The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Sixties Cookbook (21 page)

6.
Stir the sugar and ¼ cup water in a heavy-bottomed small saucepan over high heat until the sugar dissolves. Cook without stirring, occasionally swirling the pan by its handle, until the sugar is smoking and caramelized to the color of a copper penny, about 3 minutes. Pour in the liqueur, then the duck stock, orange juice, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, stirring until the caramel is dissolved. Remove from the heat.

7.
When the duck is done, drain the juices from the body cavity into a bowl, then add the juices to the stock mixture. Transfer the duck to a carving board. Pour out the fat in the pan (see Note), leaving any browned bits in the pan. Place the pan over high heat on the stove. Pour in the stock mixture. Bring to a boil and cook, scraping up any browned bits in the pan with a wooden spatula, until the liquid reduces to about ¾ cup, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

8.
Cut the duck into quarters. Serve hot, with the sauce spooned on top and garnished with the orange zest strips.

NOTE
:
The rendered duck fat from the roasting pan can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month or frozen for up to 3 months. Like bacon fat, gourmet cooks know that it is a great medium for sautéing meat, poultry, and vegetables, especially potatoes.

Continental Cuisine for Sophisticates

Put a candle in a wine bottle, lower the lights, and take a trip to Europe without leaving the comfort of your home.

Negronis (
page 197
)

Shrimp Cocktail with Bloody Mary Sauce (
page 42
)

Duck à l’Orange (
page 112
)

Wild rice with toasted pine nuts

Steamed carrots

Crêpes Bardot (
page 174
)

Coffee

Grand Marnier

CD PlayList

Ultra-Lounge, Vol. 10,
Bachelor in Paris

Juliette Gréco,
Les Plus Grandes Chansons

Putumayo Presents:
French Café

SHRIMP SCAMPI

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Whether you’re preparing an impressive feast for your business associates or just want to prepare a quick dinner at home, shrimp scampi rarely disappoints. Ignore the fact that “scampi” means langoustine (also called the Dublin Bay prawn)—a kind of small, clawless lobster that isn’t easily found on these shores—and does not refer to a specific recipe. Every chef prepares scampi differently, and this version combines elements from our favorites for plump shrimp in a garlicky butter sauce that begs to be soaked with bread. Steamed rice and asparagus would be nice side dishes.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1½ pounds extra large (21 to 25 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, divided

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

¾ cup dry white wine, such as pinot grigio

Grated zest of ½ lemon

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1½ teaspoons all-purpose flour

Finely chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

1.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the shrimp with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are firm and opaque, about 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the shrimp to a platter.

2.
Add 2 tablespoons of butter and the garlic together to the skillet and return to medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until the garlic is softened but not browned, about 1 minute. Combine the wine, lemon zest and juice in a small bowl, sprinkle in the flour, and whisk to dissolve the flour. Pour into the skillet and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits in the skillet with a wooden spoon. Cook until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Return the shrimp to the skillet and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Season with salt and pepper.

3.
Divide the scampi equally among four dinner plates, sprinkle with the parsley, and serve.

CRAB-STUFFED SHRIMP

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

While stuffing a roast bird has been around since the dawn of time, stuffing like (and not so alike) foods into one another was a Sixties specialty. Gelatin was stuffed with vegetables, eggs were stuffed with mushrooms, and perhaps most successfully shrimp was stuffed with crab. It is one of Rick’s favorite childhood dishes, remembered from eating out at white-tablecloth restaurants on San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf.

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

3 tablespoons minced scallion, white and pale green parts only

1 garlic clove, minced

8 ounces crabmeat, picked over for cartilage and shells

1 cup fresh bread crumbs, divided

¼ cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon hot red pepper sauce

Salt

16 jumbo shrimp, peeled, butterflied and deveined, with the tail segments attached

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ cup dry white wine, such as pinot grigio

Lemon wedges, for serving

1.
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the scallion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Scrape into a medium bowl and let cool slightly.

2.
Add the crabmeat, ¾ cup of bread crumbs, mayonnaise, parsley, oregano, hot red pepper sauce, and mix. Season the crab mixture with salt. Divide into 16 portions.

3.
Open the butterflied shrimp, cut side up. Top each shrimp with a portion of the crab mixture, shaping the filling to the shrimp. Place the shrimp side by side on a baking sheet and sprinkle the tops generously with the remaining bread crumbs, pressing them in gently to adhere. (The shrimp can be prepared to this point up to 4 hours ahead, covered and refrigerated.)

4.
Position a rack in the top third of the oven and preheat the oven to 425°F. Arrange the shrimp in a lightly oiled 15-by-10-inch baking dish. Pour the wine around the shrimp. Drizzle the tops of the shrimp with the oil. Bake until the shrimp turn opaque, 12 to 15 minutes.

5.
Transfer 3 shrimp to each dinner plate. Whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons butter into the wine in the baking dish. Pour equal amounts of the wine mixture over each serving. Sprinkle with the parsley, add the lemon wedges, and serve hot.

LOBSTER NEWBERG

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Lobster Newberg had been on Manhattan menus for over seventy-five years when it made a midcentury comeback, partly due to its pyrotechnical pleasures, and also because it can be made with a minimum of ingredients. But fair warning: Newberg is costly to make unless you have a lobster trap next to your yacht. It is often served in pastry shells to help stretch the portions, which we have done here. You can also experiment by substituting less expensive shrimp or scallops for some of the lobster, or adding sautéed mushrooms to the finished dish. We do recommend that you make it with a chafing dish for that extra dash of
savoir faire
.

3 lobsters, cooked and cooled

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons Cognac or brandy

2 tablespoons Madeira (California Madeira is fine.)

1¼ cups heavy cream

2 large egg yolks

Salt and ground hot red (cayenne) pepper

4 frozen puff pastry shells, baked according to package directions

1.
Remove the lobster meat from the shells, reserving any red roe and crumbling it to separate the tiny eggs. Discard the shells and viscera. Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces. You should have about 3½ cups meat.

2.
In a large skillet melt the butter over medium heat. Add the lobster and cook, stirring often, just to heat the lobster through, about 1 minute. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the lobster to a small bowl. (If using a chafing dish, remove the water pan from the chafing dish holder. Cook the lobster in the skillet on the stove with the butter as directed above. Then bring the lobster in the skillet with the other ingredients to the dinner table. Ignite the chafing dish fuel and continue cooking.)

3.
Pour the Cognac and Madeira into the skillet and heat over low heat until the liquors are beginning to simmer. Carefully ignite the liquors with a long match. Let them burn out of their own accord, or cover with the lid after 30 seconds.

4.
Add the heavy cream and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk the egg yolks in a small bowl. Ladle in about ½ cup of the hot cream mixture, whisk well, then whisk into the skillet. Add any reserved roe. Cook just until the sauce thickens without boiling, about 30 seconds. Do not overheat or the sauce will be grainy.
Remove from the heat and season with salt and hot pepper. Return the lobster to the skillet and stir well.

5.
For each serving, place a pastry shell on a dinner plate, and spoon in the lobster mixture. Serve hot.

How to Succeed in Cooking Lobster

Most fish stores will cook the lobster for you—so let them! If you have to cook the lobsters yourself, it is easy to do, as long as you have nerves of steel.

Try to cook the lobsters immediately after bringing them home from the market. If you refrigerate them, poke holes in the bag so they don’t suffocate. Bring a very large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. There will probably be only enough room in the pot to cook one lobster at a time. Plunge the live lobster head first into the water. Cover and cook until the lobster shell has turned deep red, about 15 minutes. Use tongs to remove the lobster from the water. Transfer to a bowl of iced water to cool.