Not a quack of consternation from these three chefs about the wild cards dealt with the long island pekin duck on their ingredient list. they quickly-and professionally- set themselves to the task of combining them into aces. jim pori s checks out their hands and handiwork.

Whether Long Island duck or Pekin duck, the fluffy white orange-billed bird is one and the same. Not so the dishes that Todd Gray (Equinox, Washington, D.C.), Alessandro Stratta (Renoir, Mirage Hotel, Las Vegas), and Traci Des Jardins (Jardiniere and Acme Chophouse, San Francisco) constructed from the versatile duck and a list of random ingredients presented to them for FoodArts' biannual MYSTERY BASKET challenge.

There was, however, a common outcome of their participation in the MYSTERY BASKET exercise: they all faced up to revelations about cooking habits that are buried under the instinctive, intuitive routines all chefs follow to get them from morning to night. Pausing - and that's something they never do - to consider the mixing and matching of the mandatory ingredients forced them to reexamine what goes into their cooking, why they like to cook, how they cook. Making a list and checking it twice (or more) sounds like a remedy any chef with a blown gasket can administer to himself at home anytime.

As always, the three chefs were given 29 ingredients, with the stipulation that they had to use the duck and at least 16 of the others. For the record, their figurative basket contained a whole Long Island duck, salt and pepper, barley, garlic, olive oil, coriander seeds, onions, saffron, Dijon mustard, portobello mushrooms, oranges, prunes, Port, soy sauce, granulated maple sugar, Brussels sprouts, daikon, litchi nuts (canned or fresh), heavy cream, prosciutto, phyllo dough, and a choice of herbs - fresh bay leaves, mint, marjoram, cilantro, sage, rosemary, thyme, and lavender.    

"I always try to incorporate a bit of my Virginia background into my dishes, but this basket was no help there. Since I didn't have traditional mid-Atlantic ingredients to work with, I looked instead to classical combinations for inspiration. But I was able to add a few country touches just the same."

"The classical notes include the orange, which evokes canard a l'orange; Port, which is a great foil for game birds, as is an explosive herb like rosemary; and the maple sugar and soy sauce, which create a sweet-salty balance in the marinade. The marinade also creates a deep caramelization on the duck skin, which presents a beautiful contrast with the pink breast meat when it's sliced and fanned out on a plate.

"Then I thought about dishes I had worked with in the past. I once had a New Year's Eve special that was a phyllo purse filled with portobello mushroom and foie gras. So I substituted the rich duck confit for the foie gras in the purse. Then there was a dish I did with the late Jean-Louis Palladin, where we used to caramelize cabbage and bam together. What's a Brussels sprout but a mini cabbage? So that works great with the prosciutto. Plus, it reminds me of country style approaches to vegetables. The duck jus employs all the bones, so the entire bird gets into every part of the dish. With the vegetables and garnishes, there are many layers of texture and flavor Regional or not, the dish is a killer"

Maple Roasted Breast of Pekin Duck & Portobello Beggar's Purse With Carmalized Brussels Sprouts & Rosemary Duck Jus

"To prep the duck: remove the legs but leave the breasts on the carcass; marinate legs and breasts overnight in Port, soy sauce, maple sugar, Dijon mustard, garlic, and coriander seeds. Remove the duck parts from the marinade. Strain the marinade over the legs and set in a nonreactive pot, adding water to thin into a braising liquid. Braise legs over low heat until the meat is falling off the bones. Remove leg meat and cool to room temperature. Reserve leg bones and braising liquid. Cook onions in olive oil; add thyme; season with salt and pepper; remove from the heat; add leg meat; cool to room temperature. Stack three phyllo, dough sheets for each beggar's purse, brushing each layer with olive oil and dusting with salt and pepper before adding the next one. Place a small, cleaned portobello, in the center of each phyllo stack; season; drizzle with olive oil; top with duck leg mixture; puff up sides of phyllo stack to form the purse; tie with butcher's twine; reserve in the refrigerator.

"For the sauce: remove breasts from the carcass; chop the carcass and roast until golden; add leg bones; cover with reserved braising liquid; cook three hours, adding water as necessary; strain; reduce to sauce consistency. Sweat garlic and rosemary in a little olive oil; deglaze with Port; finish with duck jus.

"Caramelize Brussels sprouts in olive oil; add julienned prosciutto; cook until prosciutto caramelizes; season. Season duck breasts and pan-roast until medium-rare. The maple marinade will help them caramelize really well. Bake the beggar's purses in a 350 degree oven until golden brown; remove from oven; let them rest a few minutes; remove the butcher's twine; cut them vertically to expose interior garnish. To serve, cut duck breasts into thin slices; arrange half a duck breast on one side of each of four plates; place Brussels sprouts with caramelized prosciutto in the center; top with a few orange segments and julienned prunes; place split beggar's purse on the other side of plate; drizzle rosemary/duck jus around."