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{ SOMMjournal.com } 95 THE SOMM SAYS: "We've been doing Châteauneuf- du-Pape with this dish lately, most recently the Domaine du Banneret 2009. Grenache-based, spicy, medium to full body, red fruit and lots of earth. Picks up the corian- der nicely." —Jennifer Tietz, Tru Wine Director The Muscovy duck is ordered by an estimated 60 percent of diners at Tru. Why Muscovy ducks? I like the fat ratio. They're not tremendously fatty. But they're fatty enough so that they cook crisp, without being dry. It can be tricky hitting just the right balance. Do you have to dress the ducks? They arrive with their heads and feet still on. We hang them for ten to 14 days till meat and skin are just right; it's an important part of the drying process. We do a lot of tours of the kitchen, and guests will see 30 to 80 ducks hanging in back. It's a lost art. It's very important that the carcass be properly cleaned. Fourteen days seems to be right at the end of the process. I guess we could do a few more. But that's our limit. How was the honey, lemon, lime, orange and Dijon mustard glaze developed? I wanted to do something with citrus. Duck has such a huge flavor on its own, and citrus amplifies the flavor. I started thinking about all the great glazes, and it came down to honey and citrus. I reduce the citrus and caramelize it, and as the final touch I add some Dijon mustard. How is the duck prepared for roasting? We take the head and feet off, and truss it very, very tight so breasts are uniform. We season the breasts with salt, brush with the glaze and spice on outside with black pepper coriander and cumin. Seventeen minutes seems such a brief cooking time. Well, it is. But we use a fairly high heat convection oven for the 17 minutes. And then, it's the resting that really does it. If I served the duck when it first came out, it would be too rare. We have it resting for 20 to 25 minutes in a warm area in the oven. It finishes the bird. It's not rocket science, though resting meat is sort of a lost art. What does the lime zest put on at the end do? I'm a big fan of natural foods and raw foods. I always chew on radishes as I'm prepping them. When citrus is reduced and caramel- ized, it loses a bit of its freshness. So I wanted to introduce a taste of really fresh citrus, with its oily flavor and aroma. It enhances the other ingredients. Talk about the complexities of tableside service. The bird arrives garnished with fresh flowers and herbs sticking out of it. Depending on what the guest wants, we'll present the duck, then either portion it at the table or back in the kitchen. First there's the breast. Then, we confit the legs with fresh fat—the legs need to rest about five minutes more than the breast to be just right. It arrives at the table in a copper pan, sitting on a bed of fresh cedar branches, which surrounded the duck when it was being raised. A lot of cedar and pine in life—so we serve the duck with that aroma. What is the duck served with? We offer caramelized Belgium endive, quince + ginger chutney— though the chutney can vary with the seasons. The endive is cooked sous vide in caramelized orange juice, so it tastes of its original bitter- ness. We've been making our chutney with pineapple of late. How does it fit into the Tru aesthetic? My background has always been very classic, very technical. It infuses a lot of the cooking at Tru. This is how I prefer my duck—more classical than crazy. Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Q: Somm Journal June/July.indd 95 5/9/14 12:12 PM