Duck With Cherries Spinach And Pine Nuts Recipes

DUCK WITH CHERRIES, SPINACH AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• For the Sauce: Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions; saute until tender and beginning to turn golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Add dried cherries, wine, and vinegar; boil 30 seconds. Add chicken broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until sauce is reduced to 2/3 cup, 4 to 5 minutes. (Do ahead: can be made one day ahead. Cool slightly, cover, and chill).
• For the Duck: Finely grind fennel seeds and aniseed in spice mill; transfer to bowl. Whisk in pepper and next 3 ingredients.
• Using sharp knife, score duck skin diagonally to create 3/4 inch diamond pattern (do not cut into meat). Sprinkle both sides of duck with fine sea salt and spice mixture.
• Heat heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add duck, skin side down, to skillet. Cook until skin is browned and crisp and fat is rendered, about 7 minutes. Spoon off some of the fat from pan. Turn duck over; cook until browned and cooked to desired doneness, about 3 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer to plate; tent with foil.
• Meanwhile, rewarm sauce. Whisk in 3 Tb butter. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
• Melt 1 Tb butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add spinach and garlic. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss until wilted, about 2 minutes.
• Slice duck breasts. Divide spinach among plates. Place 1 sliced duck breast atop spinach on each plate. Spoon sauce over; sprinkle with toasted pine nuts.

ROAST DUCK BREAST WITH DRIED CHERRIES AND PORT

Steps:

• Wrap each duck breast in plastic wrap and pound them with a meat mallet until each breast is about 1 inch thick. Place the duck on a plate, sprinkle both sides with a total of 4 teaspoons salt, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
• When ready to cook the duck, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Score the skin of the duck breasts with a sharp knife, making a crosshatch pattern but not cutting down to the meat.
• In a large (12-inch) heavy-bottomed, ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Place the duck breasts in the pan, skin side down. Cook uncovered over medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes, discarding the fat from the pan occasionally, until the skin is very browned. Turn the duck with tongs, place the skillet in the oven, and roast for 12 to 18 minutes, until the internal temperature of the duck is 120 degrees F for rare. Remove from the oven, cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil, and allow the duck to rest for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce. Melt the butter over medium-high heat in a medium saucepan. Add the shallots and saute for 2 minutes, until tender. Add the vinegar and cook for one minute. Add the Port, chicken stock, cherries, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the crème fraîche, orange zest, and orange juice and keep warm over low heat.
• Transfer the duck to a cutting board and slice diagonally, fanning the slices out on 4 dinner plates. Spoon the sauce generously on top, sprinkle with salt, and serve hot with extra sauce on the side.

ROASTED DUCK BREAST WITH DIRTY QUINOA, PINE NUTS, AND DRIED CHERRIES

Steps:

• For the duck: Let the duck breasts come to room temperature. Season both sides with salt. Score the skin of the duck in with cross-hatch marks. Place the duck breasts, fat-side down into a saute pan over medium-low heat and render out the fat, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Sear the duck breasts in batches, if needed. Flip the breasts and continue to cook for about another 5 minutes until medium to medium-rare. Remove from the pan and allow to rest. Season 1 liver with salt and pepper, add extra-virgin olive oil to the rendered duck fat in the same pan and saute for about 1 minute on the first side and 30 seconds on the second. Remove from the pan and let rest for a bit. Before serving chop and add to the quinoa.
• For the quinoa: Add the roasted duck bones to the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Taste the stock and add salt, if needed.
• Place a medium pot over medium heat and add 2 ounces fat, 1 shallot, and garlic and sweat for about 2 minutes. Add the quinoa and toast, about 1 minute, stirring to ensure the quinoa is coated in fat. Once toasted, add 2 cups seasoned chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce to a simmer for about 10 minutes, until the liquid is almost absorbed.
• Meanwhile, place a small saucepan over medium heat, add red wine and the dried cherries and allow the cherries to soak up the wine and reconstitute for about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the reconstituted cherries, their liquid, toasted pine nuts, orange zest and orange juice to the quinoa and stir to combine.
• Add the freshly picked tarragon leaves and the chopped liver and toss to combine. Keep over the heat until all the liquid is absorbed.
• For plating: Drizzle the watercress with extra-virgin olive oil and toss to combine.
• For each serving, slice the duck breast on the bias and place next to a mound of quinoa. Drizzle the plate with extra-virgin olive oil. Place some of the dressed watercress on the plate and season with sea salt.

ROASTED DUCK WITH CHERRIES

Steps:

• Remove any fat from the cavity of the duck and pierce the skin of the legs and breast with the tip of a knife or the tines of fork (helps to render out the fat).
• Season the duck well with salt and pepper inside and out and let the duck sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before roasting.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Roast the duck on a rack in a roasting pan for 45 minutes, turning it from side to side every ten or so minutes and finishing with it breast side up.
• Pour off as much fat as possible (reserve it for other uses--like the best french fries there are).
• Add the cherries, the wine and the stock and roast for another 15 minutes--the duck should still be pink next to the bone.
• Allow the duck to rest 15 minutes before carving.
• To carve, remove the legs, slice the breast and reserve all the juices.
• Skim the juices again, taste for seasoning and serve the duck garnished with the cherries and the de-fatted pan juices.