Spanish-style Baked Duck with Pears

Ingredients

6 duck portions, either breast or leg pieces
3 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
I cinnamon stick, halved
2 thyme sprigs
2 cups chicken stock
3 firm ripe pears
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 tsp saffron strands
2 tbsp raisins
salt and freshly ground black pepper parsley or young thyme sprigs, to garnish
mashed potatoes and green vegetables, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
2. Fry the duck in 1 tbsp of the oil for about 5 minutes, until the skin is golden. Transfer the duck to an ovenproof dish.
3. Drain off all but 1 tbsp of the fat in the pan, add the onion and fry for 5 minutes.
4. Add the cinnamon stick, thyme and stock and bring to the boil. Pour over the duck and bake in the oven for 1-1/4 hours.
5. Meanwhile, halve the pears and fry quickly in the remaining oil until beginning to turn golden on the cut sides.
6. Pound the garlic, pine nuts and saffron in a mortar with a pestle to make a thick paste.
7. Add the paste to the casserole, together with the raisins and pears. Bake for a further 15 minutes until the pears are tender.
8. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste, then garnish with parsley or thyme. Serve with mashed potatoes and a green vegetable, if liked.

COOK’S TIP:

A good stock is essential for this dish. Buy a large duck (plus two extra duck breasts if you want portions to be generous) and joint it yourself, using the giblets and carcass for stock. Alternatively buy duck portions and a carton of chicken stock.

Makes 6 servings.

Source: Best of Spain

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French-style Grilled Duck legs with Red Wine Sauce

Ingredients

6 duck leg confit
coarse salt and cracked pepper
1-1/2 to 2 lb thin-skinned potatoes
1/4 cup duck fat or vegetable oil
2-3 tablespoons fresh flat-leave Italian parsley, minced

Red Wine Sauce

10 sprigs fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme, or oregano
2 to 2-1/2 cups full-bodied wine such as Cabernet Sauvignon
1/4 cup veal or poultry demi-glace
1 to 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper

Method

1. Bring a pot three-fourths full of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and parboil just until cooked through, 10-12 minutes. Drain well.
2. When cool enough to handle, cut the potatoes into wedges.
3. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the duck fat until liquefied, 1-2 minutes.
4. In a large bowl, combine the potato wedges and 1-2 tablespoons of the duck fat and toss well to coat. Generously season with salt and pepper and toss with the parsley. Set aside.
5. To make the red wine sauce, strip the leaves from the herb sprigs. Mince the leaves and reserve the sprigs.
6. In a saucepan over high heat, bring the wine to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and whisk in the demi-glace, 1 tablespoon at a time. Add the minced herbs, herb sprigs, vinegar, shallots, and garlic and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced by one-third, 8-10 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a small saucepan; discard the herbs. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
7. Prepare a CHARCOAL or GAS grill for DIRECT grilling over MEDIUM-HIGH heat.
8. Brush and grease the grill grate with duck fat.
9. Place the duck legs on the grill, skin side down, directly over medium-high heat. Grill, turning once, until grill marks appear, 3-5 minutes per side.
10. Move the duck legs to the edge of the grill where the heat is less intense to keep them warm. Grill the potato wedges over the hottest part of the fire, turning occasionally, until lightly charred and tender-crisp.
11. Mound the potatoes on a platter or divide among 6 individual plates. Top with grilled duck legs and spoon the red wine sauce over the top. Serve at once.

Makes 6 servings.

Source: Adventures in Grilling

Grilled Turkey Burgers with Smoky Berry Sauce and Goat Cheese

Ingredients

1 tsp grapeseed oil
1 shallot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced and divided
1-1/2 cups raspberries
2 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp minced chipotle chili canned in adobo sauce
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1-1/2 Tbsp chia seeds
1 lb organic ground turkey
1 carrot, shredded
1/3 cup finely chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
2 oz soft goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 whole grain buns (optional)
2 cups spinach

Method

1. Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot and half of the minced garlic. Heat for 1 minute.
2. Add raspberries, thyme, chipotle chili, lemon juice and pinch of salt to saucepan. Simmer until raspberries break down, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in chia seeds and heat for 1 minute more. Set aside to cool and thicken. Reheat if needed before serving on burgers.
4. Preheat grill on high heat for 10 minutes, and then lower to medium for cooking.
5. In large bowl, gently mix together turkey, carrot, sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese, remaining minced garlic, salt and pepper. Form into 4 equal-sized patties. Place burgers on grill and cook for 5 to 6 minutes per side, or until an internal temperature of 165ºF (74ºC) is reached in each burger.
6. Remove burgers from grill and place bun halves, if using, on grill, heat just until toasted.
7. Serve burgers on buns topped with Raspberry-chipotle Sauce and spinach.
8. If not using buns, place spinach on plate and then nestle burgers on greens and spread sauce on patties.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Sage magazine

Chinese-style Braised Duck Legs

Ingredients

5 duck legs
2 tangerine peel
2 star anise
3 slices ginger
2 sprigs green onion

Marinade

1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine

Seasoning

2 cups chicken stock
1-1/2 tsp sugar

Method

1. Soak tangerine peels until soft and scrape out seeds. Wash duck legs, pat dry and marinate for 1/2 hour.
2. Heat 4 tbsp oil in a wok, pan fry duck until both sides are golden. Then saute ginger, green onion and star anise till fragrant.
3. Pour in seasoning and tangerine peel, bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for about 40 minutes until duck meat is tender. Remove and cut duck into pieces. Spoon sauce over duck and serve.

Source: Cook It Easy

Peruvian-style Stewed Duck

Ingredients

1 x 4-1/2 lb duck, cut into 6 pieces
1 tablespoon ground cumin
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup beef or duck broth
1 cup white wine
4 tablespoons Yellow Chili Paste
fried yucca-root batons to serve (optional)
salt and pepper

Kumquat Syrup

10-1/2 oz kumquats
7 oz granulated sugar

Method

1. To make the kumquat syrup, thoroughly wash and dry the kumquats and cut them in half. Place in a pan with 1-1/2 cups water, bring to a boil, and cook until softened. Add the sugar and continue to cook, without stirring, until a syrup forms. Set aside.
2. For the stew, place the duck in a bowl, add the cumin and half the chopped garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Pour in the orange juice and marinate for 10 minutes, covered in plastic wrap and placed in the refrigerator.
3. Heat the oil in a skillet or frying pan over medium heat, add the duck pieces, reserving the marinade, and brown on all sides. Remove and drain on paper towels.
4. Place the duck in a pan and pour in the broth, white wine, and marinade. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 2 hours, until the duck is tender. Set aside.
5. In a separate pan, heat the remaining oil over low heat, add the chili paste and remaining chopped garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook gently, stirring, for 6 minutes until the paste has thickened and become fragrant.
6. Add the duck to the pan and pour in 1 cup of the duck cooking liquid. Bring to a simmer and cook for a few minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.
7. Ladle the duck stew into large shallow bowls and serve with the kumquat syrup.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Peru

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