Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Sage French Cafe demystifies crispy duck
Q: I love the roast duck with raspberry sauce at Sage Cafe. I’ve tried to make it at home but mine never comes out crispy. Can you please ask the chef for the recipe? Thanks so much. — Andrew Lewis, Fort Lauderdale
A: Thank you for your request, Andrew. I happen to love roast duck, yet I rarely order it out because few restaurants seem to get it right. As Andrew mentions, it’s all about the crispy skin.
Laurent Tasic, owner and chef of Sage French Cafe and Wine Bar (2378 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale, 954-565-2299, sagecafe.net), knows a few things about duck. He serves over 16,000 a year.
“We are the highest selling restaurant for duck in the state of Florida,” Tasic says. “People enjoy our duck because it’s prepared properly. It’s a two-step cooking process that can’t be rushed in order to remove as much fat as possible, keep the meat moist and the skin crisp. First the duck is roasted in the oven in order to melt the fat. Then it is cooled before its seared and roasted again to achieve the crispy skin that people love so much. It tastes like crispy bacon.”
Tasic added, “If your Father’s Day plans are still up in the air, the Roast duck will win him over.” Reservations are strongly suggested.
Tasic makes his homemade demi-glace from the duck bones for his Honey raspberry sauce. Most home cooks won’t have the bones or the time for this so feel free to substitute store bought chicken demiglace. He also says you can make a traditional orange sauce by substituting orange preserves for the raspberry.
Take advantage of Sage French Cafe’s Monday and Tuesday special when dinners are two for one. For summer a four-course pre-fixe dinner includes an appetizer, entree, salad and dessert for $39 on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Speaking of Sundays, put Sage at the top of your “brunch spots to try” list. Choose from Tasic’s French classics such as pain perdu — aka French toast — omelettes, crepes, quiche and Benedicts with many toppings to choose from. Sip on your complimentary mimosa while deciding on crab, lobster, smoked salmon, prosciutto, short ribs or spinach and artichoke Benedict. Sunday never sounded so good.