The cure for the hungry hunter

On a dark night fit only for ducks, with rain pouring down, creeks flowing out of their banks, I braved the elements and made my way to the Live Oak Gun Club to meet chef Daniel Huntington of Oregon House.

Daniel has the coolest culinary job around. He fixes five-star meals for hungry duck hunters including several well-known Healdsburg vintners who fly in to the local gun club.

While Daniel also serves the ducks the hunters bag, he also features a great menu that includes many of his own recipes. After all, you can't eat duck every night, can you?

As I entered Daniel's kitchen, I found him staring down the sights of his crab cake recipe featuring a scrumptious red bell pepper mayonnaise sauce.

Originally from Portland, Ore., Daniel unknowingly began his culinary career in West Germany in the early '70s.

After graduating with a degree in engineering, he felt the need for a change in scenery by taking a position at a resort hotel in the Southern German Alps for what he thought would be a short break before starting his career job.

What he didn't know was that his "short break" would turn into a three-year apprenticeship after being discovered by the resort's head chef.

Part of his staff responsibilities included taking a turn at preparing the midday meal for the entire staff.

"In the middle of cooking my menu, the head chef came up to the stove where I was working, standing just behind me, watching as I cooked," Daniel said.

"As you can imagine, this unnerved me a little, and turning around I asked him, 'was anything wrong?'"

No, he replied, but tell me, where did you learn how to cook?

"Strange question, I thought to myself. I don't know, I replied. Doesn't everybody cook when they are hungry? He laughed and told me the ability to combine ingredients into a palatable result was an innate trait, not necessarily shared by everyone."

The ability to cook is inside you, he told Daniel.

"He then offered me a position as a prep cook in the 'big' kitchen," Daniel said.

So that launched his culinary career.

Daniel eventually returned to the States and, to make a long story short, landed in a duck pond, sort-to-speak, in the Butte Sink in Live Oak where he feeds hungry duck hunters as they make their way in from their duck blinds.

Yuba City dentist Dr. Mike Passadlia is a managing member of the club. On Monday, he related a story about how — after having more than 10 chefs in as many years — he ran an ad advertising for a chef at $15 per hour.

Daniel answered the ad. And when the two met for the interview, Daniel was wearing his best clothes, whereas Mike was dressed in his grubbys, all dirty and sweaty from working on duck blinds in the field.

"When we first saw each other, I noticed he had a very expensive shirt on, a nice pair of slacks and a very expensive pair of shoes, " Mike said. 'Daniel, you sure don't look like a $15 an hour cook.'

"Whereas Daniel said, 'Just let me cook one meal for you and the members, and we can talk.' The meal Daniel prepared knocked the members' socks off and his presentation was phenomenal," said Mike.

The rest, as they say is history.

"It has been a great fit and the members just love Daniel and constantly rave about his food," said Mike. "In fact, I personally look forward going to the kitchen just so I can enjoy the wonderful aromas coming from Daniel's creations. I also enjoy just to sit and talk with him. He has become one of guys. In fact, we have asked Daniel to return for next year's duck season." Mike said.

The crab cake recipe Daniel shares with us today is a combination of recipes that has evolved over the years and has become a favorite at the gun club as well.

So if you enjoy crab cakes, give this very tasty recipe a shot (pun intended).

Maybe next duck season we can talk Daniel into sharing one of his recipes featuring one of the ducks that the hunters have brought down. I love a tasty Christmas duck. Enjoy.

• Crab Cakes with Roasted Red Bell Pepper

Ingredients

2 pounds crab leg and body meat

1⁄4 cup red bell pepper, minced

1⁄4 cup green bell pepper, minced

1⁄4 cup yellow bell pepper, minced

2 celery stalks, minced

1 red onion, minced

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1⁄2 cup mayonnaise

1⁄2 cup bread crumbs, fine grade

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Olive or peanut oil for frying

Putting it together

Place crab meat in a bowl, mixing together leg and body meat while checking for any stray pieces of shell. Mix all ingredients into the meat and form crab cakes about 2 inches in diameter, making sure to press together to form a homogenous cake.

Crab cakes can be refrigerated until ready to serve.

Before frying, roll each cake in bread crumbs. Fry until golden at moderate heat.

Cooked cakes can be held in a moderate oven for a few minutes to facilitate serving.

Serve with spoonful of "Roasted Red Bell Pepper Mayonnaise."

• roasted red bell pepper mayonnaise

Roast two red bell peppers in a 350-degree oven until brown on all sides. When done, place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to sweat for one hour to loosen skins.

Peel and seed each pepper and place in a food processor, processing until a fine paste. Add 1 cup mayonnaise and 1 teaspoon of rice wine vinegar.

Process, place on crab cakes.

• Cook's note: Recipe makes 10 to 12 crab cakes.

• A free, full-color recipe card is available in the Appeal-Democrat office lobbies.