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Everyone’s looking to taste these ducks
• by Pat Eby - Photo by Pat Eby
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Good news, duck fans: Freshly dressed, never frozen, Pekin ducks from Farrar Out Farm will be at The Harvest Market in Kirkwood Saturdays in October. Even the farmer is anticipating the new experience: “I’m excited to taste the difference between conventional frozen duck and our pastured duck,” said Bryan Truemper. Based on the superior taste of his pastured broiler chickens and turkeys versus conventionally raised fowl, he said, “I’m expecting a fuller flavor of duck.”
The ducks’ journey from hatchery to market began when the U.S. Postal Service called Truemper to pick up a ventilated cardboard carton of 50 1-day-old ducks. Ducklings can be shipped because they can live a few days after they hatch without food or water, he said. The ducklings spent two weeks in a brooder, basking in 90-degree temperatures the first few days. Then Truemper steadily lowered the temperature to ready the ducks for their move to pasture and carefully protected the ducks from predators. (Hawks are a problem for the ducklings, but even grown ducks aren’t safe from possums, raccoons and owls.)
After two weeks, the ducks were ready for the great outdoors. Twice a day, Truemper moved the ducks to new grass inside a mobile chicken fence. Ducks eat grass almost exclusively, unlike chickens and turkeys, which eat insects as well. Pekin ducks are the most commonly grown commercial breed in America, and they reach maturity quickly: At seven to eight weeks, ducks are fully grown (about 4 to 6 pounds) and ready for market. Not a long lifespan, but at Farrar Out Farm, every day of a duck’s short life is the best a duck could have.
Truemper and his wife, Christina, run their small farm in Frohna, Mo., in a time of mega-farms and corporate agriculture. They work nine acres with conscious intent for the good of the land, the well-being of the animals and the health of the people who will eat the naturally grown food they raise.
The Truempers decided to come back to Missouri from Maine five years ago. Back then he had a job as a chef; she worked on a small farm. When the twin towers of the World Trade Center collapsed, the knowledge they were far from family and friends caused the young couple to reorder priorities.
It’s no accident Truemper ended up on the farm in Frohna. In 1964, his grandfather, Gilbert Mueller, bought the farm next door to his brother’s dairy farm. Truemper, who was raised in South County, loved to visit the farm, where his grandparents kept a large garden and a few animals. His 90-year-old grandmother, Adelma Mueller, still lives there.
Farm life rewards Truemper in ways no city existence could match. “I spend so much time with my wife and my son,” he said. “I’m able to work outdoors. I notice when the days are shorter or longer, how the light looks in different seasons. Most people don’t pay attention.” He admits there are drawbacks. “Farm life is isolated,” he said. “You spend 40 minutes driving to get anywhere. You have to plan way ahead when you only go to town once a week.”
On Saturdays, the Truempers wake at 3:30 a.m. to fill coolers and pack the truck for market. With their 21-month-old son in tow, they head to Kirkwood. Grandmother Mueller checks on the baby chicks while they’re away, typically all day. But this is how they make a living. It’s been a conscious choice for two people who returned to be close to family, to live a life that works for them.
Don’t look for the Truempers at their regular summer stand in the Kirkwood Farmers’ Market, you’ll just get lost in a maze of pumpkins, gourds and mums known as the Pumpkin Patch. Instead, travel a block west of the permanent market to a tent city of farmers and vendors set up on a grassy area in front of the parking lot. The Truempers will have about 17 ducks each Saturday. Come early.
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Pan-Seared Duck Breasts with Lemon-Caraway Spätzle, Hefeweizen Reduction and Glazed Brussels Sprouts
Courtesy of Celebrations Restaurant’s DeWayne Schaaf
Yield: 4 servings
Duck Breasts
2 duck breasts*, rested at room temperature for 15 minutes
Salt and pepper to taste
• Heat a large skillet on medium-high.
• Using a sharp knife, score each duck breast on the skin side 15 to 20 times in a crosshatching pattern. Take caution to avoid cutting the flesh; cut fully through the fatty skin without piercing the meat.
• Season both sides with salt and pepper.
• Place the breasts skin side down in the warmed skillet.
• Cook for 8 to 9 minutes. Refrain from checking on the skin too often; it will crisp well if constant heat is applied.
• Flip the breast over to the meat side and raise the heat. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
• When the duck is finished, remove it from the skillet, reserving the rendered fat, and place it on a plate.
• Cover it lightly with a lid or foil for 4 to 5 minutes. This allows the muscles to loosen and to finish cooking, which helps avoid tough meat.
• The meat should be medium-rare.
• Slice the duck from the flesh side into 1/4-inch thick slices and fan onto a plate.
* This recipe is calculated for Pekin ducks. If Muscovy ducks are used, cook them 10 to 12 minutes on the skin side and 4 to 5 on the meat side.
Hefeweizen Sauce
2 Tbsp. reserved duck fat
1 Tbsp. minced shallot or white onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. minced fresh ginger
1 1/4 cup Hefeweizen or Belgian-style ale
1 cup chicken stock
3 Tbsp. cold butter
Salt and white pepper to taste
• Place a 2- or 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. In it, warm the duck fat.
• Add the shallot, garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute but do not allow them to brown.
• Add the beer and stock. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the mixture is reduced to 1 cup of liquid.
• Remove the pan from the heat and swirl in the butter.
• Taste and add salt and white pepper as necessary.
Glazed Brussels Sprouts
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground white pepper
1 lb. brussels sprouts, blanched and halved
• Mix the vinegar and honey in a 2- or 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat.
• Bring the mixture to a boil, then allow it to cook for 1 minute.
• Add the brussels sprouts and seasonings.
• Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the liquid thickens into a glaze.
Spätzle
1 Tbsp. lemon zest
Juice of 1 lemon
6 whole eggs
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground white pepper
2 Tbsp. caraway seeds, lightly toasted and coarsely ground
2 cups flour, divided
1 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. chopped parsley
Olive oil to taste
2 Tbsp. butter or rendered duck fat
1/4 cup sliced red onion
• Fill a 4- or 5-quart pot. Lightly salt it and place it over high heat.
• While waiting for it to boil, mix the lemon zest, lemon juice, eggs, salt, pepper and caraway seeds together until well combined.
• Add half the flour and mix with a large spoon until the flour is incorporated.
• Add the remaining flour and mix until smooth. The batter should hold on the spoon in thick strings when raised, then slide off smoothly. (Add more water if it’s too thick.)
• When the water reaches a rolling boil, reduce the heat slightly. Using either a colander or a Spätzle press, force a large spoonful or two of the batter through the holes and into the simmering water. (The batter will be cooked in batches – not like pasta, where the noodles are put in all at once.)
• When the Spätzle rise to the top, usually after 1 or 2 minutes, stir them and allow them to cook for 1 additional minute.
• Using a slotted spoon, remove them to a colander to drain off any excess water.
• Drizzle the Spätzle lightly with olive oil to prevent sticking. Reserve them and continue cooking the rest of the batter.
• When the Spätzle are done, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add the butter or duck fat.
• When it’s well-heated, add the onion and sauté for 1 minute.
• Add the Spätzle and stir gently. Keep them moving to prevent sticking, and cook until lightly browned, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Serve immediately.
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