ca.delish.com
January 18, 2010
Lucy's Kitchen: Winning Dishes
The Vancouver Olympics are fast approaching and our athletes have their sights set on gold. But they’re not the only ones. Recently, the Gold Medal Plates Canadian Culinary Championship was also held in Vancouver, where seven of the country’s top chefs competed against one another for the privilege of winning the 'Olympic gold' of food.
Following the intense two-day competition, Montreal’s Mathieu Cloutier of Kitchen Galerie emerged as the 2010 Gold medalist and Canadian Culinary Champion. Toronto’s David Lee from Nota Bene Restaurant took the silver medal and Michael Carmichael of Ottawa’s Restaurant Eighteen took the bronze.
Chef Mathieu Cloutier prepared a delicate rack of rabbit slowly confited in duck fat with foie gras parfait and lightly pickled beets. David Lee wowed the judges with a dish of crispy chicken skin, slow-cooked chicken breast cartilage (an interesting texture and taste) and confit chicken on creamy cauliflower puree garnished with a strip of pancetta. Matthew Carmichael’s dish featured a large mussel shell filled with a Qualicum Bay scallop, some sea urchin and salmon roe all bathing in a foamy coconut milk beside black cod with honey, lemon and ginger juice. The competition was partly a fund raiser to support Canadian Olympians and Para Olympians in their endeavours.
The following is a recipe from David Lee. It is challenging but more home-cook friendly than the one he cooked in the competition.
Duck Confit
Serves 4
This is a great dish for the winter months that’s both rustic and sophisticated. I make the duck confit but you can easily buy duck legs that have already been made into confit at upscale butcher shops and some
supermarkets.
Lentils:
1 cup lentils du Puy
3 cups water
1 small onion, halved
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Root vegetables:
1 head celeriac, peeled, trimmed and diced
(about 3 cups)
½ butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed,
cut into 1-centimetre batons (about 3 cups)
2 small turnips, diced (about 2 cups)
5 cipollini onions, peeled and trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Duck confit:
2 tablespoons duck fat
4 duck confit legs
1 cup chicken or veal stock
Combine lentils and water in a pot over medium-high heat and bring to boil. Add onion, bay leaf and thyme, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes or until lentils are tender. Drain lentils and discard flavouring. Spread lentils out on a large tray, season with salt and pepper and let cool.
Preheat oven to 400° F.
Combine root vegetables and onions in a large bowl, toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt. Heat a large, ovenproof frying pan over high heat and add remaining tablespoon olive oil. When oil is hot, add mixed root vegetables and cook on high,
tossing occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes or until slightly coloured. Add butter and toss until melted. Transfer vegetables to a baking sheet, place in oven and roast for 15 minutes or until vegetables are browned and tender. While vegetables are in the oven, heat duck fat in a cast iron pan or heavy-
bottom pan over high heat. When fat is hot, add confit duck legs, skin side down, and cook for 2 minutes or until skin begins to colour. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook until skin crisps up, about 10 minutes. Do not burn. Skin should be deep brown and crisp. As duck crisps, heat chicken stock in a pan over medium heat. Bring to boil, reduce slightly, then add lentils. Season with salt and pepper. When lentils are heated through, strain excess jus and reserve.
Place lentils in the middle of the plate. Place roasted vegetables around lentils and spoon some jus around lentils and vegetables to glaze. Top with a crisp duck leg. Serve immediately.
