Oscars Party Eats: Beet Latkes with Duck Pastrami and Apple Mustard Recipe
Eat like you won an Academy Award! This is one of the dishes that Chef Wolfgang Puck and his team will be serving to the stars on Sunday at the famous Governors Ball.
Beet Latkes with Duck Pastrami and Apple Mustard
Makes about 3 dozen
Like almost everyone, I love the flavors of great deli food. So my catering team and I asked ourselves: How do we capture those classic bold, comforting delicatessen tastes and turn them into something elegant and upscale to serve to the formally dressed Hollywood stars at the Governors Ball? This recipe was our answer. Although you can find all the ingredients in a well-stocked market, I know it may take a special shopping trip along with a few days of advance preparation. So, if you don’t want to spend that time but would like to enjoy a similar experience, you could even substitute your own favorite potato pancakes, made in bite-sized form, and top them with a smear of honey mustard and some good-quality hot pastrami!
Duck Pastrami:
1/2 large head garlic, separated into individual cloves, left unpeeled
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
1/2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
1 bay leaf, crumbled
1 whole clove
3 fresh duck legs, skin on
2 cups rendered duck fat
Apple Mustard:
2 cups peeled, cored, and thinly sliced Fuji or Granny Smith apples
1 cup unsweetened apple juice
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 (2-inch) strip lemon zest
2 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Beet Latkes:
3 cups coarsely shredded peeled beets (about 3 medium beets)
2 large eggs, beaten until blended
3 tablespoons gluten-free flour
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Canola oil, for frying
For Serving:
1/2 tablespoon whole coriander seeds, toasted lightly in a small dry skillet over low heat, then coarsely ground
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh chives
First, 2 to 3 days before serving time, start preparing the Duck Pastrami: Peel 2 of the garlic cloves. Mince them and put the in a small mortar or small bowl. Add a pinch of the salt and, with pestle in a mortar or the back of a spoon in a bowl, mash the garlic to a paste consistency. Add the remaining salt along with the shallot, thyme, bay leaf, and clove, and stir until combined.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl large enough to hold the duck legs. Rub the mixture into the duck legs. Cover the bowl and leave the duck to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 day and up to 2 days.
Remove the duck legs from the bowl and rinse off the seasoning mixture under cold running water. Pat the duck legs dry.
In a Dutch oven, melt the duck fat over low heat. Add the duck legs and remaining garlic cloves. Cook, uncovered, over low heat until the fat registers 190°F on a deep-frying thermometer, about 1 hour. Continue to cook the duck, checking occasionally to make sure the temperature stays between 190°F and 210°F, until the duck meat is tender enough for a wooden toothpick to slide easily into the thigh meat, 2 to 3 hours longer.
Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the duck legs to a large bowl. Place a fine-meshed wire sieve inside a large bowl and slowly, carefully pour the duck fat from the Dutch oven through the sieve, stopping before any of the cloudy liquid or meat juices in the bottom of the Dutch oven pour into the bowl. Then, pour enough of the strained fat over the duck legs in their bowl to cover them by 1 inch. Leave to cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. Then, cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
Just before serving, remove the duck from the fat, reserving the fat for another use such as frying (it’s excellent for potatoes), making sure you keep at least 1 tablespoon for reheating the duck meat later. Using clean hands, pull off and discard the duck skin. Pull the meat from the bones, transferring it to a clean bowl and discarding any additional fat, gristle, or connective tissue. Discard the bones. With your fingers, pull the leg meat apart into coarse shreds, leaving the meat in the bowl. Cover the bowl and refrigerate until just before serving time.
About an hour before serving, start making the Apple Mustard: Put the apples, apple juice, honey, sugar, lemon juice and zest, mustard seeds, and salt in a large, heavy-bottomed sauté pan. Bring the liquid to a low boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, and then reduce the heat to low and continue cooking until the apples are soft enough to mash with the back of a fork, about 20 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, remove the lemon zest, and use a potato masher to mash the apples to a coarse puree. Set aside.
Start preparing the Beet Latkes about 30 minutes before serving time: Put the shredded beets in a large mixing bowl. Press down on them with several layers of paper towel to absorb excess moisture.
Add the eggs, flour, salt, and pepper to the beets. Stir until thoroughly combined.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add just enough oil to coat the bottom. When the oil is hot enough to flow easily when the skillet is tilted, use a tablespoon measuring spoon to scoop up a heaping spoonful of the beet mixture and place it in the skillet. Fry until the latkes are golden-brown, about 3 minutes per side, turning them with a small spatula.
When the latkes are done, transfer them to a baking sheet in a single layer. Repeat the process to cook the remaining mixture, adding more oil to the skillet as necessary.
Right after you start cooking the latkes, reheat the shredded Pastrami-Spiced Duck: Melt 1 tablespoon of reserved duck fat in a large sauté pan. Add the toasted and cracked coriander seeds, 2 tablespoons of the apple mustard, and the shredded duck meat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is heated through and starts to turn crispy, about 5 minutes.
To serve, arrange the latkes on one or more platters. Lightly spread each one with some of the Apple Mustard. Top with about 2 teaspoons of the Pastrami-Spiced Duck, garnish with a pinch of chives, and serve immediately.
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More recipes from Wolfgang Puck’s Oscars menu:
Oscars Party Eats: Celery Root Agnolotti
Oscars Party Eats: Baked Macaroni and Cheese With Black Truffles
