“Laisses Les Bon Temps Roulez” as they say in Louisiana.
Let the Good Times Roll is just what you will do when you try this savory blend of spices and roux with flavorful duck and andouille sausage. It takes time and patience but it is so worth it!

We were fortunate to live in Lafayette, in southwestern Louisiana for three years while John worked on his Ph.D. and I think it was some of the best times and food we all remember. The food there is always abundant and spicy and the people are colorful and engaging. Cajuns are all about family, food, and fun! Gathering around the picnic table outside under the sprawling oak trees with Spanish moss stirring in the gentle gulf breeze, you could come as you are, bring the whole family (baby, grandma, and company) and expect the seafood to be poured out in abundance on newspaper laid on the table. Depending on the time of year, it was crabs or crawfish. Cocktail sauce, Tabasco and lemons sat side by side with the big role of paper towels and the cooler-close, and full of cold beer!

We still do the big Cajun style seafood boils when company and time permits, but the honest truth is we don’t share our gumbo much!! The ducks are too precious (ask Hunter and Erin) and there is something so delicious and complete about this meal that we eat it all up! But you can make your own and if there is any left you can freeze it or keep it in the fridge, just be prepared to have a craving and go to get it and have it all gone! It’s that good!

Just to validate my rights beyond living 3 years in Lafayette, my maternal grandmother, Josie grew up in Lake Charles, LA, and my entire childhood I heard stories of what it was like living there. She never made gumbo, but then to my knowledge she never had ducks. Grandpa wasn’t a hunter. But I got so lucky! I married the best darn duck hunter I have ever met and when we moved to Louisiana, he provided both ducks and an enthusiasm for my gumbo experiments. After buying cookbooks everywhere we went that had gumbo I was getting frustrated. The cookbooks all said to use okra, but none of the amazing gumbos we were eating had anything like okra in them. Like a secret handshake, I guessed you had be be born there to get the real recipe. But my luck held and one night at a mom and pop restaurant down around Breaux Bridge, we had eaten our fill of gumbo, I had found the cookbook they had for sale, and looking at it, I must have complained a little too loudly about ‘these recipes always have okra in them’. The owner, a kind hearted Louisianna woman came over to our table and looking both ways before she spoke, she whispered quietly, ‘real gumbo doesn’t have okra, that’s just for outsiders, and the roux is the key, get it as dark as you can and you will do just fine’. The door to the restaurant opened and she rushed away acting as though she hadn’t even spoken to us. What a gift her advise turned out to be and we have been enjoying duck gumbo ever since. Hope yours turns out just as good!!

Cajun Duck Gumbo

4 wood duck breasts, or other duck breasts
andouille sausage, cut up links
1/2 c. sliced mushrooms
1 onion, medium chop
3 sticks of celery, medium chop
2 bay leaves
4-6 slices of thick sliced bacon
4-6 c. duck stock (you can make this from the carcasses of the ducks and it totally makes the flavors
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 TBS flour
water

Fry bacon to crispness in a skillet and remove and set aside. In bacon grease, sear duck breasts on both sides to add duck flavor to the grease, but not cook the breasts through (about a minute each side depending on how hot your stove is). Remove breasts and set aside.

In bacon/duck grease cook onion, celery, and sliced mushrooms. Remove and set aside.

This is the most important part!!! In the grease, on a medium or medium high setting, sprinkle tablespoons of flour in the grease and let it cook, stirring frequently. You want the roux to have a caramel color, but the darker, the better as long as you don’t scorch it. It is going to seem dry, and you can add sprinkles of water to cool it and continue the browning process. John adds more oil, I try to keep the oil ratio low they both taste great! If you do scorch it ( you will know by the burned flour/grease smell), just start over, because any flaw here will be the underlying flavor of your gumbo. The first time I made roux I threw out the first batch and started all over!!

Now this is where I sometimes add a dash of cumin, you could add some gumbo file, or red pepper flakes, and then add your duck stock. If you don’t have duck stock, chicken or turkey will do fine, just not quite the complex flavor profile.

Add all the veggies and sausage and the bay leaves and allow to simmer for 1-3 hours with a lid to keep the intensity bubbling away. The last 30 minutes before serving add the big chunks of duck breast ( I halved the halves to make it easier to eat) and continue simmering.

Serve over rice, we like brown, because it is denser, chewier and better for you. Top with crumbled bacon pieces and serve with crunchy French bread and a big ole fresh salad!

Bon appetit’

I am including the recipe John wrote for using the entire duck. They are very similar, but gives another version of a wonderful meal!!

Duck – Andouille Gumbo

It’s involved and most folks are not willing to go to the trouble, but if you do you’ll never do it any other way; it’s that good. You can do this with store bought duck and it will be almost as good. If you’re using wild ducks then the species that you’re using will make a big difference in how the gumbo (or any other recipe) will turn out. Wood ducks, mallards, pintail, widgeon and teal all yield outstanding results. Other types are OK but not the same. I’m putting asterisks by steps that seem like you could vary but if you do then you’ll get less than outstanding results. Kathy and I created this recipe from an amalgamation of great gumbos that we had during our time in Louisiana. You’ll note the lack of okra or file, we discovered that is mostly used in tourist food. A good homemade roux takes care of the thickening.

Yield – 1½ to 2 gallons

The Stock

5 to 8 breasted duck carcasses, depending on size (should fill, but not overfill 8 qt stockpot) carcasses should be thoroughly cleaned with kidneys removed. Remove all body cavity fat. If the birds are shot up badly precede this step by soaking them in salt water for 4 hours. Reserve the breasts for something special like seared duck breasts in a cherry-zinfandel reduction. Breast meat is unbelievably good cooked medium rare but it makes lousy gumbo.

Cover the carcasses with bottled or R/O water, not tap,* bring to a simmer and watch for a brown foam to form. Skim all this foam off; it will make your stock/broth bitter. When the foam stops forming roughly 15 minutes after it started, add the seasonings and vegetables (if you add them before you will end up skimming them off with foam).

2-3 bay leaves

2 Tbs black peppercorns

2 Tbs dry Italian seasoning blend or a mixture of dried oregano, thyme, marjoram, basil

2-3 carrots cut into chunks

2 ribs celery cut into chunks

1 stemmed and seeded bell or poblano pepper cut into chunks

As the stock simmers* (Not boil) top it with additional bottled water as needed to keep the duck covered. Continue to simmer until the meat comes easily from the bone, about 4 to 5 hours.

Remove the duck from the stock and allow it to cool. De-bone the duck meat and set aside. Strain the stock through a clean dish towel or cheesecloth and keep warm. Discard bones and vegetables

The Andouille and Vegetables

Cut 1 to 2 lbs andouille sausage (Cajun Holler brand is good) into ½ inch thick slices

In a large skillet sauté slices in batches until rendered with crisp edges, set aside

In the sausage grease, wilt 1½ cups each chopped onion, celery and bell or poblano pepper, then add 2 Tbs minced garlic and sauté 3 more minutes, set aside

The Roux

Making your own is a pain but it is vastly superior to bottled or dried mixes. Heat ½ cup oil in a large stock pot. The one you made the stock in will be perfect. Add 1 cup flour and stir well. Drizzle additional oil in until the roux reaches a very thick liquid state. Reduce heat to medium low and stir constantly. This is the part that will try your patience. The best roux for gumbo is the color of milk chocolate and it takes awhile to get there. Don’t quit at the peanut butter color stage, you’ll want to but keep going. You’ll also be tempted to turn up the heat but this is dangerous. You’re likely to scorch the roux and then you have to start over. If you do scorch it, don’t use it; it will ruin the gumbo.

The Gumbo

Combine the wilted vegetables with your roux.

Slowly add the hot strained stock to the roux constantly stirring. Continue adding stock until the gumbo reaches your desired thickness. This usually yields about 1½ gallons of gumbo base.

Add in andouille and duck meat.

Add seasoning to taste, cayenne, black pepper, ground cumin, bay leaf

Simmer 30 minutes to 1 hour to blend flavor

Salt to taste

Serve in bowls topped with ½ cup cooked rice (brown rice works very well here) and garnish with chopped scallion tops

Serve with a French baguette.

Leftovers freeze surprisingly well so don’t hesitate to make the full batch.