Duck Terrine With Wine Glazed Shallots Food

DUCK TERRINE WITH WINE-GLAZED SHALLOTS

Steps:

• Prepare duck terrine:
• Freeze milk in a shallow dish, scraping once or twice with a fork to break up crystals, until frozen, about 1 hour.
• Pull skin with fat off duck breast with your fingers, using a knife when necessary, then cut both skin with fat and breast meat lengthwise into 1-inch pieces that will fit in grinder. Chill meat and skin with fat, wrapped separately in plastic wrap, in freezer until firm but not frozen, about 1 hour.
• Set a medium bowl in a larger bowl of ice and cold water under grinder to catch ground meat, then feed meat (only) through grinder. Replace medium bowl in ice with a large metal bowl and feed meat through grinder a second time, adding spoonfuls of frozen milk as you go. Chill, covered with plastic wrap, in refrigerator.
• Feed duck skin with fat through grinder twice into a bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and cold water, then add to ground duck meat and set bowl in larger bowl of ice.
• Add remaining duck terrine ingredients to ground-duck mixture and mix with your hands or a wooden spoon until combined well. Chill, covered with plastic wrap, in refrigerator at least 8 hours to marinate meats.
• Glaze shallots:
• Bring wine, vinegar, sugar, salt, thyme, and bay leaf to a boil in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then add whole shallots and cover surface of liquid with a round of parchment or wax paper. Simmer shallots vigorously until tender, about 40 minutes, then transfer from cooking liquid to a bowl with a slotted spoon and discard thyme sprig and bay leaf. If liquid isn't syrupy, boil until reduced to about 1/3 cup. Pour over shallots and cool.
• Line and bake terrine:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325°F.
• Line bottom and all sides of terrine with fatback (or caul fat), overlapping edges slightly and leaving a 2-inch overhang on long sides. Rub some of duck mixture onto fatback lining to help the rest adhere, then pack in about two thirds of remaining duck. Create a wide trough lengthwise along the middle with back of a spoon. Embed drained shallots, reserving Port syrup, pointed ends down in trough. Pack remaining duck mixture on top. Fold overhang (adding more fatback if necessary) to cover top completely, then cover terrine with a double layer of foil. Rap mold firmly on counter to compact terrine.
• Bake terrine in a water bath until thermometer inserted diagonally through foil at least 2 inches into center of meat registers 155 to 160°F, 13/4 to 2 hours. Remove foil and cool terrine in mold on a rack, 30 minutes.
• Weight terrine:
• Put terrine in mold in a cleaned baking pan. Put a piece of parchment or wax paper over top of terrine, then place on top of parchment another same-size terrine mold or a piece of wood or heavy cardboard cut to fit inside mold and wrapped in foil. Put 2 to 3 (1-pound) cans on terrine or on wood or cardboard to weight terrine. Chill terrine in pan with weights until completely cold, at least 4 hours. Continue to chill terrine, with or without weights, at least 24 hours to allow flavors to develop.
• To serve:
• Run a knife around inside edge of terrine and let stand in mold in a pan with 1 inch of hot water (to loosen bottom) 2 minutes. Tip terrine mold (holding terrine) to drain off excess liquid, then invert a cutting board over terrine, reinvert terrine onto cutting board, and gently wipe outside of terrine (fatback) with a paper towel. Let terrine stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving, then cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices and serve on plates drizzled with reserved wine syrup.
• *Available at dartagnan.com.

DUCK & PORK TERRINE WITH CRANBERRIES & PISTACHIOS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Put the duck breasts and skin in a shallow dish, then place in the hot oven for 20 mins. Discard the shrivelled bit of skin that remains, then pour the duck fat into a bowl to cool. Reserve 6 bacon rashers, then roughly chop the remainder. Roughly chop the cooked duck meat.
• In a food processor, blend the chopped bacon, pork and duck in batches to a coarse texture, then tip into a large bowl. Tear up the bread and soak in the milk for 5 mins. Squeeze out the bread and put in the food processor with the shallots, garlic and livers. Process to a coarse texture, then add to the bowl, mixing well.
• Grind the peppercorns, coriander seeds and cloves to a coarse powder using a pestle and mortar. Stir in the cinnamon. Add the spices to the meat along with 4 tbsp reserved duck fat, the Cognac, eggs and 2 tsp salt. Mix together very thoroughly - the best way is to use your hands.
• Press half the mixture into a 1.5-litre baking dish or similar. Scatter over the pistachios and cranberries, then cover with the remaining meat mixture. Arrange the reserved bacon rashers over the top, tucking in the ends. Cover the dish tightly with foil, then put in a roasting tin. Pour boiling water into the tin to come halfway up the sides of the dish.
• Bake for 2 hrs, remove foil, then bake for 15 mins more to brown the top. Cool completely, then wrap in fresh foil and chill. For the best flavour, let the terrine chill and mature for at least 2 days before eating.
• TO FREEZE Make the terrine as stated, cool and then freeze. Defrost in the fridge before serving.

DUCK BREASTS WITH SHALLOTS AND PORT

Steps:

• Score the skin on the duck breasts down to their meat, and season both sides with salt, pepper and herbs on both sides. Set aside.
• Heat skillet, and sear duck on both sides for 5-6 minutes on each side, or until most of the fat is rendered, skin is crisp, and meat is to cooked to desired doneness.
• Heat butter in saucepan, and saute onion, garlic and shallots until tender.
• Add brown sugar, and cook until carmelized, about a minute or two.
• Slowly add vinegar (step back, as it will steam!) and wine and allow to cook down.
• Add arrowroot which has been dissolved in 2 Tablespoons water.
• If desired, finish duck breast in the oven.
• To serve, cut the duck breast into diagonal slices and spoon some sauce on top. Serve at once.