Steamed Edamames, Roasted Duck, Garlic Bok Choy

Steamed Edamames Tossed with Olive Oil-Lemon and Sea salt Yield: Serves 4

1 bag whole edamame pods, defrosted Juice of one lemon 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil St. Mauritius Sea salt

“Even people who've never had edamames before are quickly converted.”

Prepare a steamer and steam the edamame pods until hot, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the juice and extra virgin olive oil. Add hot edamame pods and sprinkle with sea salt and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

From the public television series Simply Ming. Copyright 2008 Ming Tsai.

Roasted Duck with Soy-Lime Syrup Yield: Serves 4

I've been eating roast duck since I was a kid. Always a staple at our holiday table, I really don't know why more people don't cook duck more often. If you can roast a chicken, you can roast a duck. And since duck isn't mass-produced, it doesn't have the salmonella issues chicken does. I cook my duck until it's rosy in color, about medium, which is 130 degrees. Duck is ten times tastier than chicken—it's a way to get the flavor of red meat but still have the ease of roasting a chicken. The one thing to be aware of is that there is a lot more fat with duck, so be sure to use the biggest roasting pan you can find. All that fat is fantastic flavor, though—the veggies you put under the duck will be the best roasted vegetables you've ever tasted.

2 tablespoon minced ginger 2 tablespoons minced garlic 1 cup naturally brewed soy sauce 8 limes, washed, halved, juiced, reserve halves 1 cup brown sugar 3 sweet potatoes, peeled, roll cut 1 large onion, minced 1 5-6 lb. whole Long Island duck, eviscerated, rinsed, dried, visible fat removed Canola oil for cooking Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 375° with roasting pan pre-heating inside. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add oil to coat and sauté ginger and garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Deglaze with soy sauce and add lime juice and sugar and stir to dissolve sugar. Bring to a simmer and reduce by 25%. Pour syrup into a bowl over a bowl of ice to cool. Massage the duck with the cooled soy syrup inside and out and stuff cavity with reserved lime halves. In a large bowl, combine potatoes and onion, season and lightly drizzle oil over. Retrieve roasting pan from oven—careful, it will be hot. Dump the potato mixture into the pan. Place duck on top of potatoes and roast until brown, about 30 minutes, then cover loosely with foil to prevent burning. Cook the duck about 30-40 minutes more, or until the legs are easily moved. Let rest 10 minutes before serving on a platter surrounded by the cooked veggies. You can then transfer the duck to a cutting board to carve it, once you've presented it to your guests.

From the public television series Simply Ming. Copyright 2007 Ming Tsai.

Garlic Bok Choy Yield: Serves 4

This is a classic Chinese dish. It's perfect as it is. Just be sure to "v" out the core of the bok choy and really let it soak in water to get all the grit out—there's nothing worse than gritty bok choy.

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 5 large heads baby bok choy, cored, split in half and cut into 1⁄4-inch slices 1 teaspoon sesame oil (optional) Canola oil for cooking Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a wok or sauté pan coated lightly with oil over high heat, add garlic and stir-fry for about 30 seconds. Add bok choy and stir-fry, moving around quickly. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and check flavor. Keep the bok choy al dente and drizzle with sesame oil, about 3 minutes total.

Copyright 2005 Ming Tsai