Award-winning food writer, cook, hunter and wild foods expert Hank Shaw recently released his newest cookbook Duck, Duck, Goose: The Ultimate Guide to Cooking Waterfowl, Both Farmed and Wild, a comprehensive guide to preparing and cooking wild and domestic duck and geese. Recipes range from basics such as Slow-Roasted Duck Breast and Grilled Duck Breast, to international dishes like Duck Pho and Laotian Duck Salad. For Christmas dinner try his Perfect Roast Goose (we are!). Shaw also features a number of recipes for duck and goose confit and charcuterie. Below is an excerpt from this amazing book as well as his recipe for Duck Egg Cake with Rosemary, a super easy and not overly sweet cake with hints of earthy rosemary. It's the perfect cake for the holiday season.
Duck Egg Cake with Rosemary
Reprinted with permission from Duck, Duck, Goose by Hank Shaw, copyright (c) 2013. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.
Makes 1 loaf cake, serves 4-6.
This is an insanely easy cake to make. It goes together in just minutes and tastes awesome: a touch ducky—more so if you use wild duck fat—sweet, but not overly so, with a little hit of rosemary to even things out. I originally made this as a sort of stunt, but it’s so good I’ve put it into the regular rotation. If you like a sweeter cake, up the sugar to a full cup, and if you hate rosemary, skip it or sub in lemon verbena, sage, or winter savory. Serve the cake with fruit and maybe a little whipped cream. A sweet dessert white wine, like a vin santo or a Sauternes, is a perfect choice.
Unsalted butter or duck fat, for greasing
4 duck eggs
¾ cup sugar
3 tablespoons olive oil
7 tablespoons duck fat, melted
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
1½ cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
Healthy pinch of kosher salt
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a 9-inch loaf pan with butter.
Crack the duck eggs into a large bowl, add the sugar, and beat with a whisk until well combined and slightly frothy.
Drizzle in the oil and duck fat while stirring the mixture. Once the fat is well incorporated into the mixture, sprinkle the rosemary on top.
In a second bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Using the whisk, stir the flour into the egg-fat mixture until combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes.
Stick a toothpick into the center of the cake, and if it comes out clean, the cake is ready. If not, bake for another 10 minutes.
Let the cake cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 5 minutes, then turn it out onto the rack. Slice and eat warm or at room temperature.
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