Restaurants

Belle Vie Farm | Farmer’s Market Asian Duck Confit Tacos with

January 25, 2017 by Alyssa

Asian Duck Confit Tacos highlight the duck’s savory, rich flavor in a light yet tangy sauce accented with crunchy cucumbers, scallions, and fresh cilantro!

Have you ever accidentally made something delicious? As in, you set off on your dinner journey and by the end you just happened to create something so extraordinarily delicious, that you become giddy with delight and can’t help but pat yourself on the back at your creative genius?

Because that’s exactly what happened to me with these Asian Duck Confit Tacos.

Last weekend, I was feeling rather uninspired in the kitchen. So I grabbed my puppy girl Stella and headed to Austin’s downtown farmer’s market, looking to for a menu muse. Now, winter isn’t actually the prime of farmer’s market shopping — there’s lots of greens, some citrus, root vegetables and squash. All of which left me feeling kind of ‘meh’ in terms of finding a menu muse.

But, as puppy girl and I were walking by one stand at the market, Stella made a sharp left turn and skimmed her nose along the side of a table that had out a spread of pâté for sampling. Looking up, I noticed the vendor was Belle Vie Farm — the vendor that came recommended by fellow Austin bloggers as a great source for local duck!

Oh puppy girl, Stella, you have splendid taste!

Skimming Belle Vie’s offerings, I noticed they had Duck Leg Confit and I instantly knew that this duck was coming home with me for Saturday night dinner. Making our way through the rest of the market, Stella and I grabbed a fresh bag of organic arugula, some scallions and treated ourselves to Buddha Brew’s Seasonal Beet Carrot kombucha!

Skipping back to the car, my mind started tossing around all the wonderful ways to use my farmer’s market finds! After much deliberation and a bit of input from <3M, it was decided this duck would be best served simply to highlight its savory, rich flavor with a bit of sweet, salt and tang — thus, Asian Duck Confit Tacos were born.

Since the Duck Confit is fully cooked, this meal is rich in flavor but easy in execution, the whole thing came together in less than 20 minutes. The duck leg is complimented by a simple, homemade Asian sauce topped with crunchy, crisp cucumbers, a sprinkling of scallions and a touch of cilantro.

The combination is savory and filling while somehow remaining light. Served up next to an arugula salad the tacos are complimented by the arugula’s own peppery spice, more cucumbers and scallions, and a generous topping of salty feta cheese all tossed in a light olive oil and lemon balsamic vinaigrette.

These Asian Duck Confit Tacos turned an ordinary, uninspired Saturday into a special, at-home date night for <3M & I — it was meal we raved about for days and can’t wait to make again.

So if you’re in the need of some inspiration and a menu muse, grab yourself a bit of duck confit and whip up these Asian Duck Confit Tacos to reinvigorate your cooking spirit!

5.0 from 3 reviews

Asian Duck Confit Tacos with Simple Arugula Salad

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

20 mins

Asian Duck Confit Tacos highlight the duck's savory, rich flavor in a light yet tangy sauce accented with crunchy cucumbers, scallions, and fresh cilantro!

Serves: 4 tacos

Ingredients

FOR THE TACOS
1 duck leg confit
1 scallion
1 English cucumber
2 tablespoon cilantro
1 clove garlic
2 teaspoon grated ginger
4 tablespoon soy sauce
4 tablespoons vegetable broth
2 tablespoons hoisoin sauce
½-1 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice
4 corn tortilla shells
1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
Olive oil spray
FOR THE SALAD
4 cups arugula
1 teaspoon garlic olive oil*
1 tablespoon lemon white balsamic vinegar*
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon grated garlic
2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Prep the duck confit by removing the meat from the bone and set aside.
Prepare the taco toppings by slicing the scallion and cucumber into thin rounds and roughly chopping the cilantro, set aside until serving.
Make the sauce by spritzing a medium sized sauce pan with olive oil spray and warm over medium heat.
Sauté 1 clove of garlic and 2 teaspoons of grated ginger for 2 minutes.
Add 4 tablespoons of soy sauce, 4 tablespoons of vegetable broth, 2 tablespoons of hoisin sauce and ½-1 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice. Mix until combined and the sauce just begins to bubble. Add in the prepared duck meat and turn the stove to low to warm duck meat. Once warm, leave the pan on the burner but turn it off.
Assemble tacos by warming taco shells in a small skillet until lightly browned in some spots. Divide the duck meat between the 4 taco shells, topping with any additional sauce. Layer on prepared cucumbers, scallions and a bit of cilantro. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.
To assemble the salad, place the arugula in a large bowl and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, white vinegar, red wine vinegar, and grated garlic.
Drizzle atop the arugula and toss to distribute. Salt and pepper to taste.
Before serving, top with crumbled feta.

Notes

*If you don't have garlic olive oil or lemon white balsamic, simply add a bit more garlic and a squeeze of half a lemon to the salad.

JGB: Our CSA Meals

April 13, 2015 by Alyssa

Lately, M<3 and I have been trying to eat low-carb dinners. We’ve found that since cutting out carbs and starches in the evening – as in no pasta, rice, potatoes, beans, or legumes – that we’ve felt a whole lot better! We don’t feel as stuffed or bloated after dinner, we sleep a little better, and in general, it’s helped us eat a bit healthier.

Most of these meals have consisted of some type of roasted or grilled vegetable and a protein. We have a shared love for grilled brussel sprouts, sautéed asparagus, and grilled zucchini. One or sometimes, all, of these are included in our weekly dinner rotation.

We are by no means sick of eating these veggie and protein meals but I thought it would be fun to throw in a new mix of vegetables so M<3 and I decided to become CSA members at Johnson’s Backyard Garden [JBG] hoping it would give us more of a ‘grab-bag’ of veggies, forcing us to eat them before they go to waste.

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Basically, you pay a fee to a local farming organization and in return, you receive a share of seasonal vegetables delivered to you. You have some say in what vegetables you receive, depending on the season, you can customize the size of the delivery, and you can also choose the frequency of the delivery.

Mayank and I chose the medium size box from JBG with delivery every other week. Conveniently, they deliver to our office so it makes receiving the vegetables super easy! They also have farmer’s market pick-ups and additional locations around the Austin. They are also located in other cities all across Texas including Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio!

Our first CSA box contained…

Beets
Curly Kale
Mixed Lettuce
Artichokes
Purple and Orange Carrots
Rainbow Chard
Flat Leaf Parsley
Yellow Spring Onions
Red Radishes and..
Leeks

And here’s how we used everything!

Beets – I love beets and decided I wanted to recreate two of my favorite meals form local restaurants around Austin. One is a beet, kale & goat cheese salad from Cenote and the other is a Pickled Beet sandwich from Fado’s. I pickled the beets using Alton Brown’s recipe then added them to a kale salad for lunch a couple of days while using the rest as part of a hummus, feta, and beet wrap, similar to Fado’s!

Curly Kale – I used this as my base for my kale & beet salads. I made the Cenote salad my own by massaging the kale with mashed avocado, a squeeze of lemon, plus salt & pepper. I also add in feta rather than goat cheese, some cucumber, garbanzo beans, and some baby carrots + hummus for some crunch on the side!

Kale & Beet Salad

Mixed Lettuce – M<3 and I used this as our Chicken Caesar salad base one night (keeping with our low-carb dinners!). We kept the salads light by using Bolthouse Farms yogurt based Caesar dressing, which we also used to marinate the chicken in before grilling!

Artichokes – These were tough as fresh artichokes don’t really result in a lot of edible meat and trimming them down is a rather tedious task. To keep is simple and quick, I went with Guy Fieri’s roasted baby artichokes recipe. We stuck them on the grill and it was quite easy but I’d rather buy the frozen artichoke hearts and save myself the work!

Purple & Orange Carrots – This sounds rather odd, but I made carrot fries out of these! We absolutely love carrot fries (aka roasted carrots) and love to pair them as a healthier alternative to roasted potato fries. My recipe’s nothing more than slicing carrots into strips, tossing with fresh garlic, salt & pepper and roasting at 425* for 30 minutes! We had these fries with lettuce-wrapped turkey burgers one evening! Here’s a similar, more complicated recipe.

Carrot Fries + BBQ Turkey Burger

Rainbow Chard – This one required a bit of research as I wanted to make something that M<3 would enjoy and wanted something a bit more creative than ‘garlicky sautéed chard.’ In the end, we decided to make Chicken & Swiss Chard Enchilada Casserole. We halved the recipe since it was just the two of us, added some mole sauce into the layers as well as shredded jalapeño cheese, and rather than frying the tortillas we toasted them on the stove to save on fat! We both enjoyed this meal and it introduced M<3 to chard! He even loved it as a leftover lunch later in the week.

Flat Parsley – I used this to make a chimmichurri sauce that was served over some grilled chicken one night. If you ever have a large bunch of parsley in need of use, I highly suggest making chimmichurri. We used this recipe but lessened the garlic!

Yellow Spring Onions – I included these in a recipe we already love for Chicken with Herb-Roasted Potatoes & Peas. I quartered the onions and threw them in to roast with the potatoes! This meal is super simple yet flavorful. Plus clean up is easy as it’s a one-pan kind of meal!

Red Radishes – These were simply enjoyed as crudités with this lemon hummus. It’s lovely and has just the right zest of lemon paired with a bit of spice from the radishes.

Leeks – M<3 happened across a Men’s Health breakfast recipe for Crispy Leek Hashbrowns that seemed right up his alley. It included potatoes, [turkey] bacon, and cheese and he made it for me one Sunday for breakfast. We both enjoyed it with a fried egg on top. The leeks added great flavor without the harshness of traditional onions.

Crispy Leak Hashbrowns

Overall, we’ve enjoyed our first CSA box. It’s definitely allowed us to try a few new recipes that we otherwise wouldn’t have and it’s added the veggie variety we were looking for! I’ll share our next box and round of recipes when it comes at the end of April!

Hopdoddy: you secretly disappoint me

January 30, 2014 by Alyssa

I have this group of constant girlfriends here in my life in Austin. And luckily, all of our guys get along rather well too! Maybe it’s due to their shared obsession with an Austin-based burger bar – hopdoddy. So obsessed with the joint’s beefy “goodness” that they were willing to subject themselves to the torture of hopdoddy’s hottest, spiciest burger to date – the ghostland burger.

For my own entertainment, I was sure to record their spicy venture into manhood.

So, even though they clearly didn’t enjoy the ghost burger, after this feat, their obsession with hopdoddy only grew. Part of their obsession is spelled out in its name itself.
Let me break it down for you….

hop: handcrafted beer [since they only serve local, craft beer]
AND
doddy: the nickname given to the Scottish cow [aka beef]

Therefore, hopdodddy = beer & beef

beer burger hopdoddy consider burgers & beer to be the perfect culinary merger and they consider themselves the creator of THE perfect burger-beerr union. Now, it definitely makes sense that the guys in my life would be drawn to a burger-beer place on a regular basis but what doesn’t make sense is why they’re drawn to hopdoddy over any other burger place in Austin. Personally, I’ve only been left disappointed or frustrated during my visits and I’ve been dragged there often enough that I’m entitled to an opinion.

I realize I have a bit of a bias since I’m a “veggie loving hippie” but even if they served the world’s greatest veggie burger, I’m not sure I would ever visit hopdoddy solo without the friends-social aspect to persuade me.

So here’s my ode to hopdoddy, venting my frustrations.
Hopefully they hear me, and if anything, maybe they’ll take a suggestion or two….

1. You make me stand in a line outside the restaurant only to get inside and stand in another line (for drinks) followed by a third line to order my food.
WHY AM I STANDING IN THREE DIFFERENT LINES?! I thought I was standing in the first line to order food. Alas, I was wrong, the first line was the line to get into the AC / heat (whatever be the season). The second line is to mosey past the bar and out of boredom order a cocktail [the hopdoddy moneymaker line]. The third line is the line I thought I was waiting in all along – the line to order food [queue angels singing here].

line

2. When I’m about to about to step up and order my food, you hit pause and let other people move forward in front of me.
I get it, I came with 5 friends and you don’t have a table available to accommodate the 6 of us but it’s just plain sad that after I spent an hour and 8 minutes waiting in both of your lines, you push me to the side and force me to watch the 2-party patrons place their orders and wander to their seats. Couldn’t you at least let me and my friends get a soda or have a server get me a refill on my cocktail I paid $12 for? I’m parched from standing in all three lines for so long and need something to entertain me while I continue to wait on the sideline – why not another drink or some pickles to pass the time!

3. Your drinks are weak and overpriced.
I know you aren’t in the business of mixing cocktails – you’re in the business of tapping beer and “spanking your patties because they like it” but that doesn’t mean you can’t attempt to pour a decent cocktail.
At least your Lil Prick cocktail with tequila and prickly pear juice lives up to its name with only a little bit of tequila! No worries though, its excessive use of hot pink prickly pear juice sure does make up for that lack of alcohol! [That color’s all natural too, right? Just like you advertise all your other ingredients to be?]

4. Your burgers fall apart when I pick them up.
How can I eat a burger in a bun when I pick it up and it crumbles to the the table?

I’m not talking about JUST the veggie burgers [though those have it the worst!]. Your spanked patties are overstuffed into your “made fresh daily” buns and any normal eating practices must be abandoned in order to consume the burger. I’ve watched countless times as my own veggie burger crumbled apart and my friend’s burgers become a deconstructed burger salad. [That is a culinary trend these days, maybe that’s what you’re going for here?]

Could you at least start serving your burgers with a fork? That way we have something to eat it with when it falls apart?

Or better yet, here’s a suggestion – put those crumbly patties in a wrapper!
They work marvelously at holding things together. I bet you can even get compostable wrappers provided by a local vendor so it fits into your whole recycle, be green, get local theme you not so casually market throughout your entire restaurant and website. [Yes, hopdoddy even have signs telling us which color straws are recyclable and which aren’t – make sure to get each in its proper bucket after enjoying a milkshake]

5. Your specials don’t make me feel special.
Again, I get it, you’re a BURGER place and by tradition, burger means beef. But if you’re going to offer a special, let’s offer a special every now and again that appeals to your veggie lovers because as I mentioned, we vegetarians are being dragged to hopdoddy by our beef loving, burger eating friends and family.

And for the record, that one time in December, when you offered the Janis Joplin as a vegetarian burger special, doesn’t count because that used to be on your menu before you traded it out for that other veggie burger. [Both fall apart]

[I agree, this Janis Joplin burger looks tasty – but not when you end up eating it in pieces off your tray as a brown rice, avocado, bready mess]

Here’s my veggie burger suggestion for you, hopdoddy: Revisit your Janis Joplin veggie burger recipe, add in extra binder to hold it all together [a little egg white might help!] and pair it with some goat cheese, arugula, caramelized onions, sautéed roasted mushrooms and the truffle aioli you’ve already got goin’ on. #Winning

6. Your servers are only allowed to bring little cups of pickles.
You know, for being so big on “living green” you would think that if your patrons want a boatload of pickles, you’d rather have your servers put it in the big queso cups. This would reduce waste and make your servers more efficient because they wouldn’t be running back and forth to the kitchen for more pickles every time they revisit my table.

Do the math: Big Cups of Pickles = Less Waste = More Efficient Servers = Happy Customers. Sounds simple to me. [And here’s where I compliment you hopdoddy – you do pickles right which is why the big cups are a necessity, especially for your vegetarian diners]

7. Your salads are pathetic and will never constitute as a meal.
Before I tell you why your salads are pathetic, I do want to applaud you for at least attempting to put a salad on the menu at a burger joint! But let’s be honest, these are more like oversized garnishes with a few hidden treasures. Your salads are nothing more than a bed of greens, with a dusting of cheese, and a sprinkling of “salad accents.”

The “salad accents” are so sparse that they get lost in the greens. To make your salad a bit more filling – why don’t you be a bit more heavy handed on the accents, include a denser vegetarian protein, and a toasted bun on the side.

By the looks of your salad, it seems you think salad is synonymous with anorexic but you’re wrong. If I order a salad at a burger restaurant, I still want it to be filling WITHOUT having to add a burger, chicken, tuna or veggie patty on top.

Here’s my salad suggestion for you, hopdoddy: Go Greek. You have all the basic ingredients already – start with your spinach & arugula base, add in some goat cheese, kalamata olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, chickpeas, hardboiled egg and a side of tzatziki or hummus (which can serve dual purpose by adding it to your current Greek burger or a future veggie burger special). Toast up half a wheat roll cut into triangles sprinkled with paprika and you’ll have an all-star salad. #Winning…Again.

——-

Again, hopdoddy, I don’t hate you I’m just disappointed and tired of leaving frustrated and unfulfilled. Granted, we all know I’ll be back, dragged there by my fiance or group a friends. You’ll know it’s me, because I’l be the one making all the modifications.

Dining at Uchi

May 20, 2013 by Alyssa

Uchi – Austin, TX

If you’re not from Austin, then you probably don’t understand the meaning of dining at Uchi so let me bring you up to speed with a few quick facts

Uchi is a contemporary Japanese sushi restaurant
The name translates to “house” in English
The menu consists of hot and cool tastings, sushi and sashimi. makimono, yakimono and tempura, and a changing omakase based on seasonal selections
Uchi has a limited number of reservations per evening and the majority of its patrons are more than willing to wait 90 – 120 minutes to be seated
Uchi’s owner & chef is Tyson Cole, whom won the 2011 James Beard Award for Best Chef, Southwest
Chef Cole competed against Morimoto on Iron Chef America: Contemporary Japanese and although he lost, the score was close (49-43)
Named one of Bon Apetit’s Top 10 Sushi Restaurants
Featured on Zagat Guide’s Best Food in Austin
GQ declared Uchi one of 2010’s Top New Restaurants in America
Uchi has a sister restaurant, Uchiko, meaning “child of Uchi.” Uchiko has also won a number of awards and is considered a more casual Japanese kitchen compared to Uchi.

Now that you understand how renowned of a restaurant Uchi is considered, let me share my experience with you…..

Uchi was one of the best dining experiences I’ve ever enjoyed. Each dish is delicious, but the food as a whole, is not the type of food that is crave-able. For instance, I don’t believe I’ll ever eat at Uchi then 3 weeks later “crave” a specific dish and be compelled to instantly return. I believe this is because their food is truly unique.

Uchi Sushi Preparation

Uchi

The food is presented in such a well displayed manner that it’s beautiful to simply look at. The presentation forces diners to pause and enjoy the site before carefully consuming the food in front of them. Each dish is perfectly balanced in flavors – acidity, sweetness, saltiness, and textures play an equal part in developing the flavors as a whole.

The consideration of each element that goes into a specific dish is complimented by the restaurant’s attentive and knowledgeable staff. Each waiter, waitress, sushi chef, and hostess we encountered knew the menu inside and out, was able to recommend wine pairings, and simplified the menu for our understanding This ability to eloquently explain the menu without making a patron feel unintelligent is a feat that not all restaurant staff can accomplish.

Mackarel & Salmon Sushi

As for the atmosphere, Uchi is naturally beautiful. Playing up the contemporary Japaenese style – taking advantage of rocks, aged wood, water pools, and a flourish of greenery. Even with a 2 hour wait the experience was somehow calming, relaxing, and enjoyable.

Salmon Asparagus Roll

As for our meal, we were able to enjoy it while sitting at the sushi bar. While some may believe that to be not as an intimate dining experience, I was ecstatic! I love watching sushi chefs at work, looking at all the exotic, color ingredients, and speaking with the person preparing my food to learn more about the ingredients, technique, and the specialties of the menu.

Prepping a Salmon Roll

Display of Tobiko

M<3 and I started our evening off on the outdoor patio with a few glasses of wine and some grilled shishito peppers (one of his favorites at any restaurant!).

Uchi, April 2013

The peppers were perfectly cooked, not overly spicy, and simply salted.

Shishito Peppers

We were also treated to a few passed appetizers that are served to guests whom are waiting to be seated – we were able to taste spicy, apple slices. Who knew a well-picked apple and a salty-spicy rub could enhance the flavor of an apple so much. We were also treated to some grilled cauliflower that I had been eyeing on the menu!Once we were seated, we were greeted with a watermelon granita, a palate cleanser. Slightly sweet and refreshing!

Watermelon Granita

Miso Soup

Once we had time to review the menu and ask some questions to the chef and waitress, M<3 and I decided on a few dishes to split – miso soup, sweet-chili glazed brussel sprouts, a spider roll, and nasu (Japanese eggplant) sushi.

The soup was delicious & simple, just as miso soup should be.

Brussel Sprouts

M<3 is not a huge fan of vegetables but we both loved these brussel sprouts – so much so that I was intrigued enough to find a similar recipe online the following week. Again, this isn’t a crave-able food but just truly unique, delicious, and the perfect accompaniment to any Asian meal.

Spider Roll

Nasu (Japanese Eggplant) Sushi

The Spider rolll is M<3’s go-to sushi roll. It’s a cooked roll with fried shrimp (or crab, at times – Uchi served their’s with shrimp), a spicy mayo sauce, and cucumber. Uchi’s roll also had an eel sauce on the side, a sweet-salty mixture that made the Spider Roll mouthwatering! The shrimp was cooked to perfection (I loved the crunch!) and the spicy mayo was careful to not overpower the other, lighter flavors in the roll. I would definitely recommend this roll for non-sushi eaters!

I love eggplant, it’s one of my favorite vegetables and I had never experience it as nigiri. This was slighty sweet, the skin added a bit of chewiness and the eggplant is self was melt-in-your-mouth soft. It was a simple transition into heartier dishes.

Fresh Sea Urchin at the Sushi Bar

After our shared dishes, we each chose something a bit more exclusive to our individual tastes – I sampled, the chef recommended, machi cure (aka: “sushi nachos” which is how the chef described them to me). It was simple and fresh with lightly fried yuca, marcona almonds, asian pear, smoked yellowtail tuna, garlic brittle and tobiko.

Machi Cure – Sushi Nachos

Mayank chose to try the sasami yaki, an oak-grilled chicken breast with lemongrass and cilantro. He said it was one of the most moist and flavorful pieces of chicken he had ever tasted.

Sasami Yaki – Lemongrass Chicken

Since Uchi is known for their sushi, I had to try a couple of pieces on my own! I chose the hotate (spicy scallop & avocado) and sake (simple, salmon and rice).

Hotate – Spicy Scallop

Sake – Salmon

Finally, we ended our even with a double dessert treat from the chef. We were able to share the coffee panna cotta with white chocolate sorbet & mango and the lemon gelato with pistachios and white balsamic. I never thought I would enjoy white balsamic in a dessert but the lemon gelato was the dessert I kept going back for!

Coffee Panna Cotta

Lemon Gelato

I’m truly thankful to <3M for such a wonderful birthday dinner. We both agreed that Uchi is a restaurant that we both want to visit again – though it’s definitely a special occasion type dining experience. And in the future, we’ll remember to plan well in advance to ensure reservations.

April 20, 2013

Restaurants

Asian Duck Confit Tacos highlight the duck’s savory, rich flavor in a light yet tangy sauce accented with crunchy cucumbers, scallions, and fresh cilantro!

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