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frankiii
Nov 20, 2007 03:48 PM
I am from Baton Rouge and consider myself an eater but I have never been to or heard of Didee's. Can someone fill me in?
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re: frankiii
Didee's is long gone, as is Herman. The restaurant was a nomad...in a room of ten fifty-year olds you'll have a half-dozen rememberences of different locations.
I have a friend who has the recipe that Herman showed him BUT I hasten to add that Herman apparently liked to confuse people about it. The Advocate recipe is not the one my friend has...I'll ask him about it sometime soon.
reminds me of a recipe I learned when I was a boy, duck hunting near the Sabine Wildlife Refuge. It was called "Duck-a-Cola" and was a variation on Duck a l'Orange: it used Coca-Cola as the glaze. It cannot be made today, though, unless you get kosher Coke. That stuff they make with corn syrup just won't do the trick.
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re: kevin
I akways put an order in with Kosher Cajun Deli but this year they never called me when the stuff was in. last year I accidentally got a "diet" kosher coke (I thought they were just using those cans due to demand)> It was not the real Deal and was so bad I threw out the six packs.
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re: hazelhurst
Many, many years ago I worked for an alternative newsweekly paper in Baton Rouge called GrisGris. Our editor, John Maginnis, interviewed Herman Perrodin and the subject of that duck recipe naturally came up. Herman agreed to reveal his recipe for publication and carefully recounted many lengthy steps to preparing the duck, as Maginnis furiously scribbled. Finally, Herman seemed to be done. But then, he leaned forward and said, "But there's one more step, and it's the most essential one." "What is it?" Maginnis asked, certain he was about to find out THE secret. Herman leaned back, paused a moment, and said, "Right before I serve it -- I stick my thumb in it!"
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You can find this information in The Advocate, Thursday, Dec. 16, 2004 Page 9F Baton Rouge, LA
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re: jessejarreau
Hi, I just read the Advocate recipe, and looked at the one Herman Perrodin used when on the The John Folse show. As somone that worked in the Tiger Bend resturant for 4 years, I can tell you with complete certainty that neither of these recipes is accurate. The spices were different (i.e. NO poultry seasoning or pickling spice). The spice used was a kitchen blend I watched Mark, the head cook at that version of Didee's, and on occasion Herman, mix up many, many times. Also, the galze was altered quite a bit from what I saw prepared. Im assuming Herman wanted to keep the family recipe to himself- hell that recipe has kept his family fed for a over hundred years. Also absent from the recipes was the fact that the ducks were marinated overnight in a mix of fruit juice and the kitchen spice mix minus most of the salt used when roasting. After marinating, neck and cavity fat was trimmed, ducks were rubbed inside and out with liberal amounts of the spice mix, and then were slow roasted- the times in the ovens for both of these recipes were way way too short from my recollection. Ducks went in the oven early on sunday, around 10 AM, then roasting for most of the day on low heat. One thing I was told was critical to the flavor and texture of Didee's duck was the slow roasting, regular basting with pan drippings, and repeatedly pricking the skin at spots where the fat had begun to melt. Once the slow roasting was complete, ducks were allowed to cool, cut into quarters or halves, and placed in a shallow pan. Drippings minus most of the fat were then poured over the ducks and they went into the cooler til use. Typically a pan was returned to a steam table on low heat around 10 AM before the resturant opened and simmered til an order was placed. This added hours more cooking time. The mix of roasting and low simmering removed absolutely all of the fat. Many resturants peel off the fat, and this leads to a less crispy skin- yuck! Duck that had been simmering was then placed on a broiling pan and glazed with a plum, apricot, and cherry glaze or not depending on the order, and broiled at high heat for a few minutes to get that skin just perfectly crispy. I know the recipe for the marinade and spice mix. Many substitutions can be made to get a similar flavor, but if you're willing to sell your mama, Ill share it-maybe! Ill ask Herman's son Charles if it would get anyone angry first though. Ducks at the resturant were served with a duck giblet dirty rice-the Folse version of the recipe is OK- and a spiced pear with toasted coconut drizzled over the top.
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re: kevin
Didee's is currently closed, but not "for years" and, depending on Perrodin family members it is apt to open again anytime (family resturants have after all been open since the late 18 hundreds). No, Brigtsens duck doesnt come close, not at all! I ate Didees duck for lunch and dinner for most of 4 years and have eaten Brigtsens duck on at least 10 occasions. The all day slow roasting with steam table, then broiler treatment caused the most crispy skin Ive encountered with duckling. The glaze on the royal duck was nothing unusua, however. What made Didees duck special was the tenderness of the meat rendered totally fatless and the texture of the skin. See asian recipes where duck is first boiled, then fire roasted, and finally baked to appreciate the effect such slow treatments have on the final texture and flavor of duck.
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re: clebla
Please, please may I have this recipe. Many years ago, I had the plum duck at Didee's when it was located off Government street in a fairly rough neighborhood. They had a guest book on the table that went back to the early 60's. Betty Davis and Joan Crawford had eaten at Didee's while making "Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte". It was one of the most memorable meals of my life! I will be happy to send you my mother! lol
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