Le Pigeon: Cooking at the Dirty Bird

by Rucker, Gabriel; Erickson, Meredith; Lauren (CON); Fortgang, Andrew (CON)

• ISBN13: 9781607744443
• ISBN10: 1607744449
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2013-09-17
• Publisher: Random House Inc

Summary

This debut cookbook from James Beard Rising Star Chef Gabriel Rucker features a serious yet playful collection of 150 recipes from his phenomenally popular Portland restaurant.

In the five years since Gabriel Rucker took the helm at Le Pigeon, he has catapulted from culinary school dropout to award-winning chef. Le Pigeon is offal-centric and meat-heavy, but by no means dogmatic, offering adventures into delicacies unknown along with the chance to order a vegetarian mustard greens quiche and a Miller High Life if that's what you're craving. In their first cookbook, Rucker and general manager/sommelier Andrew Fortgang celebrate high-low extremes in cooking, combining the wild and the refined in a unique and progressive style.

Featuring wine recommendations from sommelier Andrew Fortgang, stand-out desserts from pastry chef Lauren Fortgang, and stories about the restaurant’s raucous, seat-of-the-pants history by writer Meredith Erickson, Le Pigeon combines the wild and the refined in a unique, progressive, and delicious style.

Author Biography

GABRIEL RUCKER is the chef and co-owner of Le Pigeon and Little Bird. He worked at Paley's Place and The Gotham Building Tavern before moving to Le Pigeon.

ANDREW FORTGANG is the co-owner, general manager, and sommelier of Le Pigeon and Little Bird. Born and raised in New York, he worked at Gramercy Tavern, Jean-George, Aureole, and Craft before relocating to Portland.

LAUREN FORTGANG is a pastry chef who developed and led Little Bird Bistro's pastry program. A graduate of California Culinary Institute, she previously worked for Paley's Place, Craft, and Hearth.

MEREDITH ERICKSON is co-author of The Art of Living According to Joe Beef with Fred Morin and David McMillan, writer and project manager of The Family Meal by Ferran Adria, and her work has appeared in the New York Times, the National Post, Elle, and the Observer's Food Monthly.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Tom Colicchio 
Introduction: Five Years of Le Pigeon
 
LETTUCE AND SUCH
BBQ Celery Root, Mâche, Dulce de Bourgogne 
Radicchio, Pears, Hazelnuts, Blue Cheese Dressing 
Butter Lettuce, Pickled Garlic, Ramps 
Butter Lettuce, Lemon Confit, Grapes, Spiced Brioche 
Dirty Potato Salad 
Le Pigeon Caesar 
Tomatoes, Plums, Watercress 
Grilled Romaine, Preserved Lemons 
Cedar-Planked Zucchini, Chèvre, Almonds 
Little Gem Lettuce, Gouda Cheese Dressing 
Mortadella, Mustard Greens, Swiss Cheese 

TONGUE
Grilled Lamb’s Tongue, Creamed Peas, Morels 
Elk Tongue Stroganoff 
Beef Tongue Reuben 
Tongue Bacon, Brioche, Celery, Capers 
Lamb Tongue Fries, Rosemary Ketchup 
Grilled Pork Tongue, Refried Beans, Lardo 
BBQ Beef Tongue, Fried Rice 

FAT LIVER
Su Lien’s Foie Gras Torchon 
Toasted Foie Gras and Jelly 
Fig and Foie Gras Terrine 
Foie Gras Bacon, Brioche 
Chanterelle Soup, Foie Gras, Candy Cap Sandwich 
Foie Gras, Peach Chutney Puff Pastry 
Foie Gras Carpaccio  
Foie Gras, Eel Pot-au-Feu, Pears, Dumplings 
Spinach, Artichoke, Foie Gras  
Foie-Creamed Spinach 
{Gabriel’s Love Letter to Plymouth Valiants} 

LITTLE BIRDS
Simple Roasted Pigeon 
Maple-Lacquered Squab, Duck Confit Hash 
Duck Heart, Green Bean Casserole 
Duck, Duck, Pigeon 
Chicken-Fried Quail, Eggos, Foie Maple Syrup
Pheasant Gnocchi, Sake Pears 
Pigeon, Liver Crostini, Anchovy 
Pheasant, Shiitake, Umami, Mizuna 
Duck Nuggets 
Quail, Pine Nut Risotto, Marmalade 
Duck Breast, Goat Cheese Pierogies 
Pigeon Crudo, Figs, Bourbon 
 
RABBIT
Smoked Rabbit Pie, Cheddar, Mustard Ice Cream 
Rabbit in a Pig Blanket 
Rabbit and Eel Terrine 
Rabbit Blanquette, Pearl Onions, Mushrooms 
Creamed Rabbit, Polenta, Black Truffles 
Rabbit Spanakopita, Prosciutto, Truffles 
Cognac, Braised Rabbit, Prunes, Sweet Potato, Chestnut Cream 
Chicken-Fried Rabbit, Wild Mushroom Salad 
{The Basement Tapes by Andrew Fortgang} 

LITTLE TERRY (SMALL FISH DISHES)
Hamachi, Foie Gras, Truffles, Mandarins 
Radis Beurre (Ocean) 
Fried Razor Clams, Habanero Buttermilk 
Clams, Kielbasa, Beer 
Boiled Dungeness Crab 
Geoduck, Portobello, Yuzu 
Octopus, Nectarines, Porcinis 
Parisian Gnocchi, Escargot, Bone Marrow 
Lobster Roe Pappardelle, Crab, Lemon, Crème Fraîche 
Black Scallops, Crab Salad 

BIG TERRY (LARGE FISH DISHES)
Potato-Crusted Sea Bass, Leeks, Bottarga 
Short Rib, Scallops, Succotash 
Campfire Trout 
Seared Oregon King Salmon, Cedar-Planked Porcini 
Anchovy-Larded Swordfish, Fingerling Potatoes, Rosemary Aioli 
Sturgeon au Poivre 
Carrot Butter–Poached Halibut, Anchovy-Roasted Carrots, Fennel 
Shrimp-Crusted Halibut, Chervil 

PORK
Pork Belly, Tripe, Fennel Jam 
Potato and Nettle Soup, Crispy Pork 
Pork Cheek, Ouzo, Feta 
Pork, Pretzel Spaetzle, Kraut Slaw 
Pork Shoulder Confit 
Pork Tacos, Condiments 
Jacked Pork Chops 
Pig’s Foot, Watermelon, Feta 
The “Le Bunk” Sandwich 
Simple Roast Pork Loin 
{The Weird and Wonderful World of Lars Norgren}