To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the James Beard Foundation, the New York based culinary organization has established the James Beard Foundation Silver Anniversary Scholarship Drive. Restaurants around the country are offering special selections on their menus through September 3, 2012 and will donate one dollar from the sale of each of the special items to the scholarship fund. Scott is sampling the dishes from all of the local participating restaurants: K restaurant, Cress, Spanish River Grill, Taverna Opa, 4Rivers Smokehouse, Mi Tomatina and the Rusty Spoon. In this issue: K.
Kevin Fonzo is no stranger to the James Beard Foundation. He is a past semifinalist for Best Chef South award and has cooked at the organization’s Beard House, a converted townhouse that was the cookbook author’s home in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village. He is scheduled to cook at the house again, October 10, 2012, with Scott Maurer from Peabody Orlando.
His dish for the scholarship drive is a duck a l’orange that is prepared in the classic fashion but given a creatively Floridian twist.
The dish features duck from Maple Leaf Farms, a sliced breast and fennel-dusted leg confit. The breast meat had a nice crispness, and the leg was wonderfully tender. Atop the breast were bits of candied orange peels that were at once tart and sweet and gave the dish a distinctive Sunshine State appeal. Appropriately, the accompanying potatoes were cooked in duck fat.
I’ve always been a fan of Fonzo’s cooking, but this one took it to a new level. I’m hoping he’ll find a permanent place for it on the menu after the promotion ends Sept. 3.
K restaurant is at 1710 Edgewater Drive, Orlando. The phone number is 407-872-2332.
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