Duck Pho

I’d eaten pho, the traditional Vietnamese rice noodle soup, as a snack long before I ever visited its country of origin. In college, I’d get my pho in New York City’s Chinatown for $3.50 a bowl, a price that fit right into my budget back then.

The classic beef version was on the menu at Can, a French Vietnamese restaurant in SoHo where I had my very first executive chef job. We made it the long, slow way, blanching oxtails, blackening onions, and toasting dried squid, then putting i