Molded Cold Duck Salad Food

WARM DUCK SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place the duck breasts on a sheet pan, skin side up. Sprinkle with salt and roast for about 20 minutes, until medium-rare. Remove from the oven, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and allow to sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove and discard the fat and skin on top (unless you're making cracklings), slice the duck, and then cut the slices crosswise into julienned pieces.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the shallots, sherry vinegar, orange zest, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. Whisk in the olive oil and set aside.
• For the salad, trim the bottom half-inch from the endive and cut them diagonally into 1/2-inch slices. Separate the leaves and discard the cores. Place the slices in a large salad bowl. Add the mache leaves, oranges, raspberries, and toasted pecans. Toss with enough dressing to moisten. Gently toss in the warm duck meat and serve immediately.

MOLDED COLD DUCK SALAD

Steps:

• At least 5 hours or up to 1 day before serving:In a medium bowl, pour boiling water over gelatin. Stir until gelatin is dissolved. Add cold duck. Chill until mixture mounds when dropped from a spoon. Skim off any foam from surface.Stir in orange segments. Pour into a 4-cup ring mold. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or until 30 minutes before serving.About 30 minutes before serving:Unmold salad onto a chilled serving plate. Garnish with endive and grapes. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

DUCK SALAD

Steps:

• Roast the duck according to the directions in the recipe for Basic Roast Duck, through Step 5. Remove the duck from the oven and allow to cool.
• Boil the noodles until just done, about five minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water and allow to drain again. When thoroughly drained, toss the noodles with two tablespoons of the peanut oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.
• Roast the pepper by turning it over a gas flame or placing it under a broiler until the skin has blackened. Place the pepper in a plastic or paper bag for about 10 minutes to steam off the charred skin. Remove the skin, seed the pepper and cut it in slivers. Toss the noodles with the pepper, scallions, cucumber and coriander.
• Remove the duck skin from the duck and reserve. Pull the meat of the duck off the bones.
• Dice the duck skin and fry the pieces in a skillet until crisp. Allow to drain on absorbent paper.
• Combine the remaining peanut oil, the sesame oil, lemon juice and soy sauce. Beat until well-blended.
• Arrange the watercress on each of six plates. Toss the noodles with about half the sauce and arrange atop the watercress on each plate. Arrange the duck pieces on the noodles and sprinkle with the rest of the sauce. Scatter the bits of fried duck skin on top and serve.

CRISPY SHREDDED DUCK AND NOODLE SALAD

Steps:

• Cook noodles in a 4-quart pot of boiling salted water until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain in a colander, then rinse under cold water and drain well. Stir together vinegar, sugar, and salt in a bowl until sugar is dissolved, then add noodles and toss well.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 10- to 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté duck pieces, starting with skin sides down and turning occasionally, until skin and meat are crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer with tongs to a cutting board. (Do not clean skillet.)
• When duck is cool enough to handle, remove crisp skin from meat and thinly slice skin. Remove and discard any excess fat from meat, then shred meat into 1/4-inch-wide pieces.
• Heat remaining 1/4 cup oil in skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then fry shallot, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 2 minutes (watch closely, as shallot can burn easily). Quickly transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.
• Working around core of cucumber, cut thin lengthwise slices (about 1/8 inch thick) with slicer, then stack slices. Halve stack crosswise, then cut slices lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide matchsticks.
• Cut each peach half lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick wedges with slicer or a sharp knife.
• Put 1 lettuce leaf on each of 6 plates, then divide noodles among leaves and top with duck (meat and skin), cucumber, peach, shallot, and herbs. To eat, roll lettuce leaf into a cylinder to enclose filling.