Dirty Dirty Mascarpone
Mascarpone is goddamn delicious. I realize that for most this is not news, but uh, yum. If you know how to make a chewy crusty buttermilk bread and have a tub of white, sweet cream marscapone you are prepared for any occaision. Jam + mascarpone on a steaming slice of fresh bread is the perfect way to start (or end) any day. Zest a little meyer lemon into a bowl and stir in your mascarpone and you have one of my favorite frostings ever. Or combine orange zest and a dash of almond liqueur (like Luxardo) with the cheese for my other favorite frosting.
For some reason I decided to cook a duck today. Seemed a shame to waste the liver, so I made a simple pâté, spread that on some buttermilk bread, added a little layer of marscapone and topped it with peeled bell pepper, fresh torn basil, and seasalt. Fresh, funky, and delicious.
Dirty Dirty Mascarpone, Duck Pâté on Bread
duck, or other fowl liver
caramelized onions— around a quarter cup (cooked) per liver
fresh buttermilk bread
mascarpone
peeled red (+ yellow if you’ve got it), julienned then halved
basil leaves, torn
coarse salt
Sear the liver in a small pan for around two minutes at a mid-high heat and then for around two on the other side. You’re aiming for the liver to be a bit pink in the center when you’re done. Mash it up with the onions and spread it on your fresh bread. Spread a healthy layer of mascarpone on top. Think frosting here. Put your peppers basil on top.
Done. Took like 10 minutes… Ok, maybe a little more since I cheated, using the a prior pizza’s previously peeled peppers and caramelized onions left over from God knows what. Point is, I feel fancy, and it was real good.
Next time, I tell you what happened with the rest of the duck. It involves a blowtorch.
