Duck Spring Rolls Billie Jean | Clayton, Mo.

Ny Vongsaly

French-Vietnamese pairings pioneered global mash-ups, and they continue to inspire chefs today. Duck confit transforms the egg roll at Billie Jean, a modern American restaurant with Asian influences. The confit serves as a stuffing for the Duck Spring Rolls appetizer, highlighting duck’s success as a crossover into creative casual fare, ranging from bar snacks to fritter-style sides.

“I insist on duck on all my menus,” says Zoë Robinson, owner of three concepts located within a single block. “But I don’t like being redundant.” Her French restaurant, Bar Les Freres, serves a classic duck confit-and-red cabbage combination, which, she says, the chef “turned on its ear” for Billie Jean’s Duck Spring Rolls. Ny Vongsaly, Executive Chef, adds cellophane noodles, cilantro, Thai basil and scallions to the shredded confit and combines that with sautéed red cabbage for the filling. These fried rolls are served with a housemade sweet chile-soy dipping sauce. “It’s absolutely delicious and unique,” says Robinson. “It’s become a staple on our menu.”