Slaw

Duck breast and slaw

Posted by Gary

Avoid the palaver and jump to the recipe.

Dear Reader, 

I hope you have enjoyed your week. If you haven’t, I hope the coming week is better. 

I had a disrupted week. A few matters developed into problems requiring more intense attention. As a result, I redirected my focus. I exercised less and got off target with my health goals. It’s the weekend, so I’m eating better and moving more. 

A few weeks ago, I started listening to a new book series while exercising at night. 

The book series is called “Monroe Doctrine“. It combines cyber warfare, biological warfare, and conventional war-fighting with aggression, starting with the People’s Republic of China. The scenarios involve advanced artificial intelligence, deep fakes, synthetic biology and gain of function, plus upgraded conventional weapon platforms. Without spoiling the plot, it is contemporary and takes advantage of COVID-19 as a plot device. 

The Monroe Doctrine is a fundamental set of principles espoused by President James Monroe in the mid-1800s. 

Canberra is experiencing a warm few days, which is odd because by the middle of March, for as long as I can remember, Autumn’s cool would have already established itself. I’m not complaining; this may be the last weekend of shorts and a T-shirt wearing. 

Depending on which application I look at, tomorrow’s forecast will be either 35 or 37 °C. 

Recipe

Equipment

  • Water heater and circulator 
  • Water bath 
  • Vacuum chamber 

Ingredients 

  • Duck breasts 
  • Salt 
  • Pepper 
  • Garlic powder 
  • Red cabbage 
  • Red onion 
  • Carrot 
  • Spring onion 
  • Red chilli 
  • Sultanas 
  • Dried cranberries 
  • Honey 
  • White peach 
  • Low-fat whole egg mayonnaise 
  • Unsalted mixed nuts 

Instructions

  1. Weigh the duck breasts to ensure each portion is <150 grams. 
  2. Season the duck breasts with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I will use a small amount of iodised salt to minimise my sodium intake. I prefer to grind whole peppercorns with a pestle in a mortar just before using them to maximise the flavour hit. 
  3. Place the seasoned breasts into plastic vacuum bags and seal them in a vacuum chamber. 
  4. Cook the duck for 2 hours at 55 °C. 
  5. Place the bagged duck breasts into the refrigerator. 
  6. Remove a duck breast at dinner and dry the surface with an absorbent paper towel. 
  7. Sear the surfaces of the breast in a hot frying pan. 
  8. Allow the meat to rest. 
  9. Grate the cabbage and carrot using a coarse grater. 
  10. Slice the spring onion, including the green and white parts. 
  11. Slice red onion and chilli. 
  12. Dice the peach into small pieces. 
  13. Put all the salad ingredients together, stir through a teaspoon of mayonnaise, and then drizzle over a bit of honey. 
  14. Slice the duck and keep some aside for another meal. 
  15. Serve everything on a plate. 
  16. Thank the Lord. 
  17. Eat with a knife and fork. 

Photographs

A photograph of the sous vide duck breast and a fancy slaw
A photograph of the sous vide duck breast and a fancy slaw
A photograph of the sous vide duck breast and a fancy slaw
A photograph of the sous vide duck breast and a fancy slaw.

Thoughts on the meal

There’s nothing exceptional about this meal. It’s a bit of duck and some salad. I find blogging relaxing, and even though I’m busy, I want to write this post and get it up and out. 

Final thoughts 

I hope you have a great week and enjoy some good eating. 

Thanks, also, to readers who commented on last week’s congee post. I wasn’t impressed, but the congee is pretty good after a few days in the refrigerator. 

Diet update

A photograph of me on Saturday, 20230318. I'm wearing a maroon polo shirt and a pair of shorts. I'm wearing my glasses.

Pressure cooker ribeye roast

Posted by Gary

Dear Reader,

How are you? It’s been a good week; I even spent half a day in the office!

Thankfully the weather here in Canberra is getting warmer. Spring has sprung, and with it, the pollen count has exploded. Hay fever is the only downside of spring.

One of the many highlights of this week was receiving a gift from my daughters. They bought me a hand mixer for my birthday (yes, I know my birthday is in May and it’s October). I’m looking forward to using it tomorrow to make pancakes.

  • KitchenAid Hand Mixer
  • KitchenAid Hand mixer

Ingredients

  • Ribeye roast
  • Iodised sea salt
  • Master stock
  • Peppercorns
  • Potato
  • Red cabbage
  • Carrot
  • Red onion
  • Wasabi mayonnaise
  • Instant gravy

Instructions

Pressure cooker ribeye roast

  1. Remove the ribeye roast from the refrigerator about an hour or so before you plan to start cooking.
  2. Unwrap it from the plastic packaging.
  3. Dry the surfaces of the roast with some absorbent paper towel.
  4. Season the meat with salt. Be generous with the seasoning.
  5. Allow the beef to rest at room temperature.
  6. Sear the surfaces of the roast to get it brown.
  7. Place the ribeye into the pressure cooker and add master stock plus peppercorns and a potato.
  8. Cook the ribeye for one hour.
  9. Allow the pressure cooker to equalise and keep the meat enclosed for another 15 minutes. The resting helps keep your meat moist.
  10. Remove the roast from the pressure cooker and, with a boning knife, dissect away the fat cap for the meal. Place the rest of the meat into a container and put it into the refrigerator.

Slaw

  1. Lovingly sharpen your cook’s knife (as iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend Proverbs 27:17 NLT).
  2. Slice the cabbage, carrot, and red onion.
  3. Mix with the mayonnaise.

Finishing up

  1. Make the instant gravy according to the instructions for use.
  2. Add the cooked peppercorns from the cooking liquor to the instant gravy and mix it through.
  3. Plate up the meat and slaw and slather with instant gravy.
  4. Give thanks to the Lord for His grace and mercy.

Cooking notes

Why did I use a boning knife to remove the fat cap? It feels more comfortable using a knife with a short distance between the spine and edge for dissecting between muscle planes.

Why did I reserve the fat cap for dinner? The fat cap is the best part of a ribeye because it is the deckle or spinalis dorsi muscle. It is tender and has a high amount of fat. We all know that fat means flavour.

Blog post questions

  1. Do you have hay fever? How do you manage it?
  2. What did you receive for your birthday this year?
  3. Do you like your meat fatty or lean?

Simul Justus et Peccator

I know many people think of October as Halloween month. All Hallow’s Eve has never really featured highly in my mind. I’m always amused to see all these big North American pumpkins in Coles.

When I think of October, I think of Martin Luther and his posting of his 95 theses on 31 October 1517. Reformation Day represents the onset of the protestant reformation.

I’ve been listening to Tim Keller this month preach on Galatians. On Thursday morning, I listened to a sermon he titled “Justified Sinner”. The text was Galatians 2:17–21. Tim explained how one of Luther’s most well-described formulae is Simul Justus et Peccator, Latin for a justified sinner. If you’re interested, the podcast is fantastic. Tim explains the heart of the gospel in this sermon.

  • Ribeye roast
  • Ribeye roast
  • Ribeye roast and iodised salt
  • Pressure cooker ribeye roast with slaw and instant gravy with extra peppercorns.
  • Pressure cooker ribeye roast with slaw and instant gravy with extra peppercorns.
  • Pressure cooker ribeye roast with slaw and instant gravy with extra peppercorns.
  • Pressure cooker ribeye roast with slaw and instant gravy with extra peppercorns.