Duck & Dumplings
At Fire Restaurant & Lounge in The Art Hotel Denver, executive chef Jon Keeley offers this richer version of chicken & dumplings.
He cures duck legs in salt, pepper, coriander, fennel seeds, thyme and bay leaves for 24 hours and then cooks them in sous-vide for 12 hours, until they’re tender. Then he pulls the meat.
Separately, he mixes house-made ricotta cheese with eggs and flour to form dumplings — similar to gnocchi, he said — and then poaches them in the whey left over from making the ricotta.
At service he sears the dumplings until lightly golden brown and then adds roasted mushrooms, the duck and baby kale.
Then he deglazes the pan with a Parmesan broth made by simmering Parmesan cheese rinds in vegetable stock for several hours until soft enough to blend.
The dish is finished with grated Grana Padano cheese and Calabrian chile oil.
Price: $29