“I'm Armenian, so we cook the buckwheat pilaf style, with minced sautéed onions and vermicelli and thyme and slivered almonds. Then we finish it with lots of lemon and Italian parsley. It’s nice and firm and eats very much like kasha.”
“We blanch the duck to get some of the fat out and then give it a fennel, ginger, and cardamom spice rub. Then we pan-roast slowly on the fat side, so that it crisps as it renders. I like to whack a breast into three thick pieces, and then turn them on their side to expose the beautiful roseate interior and crisp exterior.”
“It’s just the reduced braising liquid from the endive: endive, butter, and apple. It really pulls the duck and the endive together.”
“I was looking for a bitter element, and endive was the perfect muse because in its raw state it's crisp and bitter, but when you cook it, it's buttery and gives off its acidity in an almost citrusy, floral way. We put slices of Golden Delicious apple slices inside its cavity, and that melts inside and perfumes the whole thing. ”
“I’m a big fan of emulsions; I like non-sauce-related elements on the plate. This is just lemon and mustard and extra-virgin olive oil, buzzed up with a little egg yolk and few bits of preserved lemon for texture. I sort of judge restaurants by their garnishes.”