Blue Duck Tavern Blog

Just one more day...

New Year's Eve is here tomorrow and we still have a few remaining seats to fill during our second seating, starting at 9:00 pm.  Here's a sneak peek at our special six-course menu:

Chilled Canapes and Charcuterie; Langostines and Glazed Sweetbreads; Proscuitto Wrapped Rockfish with Lentil Ragout; Milk Fed Poularde Arrangement; Wagyu Striploin with Black Trumpet Royale, Boulangere Potatoes, Celeriac and Apple Puree and Baby Winter Greens; and Decadent Chocolate Tasting.

This holiday menu is priced at $160 per person, inclusive of beverages.  For reservations, please call +1 202 419 6755. 

We hope to ring in the New Year with you at Blue Duck Tavern!

The Holidays Are Here

Just one week from Christmas and we are already in the holiday spirit at Blue Duck Tavern (see my previous post on our Christmas holiday menu).  A big thank you to our pastry team for working so hard these past few weeks to create this year's BDT Gingerbread House. 

Made entirely out of gingerbread, frosting, chocolate and candy, this house is rather spacious, including an adjacent two-car garage.  On display outside the pastry pantry, the house is a can't miss when entering Blue Duck Tavern.

    


 
 
  

Holiday Eggnog

Usually on Monday mornings I am sound asleep.  Not today!  In case you missed it, this morning I appeared on WUSA-9's newscast, preparing a holiday eggnog with host Andrea Roane.  This is a great holiday drink that I started making years ago with my family back in Ohio. 

Thanks to our friends at Channel 9 for posting this recipe on their website.  Happy Holidays!

http://www.wusa9.com/rss/local_article.aspx?storyid=94918

Christmas Brunch at Blue Duck Tavern

Tis' the season to gather and celebrate the Christmas holiday with us at Blue Duck Tavern!  On Christmas Day, Mike and I are preparing a special brunch, showcasing a seasonal blend of ingredients from regional farms.  Brunch will consist of hors d'oeuvres set throughout the open kitchen, including salads, cheese, and meats, followed by your choice of an entree and side dishes. The brunch concludes with a variety of desserts from the pastry pantry. 

On the brunch menu, some highlights include Lobster "Newburg", Chestnut Tortellini with Hubbard Squash Veloute and Macadamia Nut Creme, Muscovy Duck Breast with Confit of Leg and Duck Jus, and Bacon Wrapped Monkfish "Osso Bucco."  Several of the Christmas sides will include delicious Housemade Rolls with Sea Salt, Chestnut, Mushroom and Croissant Stuffing, Brussel Sprouts with Black Walnuts and Cranberry and Orange Sauce.

Reservations are still available by visiting our website www.blueducktavern.com or calling 202 419 6755.

A Recipe for Thanksgiving

As the Thanksgiving holiday is approaching, I am happy to share a recipe using one of my favorite fall ingredients - pickled beets! This dish is very simple to make and would go great with your Thanksgiving feast.

Oven Roasted and Pickled Rainbow Beets

Ingredients:

2 lbs rainbow beets (assorted baby beets)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp salt

1 jalapeno peppers

6 ea green onions

Pickling Liquid

1 cup olive oil

1 tsp tumeric

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp cracked black pepper

1 tsp yellow mustard seeds

1 tsp brown mustard seeds

2 cloves garlic

1 small knob ginger

1 cup rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp salt

Method:

Preset oven to 375F.  Cut greens away from beets, reserving for another use.  Leave a half inch of stems on the top of the beets.  Wash and dry the beets.  Place in a bowl with the two tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp salt and toss to coat.  Place the beets on a baking pan and place in the preheated oven.  Back for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on size, until the beets are just soft when pierced with a skewer. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.

Slice the jalapeno in half, the long way, and remove the seeds.  Slice the halves into halfmoon and place in a bowl.  Wash the green onions and remove the top green half and reserve for another use.  Cut off the root.  Slice the white onion on the bias and add to the jalapeno.  With a towel, rub the skins off the beets leaving the stem intact.  Add to the bowl with the jalapeno and onion.

To make the pickling liquid, place the rice wine vinegar, brown sugar and salt in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Stir to dissolve the sugar.  Remove from the heat and set aside.

Peel the ginger and grate with a fine grater to yield 1 1/2 tsp grated ginger.  Peel and mince the garlic.  Place the olive oil in a small sauce pan and place on the stove, on medium heat, until the olive oil is hot.  Add the tumeric, peppers, cumin, mustard seeds, garlic and ginger.  Saute the spices to release their flavors about one minute.  Remove from the heat and add the vinegar mixture immediately.  Stir and pour over the beet mixture.  Allow to cool to room temperature.  Place the pickled beets in a glass jar.  Cover and refrigerate up to two weeks.

Thanksgiving Brunch at Blue Duck Tavern

We're just two days away from Thanksgiving and are busy in the kitchen getting ready for our annual holiday brunch at Blue Duck Tavern.  Join us from 10:30 am to 3:30 pm for a three-course brunch featuring turkeys sourced from Eberly Farms in Lancaster County, PA.

Brunch begins with an array of hors d'oeuvres set throughout the restaurant's open kitchen, followed by a choice of entree and sides and concludes with a selection of holiday desserts from the pastry pantry.  Brunch will feature Roasted Turkey Breast and Braised Leg with Giblet Gravy, Wild Steel Head Trout with Parsley Root and Juniper Oil, Roasted Diver Maine Scallops with Shaved Fennel and Anise, Cornbread Pudding, Pear and Croissant Stuffing, and Sweet Potato Gratin.

Brunch is priced at $85 per person and $42.50 for children 12 years and older.  For reservations, visit www.blueducktavern.com or call +1 202 419 6755.

Three Sisters Garden

Each year at Blue Duck Tavern we plant a "Chef's Garden." Among the more common plantings we've done this year (strawberries, basil, peppers), we decided to do a tribute to the first sustainable gardeners of North America by using a Native American planting technique known as the "Three Sisters Garden." 

In the Three Sisters Garden, the plantings consist of corn, squash and beans planted in community mounds, which have the benefit of self-fertilization/companion plantings.  The idea is that the beans add nitrogen to the soil which is in turn used by the corn plant, while the squash plants shade the roots of both, helping to conserve water and increase the pollination with large, visible flowers.

 

This garden is a work in progress and a learning experience as can be seen from the pictures.  We are fortunate to have already achieved lush and vigorous growth.  Unfortunately, unforseen challenges do present a problem.  A recent hail storm took out half of the corn stalks.

We do hope to have a limited harvest of the Three Sisters Garden in about eight weeks time and will continue to post photos as the plants develop.  It's also not too late to plant your own urban garden. Short season varieties of heirloom plants abound and are readily available from online suppliers.  Enjoying just one meal a year from your own garden will contribute to the health of yourself and the environment with the added benefit of understanding what our farmers endure to bring the bounty of nature to our doors.

Yesterday at the Market

Yesterday, Michael and I were the guest chefs at the Dupont Circle FRESHFARM Market, leading a demo for "Radish & Butter" and "Tomatoes en Escabeche", using a selection of ingredients that can be found at the market. It was a nice day outside which meant a packed day at the market.  Thanks to my daughters, Hannah and Miranda, for helping us out. We really put those girls to work.  Also, a big thanks to Maddy Beckwith at FRESHFARM Markets for allowing us to come out and participate in the Chef at Market Program. We had a great time.

 

 

 

 

The Fresh Link

We would like to welcome The Fresh Link to our family of suppliers.  Abby Harper and Mollie Visosky of Locust Dale, VA are bringing the products of sixteen Virginia farms to us at Blue Duck. 

Every Tuesday and Friday, The Fresh Link delivers tomatoes, squash, cabbage, beans, blackberries, blueberries and peaches.  They send us a list of "just picked" produce from the day before and then deliver an unbelievably fresh product the next day.  Some of the farms they represent are Golden Angels Apiary, Whipple Farms, Retreat Farm and Berry Simple Farm.  Welcome!

Here are a few images from Mollie's latest delivery.

 

heirloom tomatoes

assorted eggplant

 

Mollie

blueberries

  

My Favorite Tea

I'm a little nervous as this is my first blog posting....

As the Tea Cellar's resident Tea Expert, guests are always asking me what my favorite tea is and what I recommend from our menu.  Personally, I am a huge fan of Rooibos and Jasmine tea.   Every time I  suggest either of the two teas to our guests, they always enjoy them, especially the Rooibos.  Therefore, my first blog post will be on why I enjoy Rooibos tea so much.

Rooibos, pronounced like "roy-bos", means red bush in Afrikaans.  This caffeine-free tea, originally from South Africa, is known for being an anti-aging tea, dating back to ancient times.  It contains beneficial antioxidant properties, which also help prevent allergic diseases, such as atopic dermatitis; works to speed up the metabolism; and also aids constipation.

The taste of Rooibos tea is often described as slightly sweet and nutty.  I always enjoy its simple, natural flavor, without adding sweetener. Our house Rooibos tea is organic and blends lavender, dried currants, elderberries, rose hip and rose petals with rooibos. This special blend creates a fruity flavor with sweet floral notes.  The lavender provides a sweet floral finish that invites you back for a second pot.

If you have never had the opportunity to sample Rooibos tea, I strongly recommend our house blend as your first experience.  And, even if you already have had Rooibos, please come to the Tea Cellar and let's discover your new favorite tea together!