Duck, Duck, Goose: Recipes and Techniques for Cooking Ducks and Geese, Both Wild and Domesticated, by Hank Shaw

Duck, Duck, Goose:
Recipes and Techniques for Cooking Ducks and Geese, both Wild and Domesticated
Author: Hank Shaw
Publisher: Ten Speed Press
Publication Date: October 1, 2013
Source: NetGalley
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As the title promises, Duck, Duck, Goose is a cookbook with recipes for--you guessed it--duck and goose. It's a great idea, as I love duck and I've always wanted to try cooking goose. What's not indicated by the title is just how intense the author is about fowl. Hint: The answer is REALLY FREAKING INTENSE.

Here are some of the things Hank Shaw says in his introduction:

"Cooking a duck or a goose in today's world is an act of expression. It is a way to find that forgotten feast we Americans once enjoyed, to free ourselves from the Tyranny of the Chicken and shake our fists at the notion that fat is our enemy."

"Cooking a duck or goose--a whole bird, from bill to feet--is real cooking. True, honest cooking."

"Perfectly cooked duck breast has the meatiness of a steak with an additional cloak of fatty, crispy skin."

"Cooking a duck properly is not rocket science, though it does require some specialized knowledge."

"And i am certain that either your or someone you know has his or her Great Goose Disaster story."

"Taste it. Savor it. You will see. A perfect duck breast is a revelation, a life-changing event. There will be no turning back."

In other words, COOK DUCK RIGHT NOW. IT'S REALLY HARD AND YOU'LL BE TERRIBLE AT IT WITHOUT THIS BOOK. BUT YOU HAVE THIS BOOK SO DO IT NOW. NOW! DO IT NOW!

Ack! I've never been intimidated by cooking duck in my life but apparently I've been doing it wrong. Here I thought it was one of the easiest birds in the world to cook, harder to mess up than it is to make delicious. It's my go-to protein for fancy meals and I've never had a bad experience. Then again, I've also never encountered Hank Shaw's level of alarmist passion.

As for goose, I'm actually comforted by the fact that Shaw paints such a harrowing picture of goose-cooking disasters. It makes me think that, as with duck, the opposite may in fact be true. Maybe this year I'll try goose for Christmas. And hey! I've got a whole book of recipes to draw from!