Duckling With Cabbage Food

ONE-PAN DUCK WITH SAVOY CABBAGE

Steps:

• Lightly score the skin of the duck breasts, then generously season with the peppercorns and a sprinkling of salt. Lay the duck breasts, skin-side down, in a non-stick sauté pan, then place over a low heat. Leave the duck for 15 mins to brown and release its fat, then flip over onto the flesh side for 5 mins.
• Remove the duck from the pan, then turn up the heat. Add the potatoes to the pan, fry until brown and crisp, then scatter over the parsley and garlic. Scoop out with a slotted spoon onto a plate, then season with salt.
• Keep the pan on the heat. Fry the bacon until crisp, then add the cabbage. Cook for 1 min, add a splash of water, then fry for 2 mins, just until the cabbage is wilted. While the cabbage is cooking, whisk any juices from the duck with the vinegar and olive oil. To serve, carve the duck breast into slices. Fan out on large dinner plates, spoon a neat bundle of cabbage on one side, then pile a serving of potatoes on the other. Drizzle over the dressing and serve.

PASTA WITH CONFIT DUCK AND SAVOY CABBAGE

Steps:

• Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then sear duck legs, starting skin sides down and turning over once, until skin is golden and some of fat is rendered, 6 to 8 minutes total. Transfer to a cutting board, reserving skillet. When duck legs are cool enough to handle, remove skin and scrape off and reserve any visible fat, then cut skin into roughly 1/4-inch pieces. Return skin and fat to skillet and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally and pressing down on larger pieces, until fat is rendered and cracklings are golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer cracklings with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.
• While cracklings cook, pull duck meat from legs into roughly 1/4-inch-thick strips, discarding bones and any gristle.
• Reserve 2 tablespoons fat in skillet, discarding remainder, then cook onions with 1/2 teaspoon salt over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Add cabbage and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring and turning occasionally with tongs, until cabbage is slightly wilted, about 5 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring, until evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add chicken broth and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is very tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
• While cabbage simmers, cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta-cooking water, then drain pasta in a colander.
• Transfer cabbage mixture to pasta pot along with butter and shredded duck and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until butter is melted and duck is heated through. Stir in pasta, parsley, and pepper until combined. (If pasta looks dry, stir in some of cooking water.) Season with salt and serve cracklings on the side (for sprinkling over pasta).

SIMMERED DUCK WITH CABBAGE & POTATO

Steps:

• Heat a small saucepan (one with a lid) on a medium heat. Season the breast, lay it skin side down in the pan and reduce the heat to the lowest it will go. Leave to sizzle for about 15 minutes, uncovered, until the skin is golden and crisp and has rendered most of its fat. Don't shake the pan or move the duck.
• Remove the duck (the meat side will be raw). Pour out just over half the fat (save it for frying vegetables another time) and turn up the heat slightly. Add the bacon and fry for 2-3 minutes until starting to crisp. Add the potato, cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potato looks sticky and has just started to brown at the edges.
• Tip in the cabbage and stir until glossy, then pour in the stock. Nestle the duck, skin side up, among the cabbage and potato and cover the pan. Simmer gently for 10 minutes until the veg is tender and the duck cooked. Remove the duck from the pan and stir in the parsley and garlic. To serve, spoon the veg, bacon and juice on to a plate and sit the duck on top. Pour a glass of wine and enjoy the flavours of autumn.

DUCKLING WITH CABBAGE

Steps:

• Disjoint the duck. Remove each leg with the full thigh attached. Remove the wings, then carve off each breast in one boneless piece. Set aside the breast and leg pieces and a two-inch square of easily removed fat. The remainder of the duck is not needed.
• Combine the pepper, thyme and bay leaf and rub the mixture into the flesh side of each duck piece. Set the pieces skin side down on a plate, cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside in a cool place for six to eight hours.
• At least two, not more than six, hours before serving, prepare the pickle. Select eight dark green, medium-sized leaves of Savoy and set aside. Core both kinds of the cabbage, then finely shred four cups worth of the Savoy and three cups of the green cabbage, loosely packed.
• Put the eight tablespoons of salt in a large, nonreactive bowl and add two cups of hot water. Stir until the salt dissolves, then add the rice vinegar and four cups of cold water. Dip the Savoy leaves in one by one and remove. Add the shredded cabbages and daikon, stir well, then hold the vegetables aside and put the Savoy leaves in the bottom of the bowl. Marinate one-and-a-half to two hours, or until the vegetables are translucent and limp but still firm to the bite.
• Scoop out the cut vegetables, leaving the leaves to marinate. Press the vegetables in a colander to remove all liquid, then refrigerate.
• Cook the duck legs at least one-and-a-half hours before serving. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Dice the reserved fat, place in a small, heavy skillet and cook over medium heat until the pan is well filmed with fat. Discard solids, wipe spices from duck legs and lay them flesh side down in the pan. Prick the fat in several places, cover the pan and bake for 45 minutes or until the meat is completely cooked.
• Drain and reserve the fat. Cool the duck legs to lukewarm, then remove the skin and bones, shred the meat and set aside, covered.
• About 10 minutes before serving, preheat the broiler. Drain the Savoy cabbage leaves, pat dry and use them with the red lettuce to line four large plates. Set aside.
• Combine the pickled mixture with the wood ears (if using), chives, tarragon and half of the radishes and carrot strips. Combine the shallots in a small bowl with the salt and vinegar. Add the walnut oil, mustard, creme fraiche and pepper to the shallots, stir well and toss with the vegetables.
• Wipe the spice mixture from the duck breasts, dry the meat and skin thoroughly. With a razor blade or very sharp knife, score the skin in small diamonds. Film a heated broiler pan with the reserved fat from the duck legs, place the duck breasts on it flesh side down and broil about four inches from the heat for six or seven minutes -until the skin is brown and crisp and the meat rose-rare.
• While the breasts broil, reheat the leg shreds in a small covered pan with one tablespoon of water.
• To serve, center a portion of leg meat on each leaf-lined plate and cover completely with the cabbage mixture. Slice the breasts on the diagonal into eight pieces each and arrange four slices on top of each bed. Decorate with reserved radishes and carrots, pour any collected juices over the meat and serve at once.

PAN-FRIED DUCK BREAST WITH CREAMED CABBAGE, CHESTNUTS & CARAMELISED PEAR

Steps:

• Lightly score the skin of the duck breasts, then season well. Place a non-stick pan over a medium heat, then lay the duck in the pan, skin-side down. Cook until the fat starts to come from the duck, then add the garlic and thyme. Turn down the heat, then continue to cook for 15-20 mins, depending on the size of the duck breast, until the skin is really crisp and brown. As it cooks, pour the fat into a large pan for the cabbage.
• Flip the duck over, cook on the flesh side for 3 mins until browned, then turn off the heat (this will result in meat that is pink in the middle - cook for a few minutes longer if you like it well done). Leave the duck in the pan to rest.
• While the duck cooks, heat 1 tbsp of its fat in the other pan. Add the celeriac and bacon, then gently fry for 5 mins until the celeriac has browned and the bacon starts to crisp. Add the thyme, then the cabbage. Fry the cabbage for 5 mins until it starts to wilt. Add 100ml water and simmer for 5 mins until the water has evaporated and the celeriac is soft. Pour in the cream, stir to coat, then add the chestnuts and heat through. This can be done up to a day ahead - cook the celeriac in 1 tbsp vegetable oil instead of the duck fat and reheat with an extra splash of cream before serving.
• Cut the pear in half and use a melon baller or teaspoon to scoop out the core. Place a star anise in the cavity of each half.
• Place 3 tbsp of the icing sugar in a non-stick pan and heat to make a light amber caramel. Pour in the vinegar and bubble to make a sticky syrup. Dust the pear halves heavily with the rest of the icing sugar, then place the pan back on the heat. Cook the pear for 10 mins until brown and caramelised all over. This can be done up to a day ahead and reheated, adding a splash of water.
• To serve, slice each duck breast lengthways and dress the watercress in the olive oil and vinegar. Spoon a neat mound of cabbage on one side of each plate. Place a pear half, cut-side up, on the opposite side of the plate and drizzle the sticky sauce around it. Place the outside slices of duck breast on the cabbage and fan the rest of the duck over. Scatter the dressed watercress sprigs around the sides of the plates and serve.

DUCK WITH RED CABBAGE & MADEIRA GRAVY

Steps:

• At least 24 hours before serving, mix the salt, pepper and herbs, except the thyme sprigs, in a large bowl. Add the duck legs and rub in the herby salt until well coated. Cover and leave overnight or up to 24 hours in the fridge.
• Next day, wipe the salty mixture from the duck legs and place them in a single, tight-fitting layer in the base of a pan. Add the bay leaves from the bowl and pour over the goose fat. If it doesn't cover the duck, top up with the groundnut oil. Cook over the lowest possible heat for 2½ hours, so the fat barely bubbles. The duck skin should be creamy rather than golden once cooked. Transfer the legs to a bowl and strain in the fat, pushing the duck under until fully submerged. (The duck can now be chilled and refrigerated for up to 1 month.)
• While the duck is cooking (or up to 2 days ahead of the meal), make the madeira gravy and cabbage. For the gravy, melt the butter in a small pan, add the shallots and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring until golden. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring all the time, until the flour browns - take care not to let it burn. Whisk in the stock and continue whisking over the heat until slightly thickened. Add the madeira and cook for 2 minutes more. Strain through a sieve into a bowl. (The gravy can now be cooled and chilled for up to 2 days.)
• For the cabbage, scoop 2 tbsp of the goose fat from the duck as it cooks (if making at another time use olive oil) and put into a medium pan. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, until softened. Tip in the juniper berries and cabbage and cook over a fairly high heat until the cabbage starts to soften. Stir in the vinegar, orange juice, raisins and redcurrant jelly. Cover and leave to cook for 15 minutes, stirring now and then until tender. (Cool and chill for up to 2 days if making ahead.)
• On the day, preheat the oven to fan 180C/ conventional 200C/gas 6. Remove the duck legs from the fat and wipe away any excess with kitchen paper. Put the duck on a wire rack in a roasting tin and top each leg with a sprig of thyme. Roast for 10 minutes, then add the creamy wild mushroom potatoes to the oven (see recipe, below) and cook with the duck for 30 minutes, or until the duck skin is golden. Meanwhile, reheat the cabbage and gravy in separate pans until piping hot.
• To serve, put a generous spoonful of cabbage on serving plates and sit the duck legs on top. Spoon round the gravy and serve with the potatoes. For a green vegetable, quickly stir fry some sugar snaps.