Recently I was randomly working around the internet looking for an inspiration for this column. Somehow, an image for a Cantonese recipe for Pressed Duck popped up. I had not Googled it, but there it was.
In a split second my mind was in 1968. I was in Dallas with my aunt and uncle to attend the Apparel Market. It was evening. We were riding up in an elevator to the 37th floor of the Southland Life Tower in the Dallas Sheraton Hotel — at that time the tallest building in Dallas. The elevator door opened, and we stepped out onto what appeared to be the deck of a clipper ship, the ships which raced around the world in the 19th century, delivering and collecting goods. A giant round piece of wood marked the center of the room and held a plaque which told that this mast was the very one used on a ship in the movie “Around the World in 80 Days.”
The host, dressed as a 19th-century ship captain, showed us to a dining room at the restaurant named “Ports O’Call.” There were four dining rooms, each representative of ports where the great clipper ships would travel:
Saigon — decorated to represent the years France controlled this portion of Vietnam, all gilded and red. Rich carvings and opulent décor marked the blending of French and Asian cultures.
Papette — on Tahiti in the South Pacific. The walls were a grasscloth in shades of brown, reminiscent of palm huts. The wood was teak and monkey pod, and blowfish hanged from the ceiling. A statue of a Hawaiian war god reigned over the bar.
Macao — Dark and mysterious in the manner of a palace for the emperors of China. Lavish decorations were used — ebonized wood, mother of pearl, hanging lanterns. The foods here were from the region of Canton, succulent and delicious.
Singapore — Decorated as the Yacht Club in Singapore to remember the British Rule in China. British down to the chairs and Union Jack, this room was undoubtedly the outpost of Queen Victoria in a strange and very foreign land.
Waiters in each room were dressed to complement the theme of the room. However, more than the décor and the food, the large draw of Ports O’Call was the unparalleled view of Dallas.
On my first and every subsequent visit to this restaurant, I ate the wildly mysterious sounding dish known as “Pressed Duck.” I chose it the first time because it sounded so very foreign. My grandpa hunted duck, but would always make duck gumbo. In my short life, I had never encountered domestic duck. The menu description illuminated a food preparation I’d never encountered, pressing meat — “the Royal Peking duck is slowly braised with spices of its homeland, star anise, ginger and five-spice powder. Then the succulent meat is taken from the bone, shredded, cooled and pressed into a mold (At this time I was still wondering how an iron could be made to press meat). After a rest, the cake of duck meat is dusted with water-chestnut flour and gently fried to a golden brown. Served to our guests in a luscious plum sauce, garnished with toasted almonds.”
Garrison Keillor of “Prairie Home Companion” fame once said a sandwich of peanut butter, olives and pickles was his first step on the road to New York City. I believe the Pressed Duck at Ports O’Call was the first step on my journey into the culinary world.
My first taste of this wildly exotic creation was heaven in a single bite. All the delicious tastes of the world outside Columbia were present in that bite. I knew then why I had never been a real fan of peas, cornbread and biscuits: I was destined for star anise, ginger and five-spice powder. All these many years later, I have never looked back.
Sadly, Ports O’Call, opened in 1960, began a decline as the war in Southeast Asia began and grew. The restaurant started to fade about 1970, never regaining its prominence on the Dallas restaurant scene. Newer and taller buildings soon eclipsed The Southland Life Tower. The restaurant finally closed its doors in the late 1970s.
Few Chinese restaurants prepare Pressed Duck now. The dish is very labor-intensive in a world where restaurant salaries are four times the rate of 50 years ago. Fewer and fewer places have chefs who have even heard of Pressed Duck, much less know how to make it. If you are an adventurous cook, I am going to give you the URL for a wonderful recipe. It is delicious, something I love, but haven’t made in many years. If you try the recipe, please let me know.
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/cantonese-pressed-duck-5... This recipe is from the cookbook “Madam Wu’s Art of Chinese Cooking,” my favorite book for restaurant-styled Chinese food. There is a wonderful photograph of Madame Wu and Cary Grant on the book jacket!
To end, my favorite thought about Pressed Duck. Many, many years ago, maybe 35 or so, my brother sent me a birthday card.
On the front of the card it said, “I wanted to make you Pressed Duck for your birthday.” On the inside it said, “… but I couldn’t get it to lie down on the ironing board.” All these years later it still makes me laugh.
Fran Ginn is former chef/owner of The Back Door Café, who retired after 31 years in the food industry to be a grandmother. She can be contacted at fran@franginn.com.
