Dry aged duck with popcorn pancakes
At Hickory at Nicewonder Farm & Vineyards in Bristol, Va., chef Travis Milton dry-ages duck for at least 10 days and then coats it in a mixture of honey and hickory syrup and roasts it in his wood-burning oven. Once it’s cooked, Milton lets it res for 15-20 minutes and then separates the breast and brushes it with brown butter and duck fat.
Milton pops heirloom Appalachian popcorn and then sautés it in butter. Then he adds buttermilk and salt, purées it, strains it and whisks in eggs, flour, sugar and baking powder to make pancake butter which is ladled onto a buttered flat top and griddled.
The duck is plated with the pancakes which are garnished with grilled slices of pear, sorrel, and local huckleberry purée. The plate is also garnished with buttered popcorn.
Price: $52