SEAFOOD ST. JACQUES À LA J. W. JACKSON
(Serves eight)
Note: This dish is most commonly cooked as Coquilles St. Jacques, which is made with scallops. Here it’s made with a combination of fish or shellfish. Scallops are the classic element, of course.
1. Bring to boil: ½ pound sliced mushrooms, 4 tablespoons butter, 1 cup dry white wine, 1 minced onion, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon thyme, juice of 1 lemon.
2. Simmer 3 minutes, then add 2 pounds of any combination of fish or shellfish and simmer 2 minutes more. Drain, reserving liquid.
3. Make white roux: melt 4 tablespoons butter, stir in 4 tablespoons flour, stir in 1 cup milk, then continue to stir until thickened slightly.
4. Add roux to reserved liquid and whisk until thickened. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.
5. Beat 4 egg yolks and 1 cup cream or milk, then slowly whisk egg mixture into roux. Bring up to a boil but do not boil. Sauce should coat spoon.
6. Put fish mixture in ovenproof pan, remove bay leaf, and spoon on sauce. Cover with mixture of 1 cup Parmesan cheese and 1 cup bread crumbs, and dribble with 2 tablespoons melted butter. (Note: At this point the dish may be refrigerated or frozen.)
7. Bring to room temperature if prepared in advance, bake uncovered in 350° oven until hot (20 minutes, more or less).
8. Glaze under broiler and serve with rice or potatoes.
NANA’S STEAMED PUDDING FROM J.W.
1. Sift together: 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon powdered cloves, 1 teaspoon salt.
2. Mix: 1 cup New Orleans molasses (light), 1 cup melted butter or margarine, 1 cup warm milk, 2 beaten eggs.
3. Add dry ingredients to wet in stages.
4. Add to batter: 1 cup seedless raisins (plumped in hot water, dried, and floured), 1 pint jar candied mixed fruit (floured).
5. Add 1 jigger good brandy.
6. Put in a well-greased and -floured steamer mold. Tie on lid. Place steamer mold in boiling water in a pan and cover. Water should be ⅔ of the way up the side of the mold. Steam, boiling continuously, for 2 hours. Serve with hard sauce or other sauce.
Sea ducks such as eiders, scoters, and old squaw (not to be confused with puddle ducks such as mallards, and nothing at all like the bland, fatty domestic duck served in restaurants) abound at the Vineyard. Sea ducks have an undeservedly bad reputation as table fare. As a result, J.W.’s duck-hunting friends like to give away what they manage to shoot. I happen to think sea ducks are delish, and J.W. and Zee agree with me. They are strong-flavored, dark-meated, and decidedly gamy, but prepared properly they’re a feast. We believe a dinner of sea ducks with all the trimmings is a suitable way to remember our first settlers, who lived off the land and probably considered sea ducks delish, too.
Sea ducks should be prepared the day before you intend to serve them, as you need to marinate the meat for about 36 hours.
1. Remove the breasts including the skin and discard the rest of the ducks. One eider breast feeds two. With smaller ducks such as old squaw, figure one breast per person.
2. Slice the meat off the breasts. The slices should be about ½ inch thick.
3. Spread the breast slices in a high-sided platter and cover with milk. Cover the platter with aluminum foil and marinate in the refrigerator all day, for about 12 hours. The evening before your feast, drain off the milk, rinse the meat, pat it dry on paper towels, then cover again in fresh milk and marinate overnight, 8 to 12 hours. The two rounds of milk marinade will neutralize the gaminess and bring out the distinctive flavor of sea ducks.
4. The morning before you plan to serve it, drain off the milk, rinse and pat dry again, and cover the meat with a robust red wine. Let it marinate in the refrigerator for about 6 hours.
5. Drain the meat and pat it dry with paper towels. Do not rinse it this time.
6. Rub both sides of the meat with salt, fresh-ground black pepper, ground red pepper, and dried sage and rosemary.
7. In a very hot skillet coated with olive oil sear the meat on both sides. Do not overcook. It should be rare on the inside.
8. Serve with cranberry sauce or chutney, wild rice, fresh green vegetables (steamed asparagus would be my choice, but it’s not in season in New England in November), a green salad, and an excellent red wine.