  And I've since had the pleasure to meet several friends who have lived in China, all of them only too happy to educate my palate.

The guiding philosophy behind Billy Kwong restaurant is:  "to leave as small and light an environmental footprint as possible, to give back to the community whenever and wherever we can, and to think globally and act locally".  Ahhh - be still my beating heart.

Under the red moody glow of a huge Chinese silk lantern in the small dining area, we ordered Sung Choi Bao, Kylie's signature Crispy Skin duck, fried rice, steamed Chinese greens - and the night's special, yabbies with thinly sliced vegetables and a chilli sauce.

The Sung Choi Bao was earthy and delicious, and served with a magnificent chilli sambal - which I put aside to have with the main course - it was also fantastic drizzled over the rice.  The yabbies came served in half shells, the meat pulled out first by our forks, until we got more confident and lost our manners - poking indexes in and pulling the meat free, shoving it in our mouths and licking the juice from our fingers.  But the highlight for me was the duck.  The portions were very generous - it may have been almost the whole bird - the skin not only crispy but also disintegrated  and gave way upon biting into it, and the meat so succulent and juicy it was hard not to race back to the plate for more.  The sauce it was swimming in was perfect - robust and sweet, with orange segments and cinnamon quills scattered about.  And the fragrance, incredible. 

Billy Kwong's does not accept bookings so we were left to chance getting a table - as it turned out we had to share a large table with another couple, who were enjoying a vegetarian degustation.  I did feel a little sorry for them, sharing with us ravenous duck-loving Melburnians- who made a disgraceful mess of our side of the table, adding to the general ambiance with our meat aromas, slurping and vocalising our delight at each mouthful.  We felt so comfortable there and were surrounded by many fellow food lovers who also didn't bother too much about table manners.  It was very refreshing - not only in terms of the food, but also the overall atmosphere - it felt good to be eating there on so many levels.

The evening was topped off by a simple dessert of poached pears with an almond praline and yogurt sauce.  It cleaned the palate well and was a perfect full stop behind succinct sentences of spice, sweet, crunch, salt, sour and succulence.  I couldn't resist purchasing a signed copy of Kylie's book "It Tastes Better" -  my husband joked that maybe their signature duck dish recipe would be in there and we shared a laugh.  Until I opened the book to discover that, yes - the duck dish was indeed included in the book.  Generous as her servings, Kylie Kwong is also willing to share recipes which some other high profile chefs would - justifiably - rather keep to themselves.

My favourite naughty foods

Pizza and chocolate.  Not together obviously, although I suppose you could do a nice chocolatey pizza like the one at Max Brenner's ... mmm ... where was I??

Oh. Yes.  My two favourite foods that are well and truly in the "naughty" category would have to be pizza and chocolate.  Unfortunately I don't have the metabolism of a hummingbird so I do try to be a good girl and keep them both to a minimum. 

Many, many years ago I worked evening shifts in a small but very busy country pizza restaurant.  I would work for five or six hours in the kitchen and go home absolutely reeking of tomato paste, melted cheese and ham; the smell would embed itself in my hair, clothes and skin - and I went off pizza for quite some time.  Nothing against the place as it was extremely popular and the pizza was excellent (I happily ate there before I got the job).  Something about how mechanics' cars are always overdue for a service.  Or someting like that.  Anyway, I got over my pizza aversion soon enough and have since become a coinnosseur of sorts.  Barbara, local Vintage Cookbooks shop owner, recently blogged about a new gourmet pizza restaurant that's opened up in my little town in the hills - pardon my excitement but this is HUGE news, because there was only one dinner restaurant in the town before that, and becuase I just LOVE pizza's which are a bit 'out there'.  I'll keep you posted as I'm sure I'll be eating there soon.

The best negotiation between eating the usual dripping-with-fat-pizza-shop-pizza and the weight watchers cardboard version, has got to be making your own from scratch.  You can use healthy toppings and low fat mozzarella cheese which pretty much tastes the same as regular.  Tonight I gave my new Kitchenaid mixer a workout and used the dough-hook to create a lovely pizza dough, and made pizzas for my husband and I using our favourite toppings:  white anchovy+vegetable for me, and peking duck+vegetable for him.  I've put him on a mission so that we don't suffer soggy bases in future:  a terracotta tile for the oven.

The next thing I baked today was a downright disgustingly gooey chocolate and raspberry brownie, using the recipe from a Donna Hay book ("Instant Entertaining").  Having the raspberries is an amazingly clever addition as the acidity and tartness cuts through the rich chocolate beautifully.

My excuse is that I'm booked in with a friend's church to help cater a gourmet three course meal to 14 dinner party guests - all in the name of some good old fashioned fundraising.  So at the moment I'm testing out various sweet and savoury things to ensure we get it right on the night.  And so I don't completely gorge myself on all of the finished products, I'm taking them into work to tempt the tastebuds of my colleagues instead. 

You know the drill; let me know if you would like a recipe or two... and if you like my blog, please subscribe!

Cheers, K_Bom x

Good Thursday Duck & Good Friday Pizza

Day one of two weeks' leave, and I spent it with a hangover. Probably not the best start, but the morning after the night before was worth it. Since moving high up into the heart of the Dandenong Ranges, my husband and I have taken to trekking into Melbourne's CBD and spending the night in a hotel once every couple of months after enjoying a night on the town.

A friend of ours is currently doing a stand up show for the Melbourne comedy festival, so we went along to enjoy his sick, twisted, and VERY funny antics. (Those who are interested: www.russellmcgilton.com.au) Already close to Chinatown, we grabbed a "quick" bite to eat at Da Hu Peking Duck; half a duck and about 7 pancakes each was $25 in total, and a hearty enough feed that our loose plans to grab dumplings after the show had to be shelved. After hooking up with a friend and laughing ourselves silly, we headed back up Chinatown way and enjoyed some champers and skillfully crafted cocktails, first at Chi Bar, and then over to Manchuria. Rather expensive, but worth it just for the skill and showmanship of the bartenders.

Tonight I decided some good home made pizza was in order. Not being particularly religious but up for the 'challenge' of sticking to a meat free agenda, I opted for a simple combo of fresh and home grown cherry tomatoes (from our lovely neighbour, J), anchovies (Meditteranean wholesalers), fresh basil from my garden, and shredded mozzarella (home brand!). For the sauce, I used an equal mix of tomato paste and my mum's beautiful tomato and onion chutney. It's always an interesting conundrum, what to top your pizza with. Personally, I think the fewer ingredients the better. While it's always tempting to just pile on all the favourites, if you're using fresh and flavoursome toppings and the right combo, the flavours will shine through and you'll end up with a lovely fresh and relatively healthy pizza.

Here's a very easy pizza base recipe to get you started:

In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups plain flour, pinch of salt, teaspoon dried yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 tablespoons olive oil and 3/4 cup warm water until it forms a dough. Tip out onto a clean surface with some extra flour, and knead for a few mins until it comes together. Put it into an oiled bowl and cover with cling wrap, put it in a warm place for about an hour until it doubles in size.

Knock the dough back by 'punching' it in the middle, then knead again briefly on a floured surface before rolling it out into pizzettes, or alternatively press it into a big pan. Remember, it will rise, so roll it super thin for a crispy base.

Top with your favourite pizza toppings, and cook in a hot oven (240 deg C) for approx 10 mins.

Duck and sweet nostalgia

Between the ages of 20 and 26 I had an on/off relationship with V, a chivalrous young man from Coburg of Greek descent. Part of the attraction was our shared passion for good, fresh food. He introduced me to travel - my first overseas trip was to Greece - and the many wonderful food experiences to be had by venturing to other countries and cultures.

Seven years since our last meeting, we caught up last night over a meal in Melbourne's Chinatown to reminisce about old times and do what we always did best together: eat.

The evening was split into two venues; City BBQ (Lt Bourke) & Mekong (Swanston). City BBQ's crispy skin bbq duck was ordered for me (sans menu) by V - who has lately become a connoisseur of asian cuisine. It arrived sliced into manageable pieces, arranged over a huge plate of steaming fried rice with a slightly "charred" flavour (the non greasy kind). Both were extremely tasty and also a good leveller - you have to basically pick up a piece of duck with chopsticks and somehow tear it, along with the delicious sweet and salty skin, off the bone - at the same time attempting to maintain a semi-dignified conversation with your dining companion. I abandoned all the good table manners I'd been taught and got into it with a combination of fingers, chopsticks and spoon. The texture and sweet/salty flavours of the crispy skin as you bite down, then giving way to melt in the mouth duckfat and tasty meat was beyond any peking duck experience I could remember.

Then I was led to Mekong on Swanston - which has the dodgy claim posted in their window "Clinton ate two bowls (of Pho) - how many can you eat?" - for something called "three colour drink" (pictured, along with "four colour drink"). A complete mystery to me, V explained it's a vietnamese sweet staple, consisting of things like green jelly, red kidney & mung(?) beans, coconut, topped with shaved ice and served with spoon and straw. The idea is that you stir the flavours together a little and sip/eat. I was trying to get my head around eating red kidney beans as a sweet, when I realised I had enjoyed yum cha dishes before with sweet bean paste. The texture and flavours were interesting and I am lover of all things coconut so it ticked all the boxes there, but it was a "once in a while" thing rather than something I'm dying to go back for. I was assured though, that their lemon/lime 'sorbet' is a winner - and various restaurant reviews rave about the pho, so I will venture back soon.

I awoke refreshed this morning realising two very important things:

1. It's good to forgive and let go of the past
2. Beans make me fart