The Everything Guide to Cooking Sous Vide (15 page)

Duck Breast and Arugula Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette

This salad is full of bold flavors that come together to make something incredible! The duck breast is both moist and tender with crispy skin.

Ingredients

Serves 4

2 (6–8-ounce) boneless duck breasts, skin on

¹
⁄
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teaspoon sea salt

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⁄
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teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 cups arugula leaves

2 medium apples (Royal Gala, Red Delicious, etc.), cored and sliced

³
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cup soft goat cheese, crumbled

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⁄
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cup toasted pine nuts

²
⁄
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cup
Blueberry Vinaigrette
(see recipe in this chapter)

1 tablespoon oil with a high smoke point (like peanut, sunflower, corn, vegetable, or safflower oil)

Make It Right on the Plate!

For a fancier plating idea, try assembling the salad on 4 individual salad plates. Start by placing 1 cup of arugula leaves on the plate. Lay out some apple slices and duck breast on top. Sprinkle on the goat cheese and pine nuts and drizzle with vinaigrette.

1. Fill the water bath with water. Set your sous vide machine temperature to 135°F.
   
2. Rub the duck breasts all over with the salt and pepper. Place the duck in a food-safe bag and vacuum seal the bag.
   
3. Place the duck in the water bath and cook sous vide for 90 minutes.
   
4. In a large serving bowl, toss the arugula, sliced apples, goat cheese, and pine nuts with the vinaigrette.
   
5. Remove the duck from the bag and pat dry with a paper towel.
   
6. Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Sear the duck, skin side down, over medium heat for about 3–4 minutes. The skin should be crispy and the fat rendered.
   
7. Cut the duck breast against the grain into thin slices and place on top of the salad.
   

Blueberry Vinaigrette

This salad dressing is excellent with any mixed green salad.

Ingredients

Makes about 1 cup

1 pint fresh blueberries

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

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cup extra-virgin olive oil

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cup grape seed oil

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Swap the Berries!

To modify this recipe simply follow the instructions, but use different berries in place of the blueberries. Some berries that work really well with this recipe include raspberries or strawberries.

1. Fill the water bath with water. Set your sous vide machine temperature to 150°F.
   
2. Place the blueberries in a food-safe bag and vacuum seal the bag. Make sure the blueberries are in 1 layer in the bag and not stacked.
   
3. Place the blueberries in the water bath and cook sous vide for 30–40 minutes.
   
4. Remove from the water bath and cool to room temperature.
   
5. Using an immersion blender, upright blender, or food processor blend all the ingredients together. Blend until smooth and emulsified.
   
6. Keep in the fridge until needed.
   

Blueberry Vinaigrette

Spicy Butternut Squash Soup

This creamy soup is infused with Thai spices and is perfect for a light lunch or to start off a nice dinner.

Ingredients

Serves 4

4 cups cubed butternut squash (1" cubes)

2 medium Thai chilies, minced

2 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups chicken broth

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cup canned coconut milk

¹
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teaspoon sea salt

¹
⁄
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teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Fill the water bath with water. Set your sous vide machine temperature to 183°F.
   
2. Place the butternut squash and the chilies in a food-safe bag and vacuum seal the bag.
   
3. Place the bag in the water bath and cook sous vide for 1
   ¹
   ⁄
   ₂
   hours.
   
4. In a medium skillet or saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and sauté the onion and garlic until transparent and starting to caramelize, about 10 minutes.
   
5. Remove the squash from the water bath and pour into a blender. Add the cooked onion and remaining ingredients to the blender.
   
6. Blend on high until smooth. If a thinner soup is desired, add a little more water or chicken broth. This soup can be served hot or chilled.
   

Spicy Butternut Squash Soup

Pumpkin and Apple Soup

This soup is smooth, fruity, and ideal for those cool autumn days.

Ingredients

Serves 4

3 cups cubed fresh pumpkin (1" cubes)

2 medium apples, (McIntosh, Gala, or other) peeled, cored, and diced

2 tablespoons butter

1 medium sweet onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3
¹
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cups chicken broth

¹
⁄
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teaspoon sea salt

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⁄
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teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¹
⁄
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cup chopped cashews

1. Fill the water bath with water. Set your sous vide machine temperature to 183°F.
   
2. Place the pumpkin and apples in a food-safe bag and vacuum seal the bag.
   
3. Place the bag in the water bath and cook sous vide for 1
   ¹
   ⁄
   ₂
   hours.
   
4. In a medium skillet or saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and sauté the onion and garlic until transparent and starting to caramelize, about 10 minutes.
   
5. Remove the pumpkin and apples from the water bath and pour into a blender. Add the cooked onion and garlic, the chicken broth, salt, and pepper to the blender.
   
6. Blend on high until smooth. If a thinner soup is desired, add a little more water or chicken broth.
   
7. To serve, heat the soup, ladle into soup bowls, and top with chopped cashews.
   

Pork Belly and Udon Noodle Soup

This soup is a Japanese classic and is full of hearty flavors and healthy ingredients.

Ingredients

Serves 4

4 large eggs (optional)

1 pound
24-Hour Sous Vide Pork Belly
, diced (see recipe in Chapter 10)

4 cups
Dashi Stock
(see recipe in this chapter), or chicken or vegetable broth

1 clove garlic

1" piece gingerroot, peeled

2 tablespoons soybean paste

1 cup sliced baby bok choy

1 cup shimeji mushrooms

1 (12–16-ounce) package udon noodles, cooked

Soy sauce, to taste (optional)

Sriracha sauce, to taste (optional)

1. Fill the water bath with water. Set your sous vide machine temperature to 144°F. Place the eggs in the water bags and cook for 75 minutes.
   
2. Preheat oven to 325°F.
   
3. Cut the pork belly into 4 equal portions. Place the pork skin side down in an ovenproof skillet and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the skin starts to crisp. Place the skillet in the oven and cook for about 20 minutes, or until heated throughout. Remove from the oven and cut the pork belly into
   ¹
   ⁄
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   " slices.
   
4. In a large pot, heat the stock, garlic, and ginger over medium heat. Whisk in the soybean paste until dissolved. Bring to a boil and add the bok choy, mushrooms, and cooked noodles.
   
5. Ladle some soup into a serving bowl. Place some pork belly slices on the soup. Crack an egg on top, if desired. Add some soy sauce and sriracha sauce, if desired.
   

Pork Belly and Udon Noodle Soup

Dashi Stock

This broth is a base for many different Japanese soups including the
Pork Belly and Udon Noodle Soup
recipe found in this chapter.

Ingredients

Makes 4 cups

4 cups water

1 kombu sheet (about 4" × 5" in size)

1 dried shiitake mushroom

1. Fill the water bath with water. Set your sous vide machine temperature to 195°F.
   
2. Place all the ingredients in a large mason jar and hand-tighten the lid.
   
3. Lower the jar in the water bath and make sure that the water in the bath comes up to the lid of the jar. Cook sous vide for 1 hour.
   
4. Remove the jar from the water bath and strain the stock with a fine sieve. The stock is ready to be used in soup. It can also be chilled and placed in the fridge for two days.
   

Chapter 8

Chicken

The Ultimate Chicken Breast

Never have a tough and dried-out chicken breast again! Cooking chicken breast in a sous vide water bath results in moist and tender meat every time. You can slice this chicken and put it in a salad or wrap, or use it as a pizza topping.