Roasted Duck Breast With Dirty Quinoa Pine Nuts And Dried Cherries Food

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.

PAN ROASTED DUCK BREAST

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• With a sharp knife score the fat of the duck breasts in a criss-cross pattern. Season the duck with salt and pepper. Warm a heavy bottomed ovenproof skillet over medium heat.
• Place the duck breasts, fat side down, in the skillet to render off the fat, about 6 minutes. Reserve rendered duck fat. Turn the duck breasts over and sear for 1 minute. Turn the fat side down again and place the skillet into the oven to roast for 7 to 9 minutes, until breasts are medium rare. Let the duck breasts rest for 5 minutes then thinly slice.
• Grate the potatoes and squeeze out excess liquid using your hands. Toss the potatoes with the melted butter, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of duck fat in a 6-inch cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Press some of the potato mixture into the hot pan to make a 1/4-inch thick cake. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the rosti is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Flip the rosti in the pan and add more duck fat. Continue cooking until golden and crisp. Place the finished rosti onto an unlined baking sheet and continue cooking the rest of the potato mixture. Reheat rosti in a 400 degree F oven for 10 minutes.
• Combine the brown sugar, raspberry vinegar, red wine vinegar, and white wine vinegar in a medium pot. Place over medium-low heat and stir to dissolve the brown sugar. Simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add the blueberries, onion, green peppercorns, lemon juice, and ginger. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching.
• The chutney will keep for several weeks stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

QUINOA WITH GARLIC, PINE NUTS AND RAISINS

Steps:

• Place the quinoa in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until toasted, about 2 minutes. Add 1 3/4 cups water (or use low-sodium chicken broth) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until the liquid is absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, about 2 minutes.
• Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a skillet over medium-high heat, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes; transfer to a plate. Add the olive oil and garlic to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer the garlic to the plate, reserving the oil.
• Fluff the quinoa with a fork. Add the pine nuts, garlic, reserved oil, parsley, raisins and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and toss.

PAN ROASTED DUCK BREAST

Steps:

• Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Score the skin of the duck breasts and season them lightly with salt and pepper. Add 1/2 tablespoon of the olive oil to the skillet and put in the duck breasts, skin side down. Cook slowly, rendering the fat, until the duck skin is golden and crisp, about 5 to 6 minutes. Turn the duck breasts over and cook them in the duck fat for 2 minutes. Remove the duck breasts from the pan to a plate, cover them with foil, and let them rest for 5 minutes.
• After the duck has rested, return them to the skillet, skin side down, over medium heat. Spoon the duck fat over the breasts until they are just heated through. The skin should be crispy and duck meat should be pink in color. Transfer to a cutting board.
• In another medium skillet over medium-high heat, add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the pancetta and cook until it begins to color, about 5 minutes. Add the shallot and garlic and cook until they are soft, about 5 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and add in the spinach and the frisee. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, then add the hazelnuts and toss the greens gently to coat them with the oil. Cook the greens until just wilted, about 2 minutes.
• To serve, divide the greens onto 2 plates and garnish with the chives. Slice the duck breasts and fan them over the greens. Spoon the Razz Cherry Garlic Glaze across the duck and garnish with chervil.
• Combine the red wine, grenadine, vinegar, and sugar in a saucepan over high heat and bring it to a boil. Peel and slice the garlic as thinly as possible. Add the garlic and razz cherries to the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Continue to cook until the sauce is reduced and syrupy, about 15 minutes.
• Yield: about 1 cup

ROAST DUCK

Steps:

• Unwrap the ducks and allow them to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. With a fork, prick the skin without piercing the meat. This will allow the fat to drain off while the ducks cook.
• Meanwhile, in a very large stock pot which can hold the 2 ducks, heat the chicken broth with 1 tablespoon of kosher salt until it boils. Add the ducks very carefully and bring the stock back to a boil. If there isn't enough stock to cover the ducks, add the hottest tap water to cover. If the ducks float to the top, place a plate on top to keep them immersed. When the stock comes back to a boil, lower the heat and simmer the ducks in the stock for 45 minutes.
• When the ducks are finished simmering, skim off enough duck fat from the top of the stock to pour a film on the bottom of a 14 by 18 by 3-inch roasting pan. This will keep the ducks from sticking when they roast. Carefully take the ducks out of the stock, holding them over the pot to drain. Place them in the roasting pan, pat the skin dry with paper towels, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and the pepper. If you have time, allow the ducks to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow the skin to dry.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. (Be sure your oven is very clean or it will smoke!) Roast the ducks for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow them to rest, covered with aluminum foil, for 20 minutes. Serve warm.

PANFRIED DUCK BREASTS WITH DRIED CHERRY-PORT SAUCE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the Port and dried cherries; set aside.
• Using a thin-bladed, sharp knife, score the skin of each duck breast half in a crosshatch pattern, taking care not to cut into the flesh.
• In a small bowl, mix 3/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
• Season the breasts on both sides with the salt mixture.
• Place the duck breasts, skin side down, in a cold, large nonstick frying pan.
• Place over med-high heat and cook the breasts until the skin is crisp and a deep golden brown, about 10 minutes.
• Holding the breasts back with a spatula, pour the fat out of the pan.
• Turn the breasts and continue cooking until med-rare, about 3 minutes longer.
• Transfer the duck breasts to a cutting board and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.
• Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the frying pan and place over medium heat.
• Add the shallots and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 2 minutes.
• Add the Port and cherries and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Cook until the Port is reduced almost to a glaze, about 1 minute.
• Stir in the stock, return to a boil, and cook until the sauce is reduced by half, about 2 minutes.
• Remove from the heat.
• Whisk in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, completely incorporating each addition before adding more butter.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper; keep warm.
• Holding a thin, sharp knife at a 45-degree angle, slice each duck breast half on the diagonal.
• Slip the knife under each sliced breast, transfer to individual plates and fan out the slices.
• Spoon some sauce over each breast and serve immediately.

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.