Tag: duck fat

Powdered-Duck-Fat Popcorn Seasoning

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Popcorn can be boring.  As much as I love butter and salt, and I do love butter and salt, shoveling greasy handfuls of soggy popcorn into my facehole gets old within a few bites.  Luckily, we don’t have to rely on Orville and Redenbacher for the flavors we crave.  Using tapioca maltodextrin, a modified starch with an amazing talent for dehydrating fats, we can create flavored powders from a wide variety of foods.  In this recipe, we’re powdering duck fat to get all the flavor without the oily mess.  If you’re a popcorn fan, don’t just stop here – you can use the same basic technique for blue cheese and hot sauce, smoked salmon and cream cheese, barbeque, white chocolate, or any number of other bold toppings.

Makes: enough to season one bag of microwave popcorn, amply
Total kitchen time: 15 minutes

Shopping list:

  • 40g rendered duck fat
  • 25g tapioca maltodextrin
  • 1.5g cornstarch
  • 5g sea salt, or ultrafine salt
  • 1 bag microwaveable popcorn – unsalted
  • neutral oil in a spritzer, or 1 tsp. extra rendered duck fat

 

  1. Heat 40g duck fat in a skillet until it is completely liquid.  Transfer to a medium bowl.
  2. Add 20g of the tapioca maltodextrin (reserving 5g) and stir to combine with a fork.  Add the cornstarch and continue stirring.  The cornstarch will help prevent clumping.  The mixture should turn to a very light powder.  If it is still a thick paste, add the remaining 5g of maltodextrin and continue stirring.
  3. If using sea salt, add 5g to a clean coffee grinder.  Grind 30 seconds, or until the salt is very finely ground.  Set aside.
  4. Pop the popcorn, following the directions on your microwave and transfer to a large bowl.  If using an oil-free popcorn, spritz the popcorn with just enough oil to make it slightly sticky.  If you don’t have a spritzer, drizzle over 1 tsp. of melted duck fat to barely moisten the popcorn.
  5. Add the duck fat powder and toss to coat.  Add half the finely ground salt, then adjust the rest to taste.

This technique works best when powdering pure fats like duck fat or olive oil.  For powdering other fatty substances like cheeses, you will need to increase your ratio of maltodextrin and combine with the other ingredients in a blender.  It will turn into a thick, sticky goop, which you can spread thinly onto parchment and dehydrate in a low oven for a few hours.  When it’s brittle, drop it into a clean coffee grinder and pulse until you’ve got powder!  For an example, see the powdered cheese I made for my Most Pretentious Mac & Cheese Ever.

Duck Consommé with Sous Vide Potato & Laser-Cut Nori

duck consomme with laser-cut nori
Having access to a laser cutter has made me think differently about food.  Although I’ve lasered more edibles than I care to mention, one of the most successful substances for laser cutting is nori – the seaweed paper used in sushi making.  Although nori cuts well, it is extremely delicate and brittle.  Inspired by that delicateness, I decided to use the nori as a garnish for duck consommé, a crystal-clear soup made from duck stock.  The potato creates a dramatic color contrast and allows the Japanese maze design cut out of nori to sit just above the level of the liquid.

Makes: 8 zen bowls
Total kitchen time: about 6 hours, depending…

Shopping list:

  • 8 cups duck consommé, prepared
  • 4 russet potatoes, fat and round
  • 1 tbsp. rendered duck fat
  • 8 laser-cut nori designs of a Japanese maze

Special equipment: laser cutter, 2” biscuit cutter, vacuum sealing machine, sous vide heating immersion circulator

  1. Slice the potatoes into 1” thick discs.  Using the discs that are at least 2” in diameter, cut out 8 rounds with the 2” biscuit cutter. 
  2. Place the potato circles in a vacuum bag and add rendered duck fat.  Vacuum seal.
  3. Cook potatoes in an 85C water bath for 1 hour. 
  4. To serve, place a potato slice in the bottom of a large bowl.  Blot the top of the potato with a paper towel to dry the surface.  Add 1bout 1 cup of consommé to the bowl.  Top with a piece of nori.

If you don’t have access to a laser cutter (a travesty!) you can try cutting shapes using a very sharp hobby knife. 

Nori on Foodista