Chef Gives 'Turducken' Demonstration at Maple Leaf
Posted
Kathy Cone-kcone@timesuniononline.com
LEESBURG – Twenty-five local residents learned how to make an alternative entree to Thanksgiving’s traditional turkey – a turducken, a turkey stuffed with duck and chicken. Chef JD Cheney demonstrated how to make this turkey-stuffed dish in the state-of-the-art kitchen at Maple Leaf Farm’s corporate headquarters in Leesburg Wednesday evening. Sponsored by the company’s Duck, Down & Above shop, cooking classes are offered every few months, and at this seasonal demonstration Cheney provided plenty of information on poultry and stuffing options. Cheney began the cooking class by easily and carefully deboning a duck while casually chatting about the use and choices of knives, varieties in cookware and his background. He grew up in South Bend and began cooking about 20 years ago flipping hamburgers in a mom-and-pop restaurant. Self-taught, he moved on to the Tippecanoe Lake Country Club where he worked as its executive chef for four years. Now living in Huntington, he travels to the Chicago area, back and forth to Maui, Hawaii, and around Indiana teaching, serving private groups and catering. He said he can cook for up to 80 people, and has provided meals for a little as two. “Actually,” he added, “I do work for individuals – people who have special nutrition needs or cannot cook for themselves.” With the duck free of bones and ready for the frying pan, he chose a young man out of the audience to be his sous chef. Jacob Sudlow, 16, a junior at Warsaw Community High School, is a culinary student working at the school’s Blue Apron cafe. His mother explained how her son has been in culinary preparation classes since his freshman year, and that he intends to continue his studies in this field. The cafe, she added, offers dining room and carry-out meals, and is open to the public. “I want to be a chef,” Sudlow told the crowd. And to that end he got to work chopping vegetables for a “mire poix,” a mixture of onions, celery and carrots as a base, which would be used as a stuffing. Cheney then added ingredients and seasonings to provide three variations. A favorite was the one with cranberries, honey and candied pecans. Next, Cheney gave Sudlow some experience tieing up a stuffed turducken. The chefs layered a sliced-open turkey with the cooked duck and chicken breasts, then tied it with string to make it ready for the oven. A turducken had been prepared earlier so that everyone could sample the finished product. All participants in the class were able to take notes, walk about, take pictures, ask questions and watch the food cooking on the stove. Then, they were able to taste. Maple Leaf Manager Ryan Walker said there will be more classes coming up. Some are chef demonstrations and some are hands-on student preparations. For more information, check out the Maple Leaf website, Facebook page or call 574-453-4455. Chef JD Cheney can be reached via www.chefjd.net
