Pan Grilled Duck With Spinach And Poached Apples Food

CRISPY DUCK WITH APPLES AND ONIONS

Steps:

• Break down the duck: You'll end up with 8 pieces of duck, plus the carcass and wings (for stock). Place duck breast side up on a cutting board. Use a sharp boning knife to trim away excess skin; dice and reserve for cracklings. Next, remove the wing tips at the joints; reserve for stock. Remove the first leg (drumstick and thigh) by making a cut between the thigh and the body, exposing the meat and joint. Pull the leg away from the body until you hear the joint popping; cut through the joint and detach the leg from the rest of the duck. Repeat with the other leg.
• Continue breaking down the duck: Feel for the thin breastbone that runs down the length of the breast. Cut down one side of the breastbone to the rib cage, then down the length of the breastbone. Gently cut the breast away from the carcass, sliding your knife along the rib cage as you go. (You'll encounter the wishbone towards the top of the breastbone, which you'll need to cut around to remove.) When the breast has been cut off the carcass, cut the remaining skin from the bottom of the breast. Carefully remove the tendon from the tenderloin of the breast and discard. Repeat with the other breast. Cut each breast in half and set aside.Finally, separate the drumsticks from the thighs: Turn the leg skin side down and feel for the joint that connects the drumstick to the thigh. Cut in between the joint to separate the two bones, then slice all the way through the meat and skin to separate the thigh from the drumstick. Repeat with other leg. You should now have 8 pieces of duck. Reserve the carcass and wings for stock.Peel, core, and quarter the apples. Cut the onions in half, leaving the root end intact. Season the thighs and legs with salt and pepper, then lay them skin side down on the bottom of a heavy-bottomed, wide pan. Set the pan over medium-high heat and scatter the diced skin around the duck pieces; cook for 20 minutes. (As the duck is browning, don't be tempted to move or flip the duck!)
• After the legs have cooked for 20 minutes, season the breast pieces with salt and pepper. Place them skin side down into the pan with the legs. Continue to brown the duck until it's cooked through, another 25 minutes.
• Remove the duck and cracklings to a plate, leaving the fat in the pan. Lay the apples and onions in the pan cut side down, season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium-high heat until deeply browned. Turn the apples and onions over and cover, to soften and cook through, about another 15 minutes.
• Remove the onions and apples to a platter. Drain the duck fat from the pan, add the port, and cook over medium-high heat for a few minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. After the alcohol has cooked off, add the optional heavy cream and heat through. Add the duck pieces to the platter, drizzle the sauce over everything. Garnish with cracklings, fresh sage leaves, and a final sprinkling of salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

PAN-GRILLED PAILLARDS OF DUCK

Steps:

• Pull skin off duck and thinly slice skin, then cook skin with water in a 10- to 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and cracklings are browned and crisp, about 15 minutes. Drain in a sieve set over a bowl and reserve rendered fat. Spread cracklings on paper towels to drain.
• Remove tender from underside of each breast half if attached and reserve for another use, then trim silver membrane from each breast half. Halve each breast half horizontally to make a total of 4 thin pieces. Gently pound each piece between 2 sheets of plastic wrap to an even 1/4-inch thickness with flat side of a meat pounder or with a rolling pin.
• Heat grill pan over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking.
• While pan is heating, stir together salt, ginger, pepper, curry, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle each duck paillard with 1/2 teaspoon spice mixture per side and lightly brush with some rendered duck fat. Grill duck, turning over once, 3 to 4 minutes total for medium-rare, then transfer to a cutting board and let stand, loosely covered with foil.
• While paillards stand, lightly brush orange slices with some rendered duck fat, then sprinkle with remaining spice mixture. Grill orange slices, turning over once, until just warmed through and grill marks appear, about 1 minute total, then transfer with duck to a platter.
• Season cracklings with salt and pepper and sprinkle over duck and oranges.
• *Available at the butcher section of many supermarkets and D'Artagnan (800-327-8246).

GRILLED CRISPY DUCK STUFFED WITH APPLES AND ONIONS

Steps:

• Cut apples and onions into quarters. Remove seeds from apples and set aside. Rinse duck with cold water and pat dry. Discard giblets and organ meats. Trim all loose fat from the inner cavity. Stuff cavity with apples and onions. Sprinkle duck liberally with salt and pierce skin in several places with a fork.
• Place the duck, breast side up, in a roast holder (which is placed in a drip pan for gas grill) in the center of the cooking grate. Cook 1 1/2 to 2 hours, piercing the underside of the duck every 30 minutes to remove excess fat. When the duck juices run clear, and the internal temperature is 170 to 180 degrees F, remove from grill and let rest for 15 minutes. Remove apples and onions from duck cavity and place on cooking grate to crisp. Serve duck with the grilled apples and onions while still warm.

PAN-GRILLED DUCK WITH SPINACH AND POACHED APPLES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Use a sharp knife to remove any excess fat from the duck. Remove the neck, cut in half and place in a shallow roasting pan. Remove the wings, being careful not to cut into the breast. Place the wings in the roasting pan. Cut along one side of the ridge of the breastbone, then scrape the knife against the side of the breastbone, gently freeing one half of the breast from the cavity. Repeat on the other side. Remove as much fat as possible from the meat and discard the fat. Remove the loose, sinewy flap of meat from the underside of both breast pieces. Set aside. Blend the salt and pepper and rub the mixture into the skin side of the breasts. Cover and refrigerate. Remove the duck legs and use the back of the knife to break up the carcass. Add the carcass to the roasting pan and roast in the oven along with the neck and wings for 20 to 25 minutes, turning frequently until evenly browned.
• Put the browned duck parts, onion, leek, carrots, peppercorns and bouquet garni -- and enough water to cover, about 6 quarts -- in a stockpot over low heat. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the legs, the flaps of meat from the breast and the mushrooms, cover partially and simmer for 4 hours to get about 2 1/2 to 3 quarts. Skim any foam as it rises to the top.
• Strain the broth and discard the solids. Strain again through a fine sieve or a large strainer lined with cheesecloth. Cool and then refrigerate overnight to chill completely. Skim and discard the fat.
• Prepare the spicy poached apples. They can be kept at room temperature for up to 2 hours.
• An hour before serving, begin making the sauce. Put the duck broth in a saucepan over medium heat and cook until it has reduced to 1 1/4 cups, about 35 minutes. (Freeze the remaining broth to make soup.) Add the leek or onion and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the carrot, remove from heat and set aside for 15 minutes.
• Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it is hot, but not smoking. Lay the breasts skin side down, and cook until brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Turn them over and cook until done, about 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the breasts. Pour out the fat as it accumulates in the pan. Remove the breasts to a tray, cover loosely with foil and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes and up to 15 minutes before slicing.
• Five minutes before you are ready to serve the duck, return the sauce to the heat and bring it to a simmer. Add the peppers and set aside for 3 minutes.
• Steam the spinach until just wilted and drain well.
• Use a sharp knife to slice the duck breasts thinly. Lay out 4 warmed plates. Place a mound of steamed spinach in the center of each plate and fan the duck slices around the spinach. Spoon the sauce over the meat, garnish with the spiced apples and serve.

DUCK STUFFED WITH APPLES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Season the ducks with salt and pepper, then rub with thyme leaves. Stuff half the apple in the cavities of the ducks. Pierce the skin with a fork and dot the skin with butter.
• Place the ducks, on a rack in a roasting pan. Pour the water and wine into the pan.
• Roast in oven for 1 1/2 hours or until an instant read thermometer placed in the thigh registers 180 degrees F. Baste occasionally, adding water if needed. During the last 20 minutes of cooking, place rest of the apples in the pan. When the ducks are fully cooked, remove them from the oven and let them rest for 15 minutes before carving. Mix the pan apples with the sour cream and serve with the carved meat.