Pate de Canard; Happy Birthday Crabby!!!

"Fifteen tons and what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt."


Well crablings, it's our 1 year anniversary!!! One year, 132 posts, a ton of food, (more or less), and most all of us are a whole lot deeper in debt. We've made it through chicken, fish, beef, pasta, lamb, veal, desserts, a few appetizers, stock market crashes, deep recessions, financial bailouts and a near death Tomato Tree experience.

When I started this little food blog I had no real plans or goals for it, (except for total worldwide domination of the food writing industry). What started as daily 1's and 2's visiting has blossomed to hundreds per day. So what have I learned you might ask?

I've learned that I love to cook and I love to write. I've learned that you can't make a dime off this internet thing. I've learned that without moderated comments, every screwball out there will think they have free license to have a flame war on your site. I've learned I'm terrible at following up on comments posted and am equally lousy at consistently visiting my friends' sites. For those last two things I am truly sorry; I'll try and do better this year, though I won't promise much.

What about Crab Nation? Here are your top five most visited posts:

Baker's Edge Brownies
Beef Stroganoff
Baby Lava Cakes
Mojo Marinated Chicken
Viva La Revolucion Sweet and Spicy Shrimp

Crablings like their food a little sweet and with some heat, and they especially want some chocolate for dessert.

The future? The truth is I've considered dropping the site. The lack of feedback has me feeling like I'm shouting at the ocean. I know you're out there, I just can't hear you.

But then it was pointed out to me that I wasn't going to give up eating was I? And did I suddenly hate writing? Well, no. So, when in doubt, when you find yourself in a creative hole, do you stop digging? Hell no, you just dig faster!!!

Over the coming months, there'll be some changes made. The two biggest will be to the look of the page and the introduction of video. I'm not going to be eliminating the blog posts, just adding an occasional video to see if that grabs your attention. Of course that means I will be revealing Crabby's true identity. Be forewarned, though SSSal and Boonsta think I'm cute, I have always felt that I have a great face for radio. You may want to keep the kids and small pets away from the first videos.

What to have for our birthday celebration? What to have? What to have? I know!!! Something ludicrously complex and involved. You've had it very easy with me crablings; I've made a point of showing you how simple it is to make tasty inexpensive meals. Well for my birthday I want a blow-out. I want something involving cranes, trusses and pulleys. I want Pate.

SSSal makes a sensational Pate de Canard. This is not goose liver mousse, this is the ultimate meatloaf. It is involved, but in actuality it's harder to assemble than it is to cook. But if you're squeamish, if you're scared, just follow along.

"Fasten your seatbelts, everybody. It's going to be a bumpy night." Enjoy...


Pate De Canard
from Saveur Magazine, December 2008

2 duck breasts, trimmed of fat and skin,about 1 pound
3 cloves garlic
2 TBSP orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier
2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
9 bay leaves
1 pound boneless pork shoulder, chilled
3/4 pound fatback, (lard if you can't find any fatback)
1/4 pound chicken livers
2 eggs, beaten
1 TBSP chopped thyme leaves, plus 8 sprigs
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon paprika
4 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/3 cup shelled pistachio nuts
3 TBSP dried green peppercorns
12-15 slices bacon

Cut the duck breasts into 1/2 inch cubes.

Finely chop the garlic.

Transfer the duck cubes, garlic, orange liqueur, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 3 bay leaves to a small bowl. Stir to coat the duck. Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to three days, the longer the better.

Chop the pork shoulder and fatback into 1/8"cubes. Mound the pork and fatback into separate piles and continue chopping with your chef's knife. Transfer the pork and fat to separate bowls and refrigerate to chill.

While the pork and fat are cooling, using a food processor, finely chop the remaining garlic. Scrape down the sides and add the chicken livers. Pulse until they are pureed.

Add the pork and fat back from the refrigerator. Working in short pulses, process the mixture until it takes on the consistency of coarse hamburger meat. Transfer to a large bowl.

Add the eggs, chopped thyme, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, paprika and salt to the pork-liver mixture. Mix the ingredients together using your hands until well combined.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 day and preferably 3 days. The longer the better.

When you're ready to assemble, transfer the duck mixture, including any juices, to the bowl containing the pork-liver mixture. Remove the bay leaves. Gently fold the duck into the meat along with the pistachios and peppercorns. Set aside in the refrigerator.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

Line the bottom of a 1 1/2 quart terrine pan, (or a loaf pan will do), with 4 evenly spaced thyme sprigs and 3 bay leaves. Place the bacon strips horizontally (the short way) across the bottom of the pan, covering the herbs.

Spoon the duck-pork-liver-fat mixture atop the bacon strips and gently smooth with the back of a spoon. Lay 4 strips of bacon lengthwise, (the long way) across the top of the pate.

Cover the top of the pate with two sheets of aluminum foil and crimp to the side of the pan to form a tight seal.

Boil a pot of water.

Transfer the terrine pan to a 9x13 baking dish. Transfer the baking dish to the middle rack of the pre-heated oven. Carefully, pour in enough of the boiling water to reach 1/2" up the side of the terrine pan.

Bake the pate until an instant read thermometer inserted into the middle of the terrine registers a temperature of 158 degrees, about 2 hours.

Transfer the baking dish to a cooling rack, do not remove from the water bath, remove the foil. Cut two rectangles of cardboard to exactly fit inside the terrine pan. Wrap both pieces of cardboard in aluminum foil and place them over the pate.

Place three 15 ounce soup cans atop the cardboard. Allow the terrine to sit in the water bath for an additional hour.

After an hour, remove the terrine pan from the water bath and transfer the pan to a refrigerator. Chill for at least 1 day and up to 4 days, (you guessed it, the longer the better).


To serve, remove the soup cans and foil, slide a knife around the edge of the pate. Place a serving platter atop the terrine pan and, firmly holding the terrine pan to the platter, very quickly flip the the mold over. The pate should slide easily out of the terrine mold.

Cut into 3/4" slices and serve with baguette, Dijon mustard, cornichons, maybe a little macerated onion and a killer glass of champagne.


Well, well, well. I warned you crablings; I told you it would be involved. But you only have a birthday once a year so go whole hog, (or in this case, hog, chicken and duck). If not consumed right away, this concoction with last for a week.

Interestingly enough, except for the duck, this is a very inexpensive dish, and a pound of duck isn't going to break you either. It is labor intensive and needs at least a week of planning and fussing, but it's the best "meatloaf" you'll ever have.

Well, I'm off. Happy birthday to all of you and remember, until next time, you can do it, you can cook.

Now where did I leave the rest of that bottle of champagne?


Oh, I also noticed that you don't much care for the quizzes, well tough, I like 'em. Today there are two quotes in the body of the post, "Fifteen tons..." and "Fasten your seatbelts..."

Who said them?

Alfredo Sauce

"No good deed goes unpunished."


When people know you like to cook you often get food questions out of the blue. I'm happy to answer even if I have no idea what I'm talking about. It doesn't matter, people want you to know. They need you to know.

My approach to food questions? Answer forcefully and with authority; knowledge be damned. The questioner leaves happy and my reputation grows. If I'm wrong, the questioner will always assume they messed up, not me. It's a win-win as far as I'm concerned.

Of course, when people learn that you write a food website the stakes increase. They don't just ask you timing questions or spice questions. Every once in a while they ask you to make something for a special event.

A couple of months ago I was approached about making some Alfredo sauce for a spaghetti dinner fund raiser. Parents were contributing various items and no one wanted to make "the white sauce". A good friend came to me and said,

"We really need someone to make some Alfredo Sauce for the dinner. Would you be willing?"

"Sure", he said forcefully and with authority.

"Well, I should tell you, we need quite a bit", she said with some timidity.

"I'm sure I can handle it", he said forcefully and with authority.

"Great! Because we need 3 gallons", she said, smug in the knowledge that I was hooked.

"Three Gallons?"

"Three Gallons!"

"Great! No problem!" he said, silently cursing.

The problem with making 3 gallons of anything is up-sizing the recipe. The special problem with up-sizing Alfredo Sauce to 3 gallons is avoiding the Death Ninjas sent out by the American Heart Association. Alfredo Sauce is milk-fat mixed with butter fat with a shot of Parmesan Cheese thrown in just to make sure your arteries close completely.

The Boonsta and I used two 2-gallon pots. The last time something this large was prepared, it was done by three witches and Macbeth ended up having a really bad day. By the time everything was loaded in to the pots I had to hold the mixing spoon with my thumb and forefinger; I didn't need a wooden spoon, I needed an oar.

Anyway, here's a recipe that ends up making about 3 gallons of Alfredo. Please enjoy...


Crabby's Alfredo Sauce
(may God and heart surgeons have mercy on my soul)

4 Pounds Unsalted Butter
1 1/2 Gallons Heavy Cream
1/2 Gallon Half & Half
3 Pounds (that's right, pounds) Sour Cream
4 TBSP Ground White Pepper
2 TBSP Salt
12 Cups (about 2 - 2 1/2 pounds) Grated Parmesan Cheese


Place all of the ingredients, except the Parmesan Cheese, into a vat. Turn the heat to medium-low and start slowly stirring.

Melt all the butter and fully incorporate the sour cream. Bring this concoction to a simmer. As the temperature rises, you must keep stirring to avoid scorching the sauce.

When the sauce is just to a low simmer, (about an hour), start adding the grated Parmesan one cup at a time. Fully incorporate each cup before adding the next cup.


After all the cheese has been added, return the sauce to a low simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Total cooking time will approach 90 minutes if you're using the proper, slow warming, approach.

Serve with cooked pasta, you should have enough to feed most of Iowa.




There you go crablings. Alfredo Sauce is very easy to make, it's not even cooking, it's melting fat and stirring. Lots and lots of stirring. Also, as you can see, I'm a big believer in presentation when it comes to food, that's why I went with the blue 5-gallon water jug for transport. It made for a better contrast with the creamy yellow of the sauce.

Next time it'll be something a bit more complicated, but for now, remember, you can do it, you can cook.


Two Things:

Crabby Quiz: Who's the originator of the opening quote?

Downsizing: If you'd like to make a little less than 3 - 4 gallons of Alfredo try these proportions (makes 6 cups, probably good for a pound of pasta):

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup half & half
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon ground white pepper (more to taste)
Salt to taste
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan Cheese

Dukkah Crusted Pork Tenderloin

Let's face it, I'm a fraud. I talk about taking risks in cooking, about trying out new things, about stepping away from your comfort zone, but at the end of the day, standing in front of the stove, I'm pretty conservative.

Most of my cooking is Euro-centric, primarily Italian influenced. Now, there is definitely nothing wrong with Italian influences, but there are hundreds of other cuisines out there. Sure I dabble with barbecue and slow cookers, I play around with Asian foods, but with the exception of Pho, I'm primarily stuck in Japan and China.

I've never presented any Thai food, no Malay or African recipes, no curry. True, with the exception of Thanksgiving dinner, I'm not a fan of Indian food. But there are so many recipes out there to try if only we're brave enough.

Well today I'm going to take a very tentative step into the Middle East. Nothing overwhelming, better to wade in than dive head first I think. Dukkah is a nut and seed mixture generally attributed to Egypt. It uses a number of fragrant dried spice seeds. As you would expect from a warm climate environment, these dried ingredients keep for a long time and after preparation, the mixture can live on without refrigeration.

The key to this seed-nut crust is dry-toasting the ingredients before grinding. The dry heat brings out the fragrant oils and concentrates the tastes. Your biggest problem with this recipe is the risk of the seeds burning while dry-toasting, so don't walk away and everything should be OK. My version of Dukkah employs a lot more dried mint leaves than traditional. This is a very versatile mix so please enjoy...



Dukkah Crusted Pork Tenderloin
from delicious magazine, November 2008

2 pieces pork tenderloin, approximately 1 1/2 pounds
1 TBSP cooking oil (I prefer grapeseed)


Dukkah Recipe

1/2 cup hazelnuts (though almonds could work)
1/4 cup coriander seeds
3 TBSP sesame seeds
2 TBSP cumin seeds
1 TBSP black peppercorns
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 TBSP dried mint leaves
1 teaspoon salt

Heat a heavy-duty skillet over high heat, add the hazelnuts and dry-toast until slightly browned and fragrant, approximately 90 seconds. Warning: DO NOT step away from the pan, shake the pan frequently or the nuts will burn!

Remove the nuts from the pan and allow them to cool completely.

Turn the heat down to medium.

Working in stages, repeat the process with all the seeds and the peppercorns, but NOT the mint leaves or salt.

Cooking times for the seeds varies depending on the heat of the pan. The cumin seeds will be ready within 15 seconds, the fennel and sesame seeds closer to 45 seconds. The coriander and peppercorns take the longest, probably 1 - 2 minutes. Allow all the seeds to cool completely.

Warning: The cumin seeds are especially susceptible to burning, so pay close attention when they are in the pan.

Chop the hazelnuts to a rough but small consistency. Alternatively, place the nuts in a food processor and using short pulses, chop to a rough consistency. Do not over-process or the nuts will turn into a paste. Place the chopped nuts in a medium sized bowl.

Place the peppercorns, cumin, fennel and coriander seeds on a cutting board and using the edge of a small frying pan, crush the seeds to a rough consistency. Add to the chopped hazelnuts.

Add the salt and mint leaves to the mixture. Stir well to combine.


Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

Spread about 1/2 cup of the dukkah on a large serving plate. Roll the pork tenderloins in the mixture, pressing down to insure adhesion to the meat.

In an oven proof saute pan, heat the tablespoon of oil over high heat. When the pan is hot, sear the pork on all sides, approximately 6 minutes total searing time.

When seared on all sides, transfer the pan to the heated oven and roast for 12 - 15 minutes, until cooked through.

Remove from oven, let rest for 5 minutes, slice and serve.


Not too bad eh, crablings? There's a vaguely exotic taste and aroma to this meal. Though I haven't tried it yet, I suspect that the dukkah would go well with chicken or fish. I'm think this meal would be best served by having some sort of sweet-sour accompaniment, say red cabbage, but that's a recipe for another day.

Well, I've dipped my claws into Middle Eastern influenced cooking and I can honestly say, you can do it, you can cook.