Tag Archives: duck

Duck with Broccolini & Tart Dressing

22 Sunday Apr 2012

Posted by in Life, Recipes

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This meal makes a decadent weeknight dinner. Since duck is so rich, two people can very comfortably split one large breast. This not only saves calories, it saves cash.

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Duck with Broccolini & Tart Dressing

3 Tbsp. good aged balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. pomegranate molasses
1/2 tsp. grated ginger
1 large boneless duck breast (skin on)
1 cup grits
2 cups milk
1 cup water
1 big handful Parmesan cheese
1 bunch broccolini, chopped
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt
White pepper

Start the sauce

In a small sauce pot over medium low heat, combine the vinegar, molasses and ginger. When the sauce comes up to a boil and becomes syrupy, turn off the heat.

Start the grits

In a medium sauce pot over medium-high heat, combine the grits, milk and water. Whisk. Continue to whisk every few minutes until grits come up to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring every minute or two, until grits are soft and liquid is absorbed. If mixture gets too dry, add water. When grits are done, remove from heat. Add cheese & salt & pepper to taste.

And now for the duck

While the grits are cooking, cook the duck. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add 1 Tbsp. olive oil and bring up to temp. Add the duck skin-side down – season with salt & pepper and sautée until deeply browned. Flip, season, and sautée on side 2 until deeply brown. Knock the heat back and continue to cook until medium-rare. Duck feels just like beef to the touch. Remove from the pan and set aside to rest while you cook the broccolini.

Some green veg

Drain fat. Put the pan back over the heat with 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Add broccolini. Sautée 7 minutes or until tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Slice the duck and serve with grits, broccolini and pomegranate molasses sauce.

Serves 2 for dinner.

Charcutepalooza Challenge 12 – Cinci By Way Of Charcuterie Chili

06 Tuesday Dec 2011

Posted by in Charcutepalooza, Recipes

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This is it. The end of my ‘Charcutepalooza A Year of Meat’ challenges. The very last one. I must admit to being a bit sad about my timed meat adventure ending. I learned a lot this year. Not only about food, but about where it comes from, food traditions, and even a bit of science. I also learned a bit about myself, and how far I can comfortably go to prepare something (like sausage, bacon or duck confit) that I’d always taken for granted.

This year has opened my eyes not only to the breadth of preserved meats out there, but how much of it can very easily be made at home. These things are not out of my league, they’re dead simple.

All it takes is a little time, a few special tools, lots of pork and patience. Having a partner in crime like my Dearest Husband the master sausage maker doesn’t hurt, either.

As I reflect back on this past year, I can say with all confidence that it has been one of my proudest on the culinary front. Not only have I been busy salting, curing and smoking my own meats, but I have started the first fledgling forays into canning.  Zombie apocalypse? Bah. I’m good. I have duck prosciutto and summer jam.

This month’s challenge was to be a charcuterie master class of sorts – we had to use 3-4 different charcuterie elements in a single celebratory dish to show off a bit. So what did I do? I decided to go back to my roots and share a dish I loved as a kid with my hubby.

Ok now Buckeyes, don’t get up in arms. I know this isn’t traditional Cincinnati Chili. I know. Settle down. Breathe. This chili is made in the same spirit and has damn near the same profile of that ‘mole of the midwest’ Buckeyes have come to know and love.

Mmmm… quasi sacrilicious

Cinci By Way Of Charcuterie Chili

As I was coming off of an epic charcuterie fail I decided to use this dish as an opportunity to serve the bits and bobs of charcute I’ve collected over the past year.

Original Cincinnati chili calls for 1 1/2 lbs. of ground beef.  I went in a different direction.

I used some bacon from this challenge (ok, not from this challenge exactly since I’ve been making about a batch a month since the beginning of the year – this stuff goes quick!)

Some leftover brisket from this challenge (unbrined)

Some leftover breakfast sausage from this challenge (and yes the notes of ginger tasted just fine)

and the topper: the very last bit of the duck confit from this challenge.

2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. chili powder
2 Tbsp. paprika
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. coriander
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cayenne
2 cloves, crushed
1 lb. brisket, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
4 oz. home made bacon, sliced into 1/4 inch batons
8 oz. breakfast sausage, broken up
4 oz. duck confit, shredded
1/3 can (~ 6 oz.) canned plain tomato sauce
1/2 can (~ 1 c.) canned plain diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 square (~2 Tbsp.) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans
Huge handful shredded extra sharp cheddar per person
Spaghetti

In a dutch oven or other large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat, brown the bacon, brisket and sausage in batches, removing each batch as it is browned. You’re aiming to develop flavors here. If your fond (the brown bits) on the bottom of the pot is getting too burnt, add a little water to loosen. Save it if you can, but if you can’t, pitch it.

After the meats are browned, add 1 tsp. olive oil to the pot along with the onions and garlic. Cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes.

Add the meat back to the pan along with the spices, beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Add water until the mixture is covered by 2 or so inches. I made my chili in a 5 quart dutch oven and added water to the fill line.

Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer 2 hours until everything is very tender and delicious.

Let sit, uncovered, a few hours until ready to serve. You want to give the flavors a chance to mix, mingle and marry.

When you’re ready to serve, turn the heat on to medium while you cook the spaghetti (following package directions).

When your spaghetti goes into the pot, add the duck to the chili. Stir to combine.

Serve the chili over the spaghetti and top with a huge handful of cheese per serving.

Serves 6 – 8, depending upon your serving size.

Duck Tacos with Smoked Chipotle Sauce and Chickpeas

15 Saturday Oct 2011

Posted by in Charcutepalooza, Recipes

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Mmmmmm….. Daffy

My debut recipe for this month’s Charcuetpalooza challenge, duck confit, was duck tacos. I couldn’t think of anything that would balance the ducky fattiness better than green apple, and what better way to get both to our mouths at once than a taco? Tacos are awesome!

A note about removing the duck from the fat: I’m completely sure I did this wrong. I had put the pot of confit in the fridge to set up and it didn’t dawn on me that cold fat is hard. Like, really hard. Bend your fork if you try to ice-chipper-the-duck-out-of-the-pot-with-it hard. So, I ended up gently heating the pot of confit on the stove and fishing the duck out of the warm fat. Be careful if you use this retrieval method. I then got the bright idea to switch the confit to smaller containers so I wouldn’t have to go through the same drama again, and ended up getting fat all over my kitchen. And on the dogs. So, tread carefully and it might not hurt to have a helper and/or funnel for pouring. It turns out, fat strewn about the kitchen isn’t the most pleasant thing in the world. The dogs were excited. Me, not so much.

Duck Tacos with Smoked Chipotle Sauce and Chickpeas

The tacos

2 legs confited duck
1/2 Granny Smith or other tart apple, julienned
Corn tortillas

In a pan over medium to medium-high heat, sautee your duck legs until the skin is nice and crispy. Beware sputtering fat. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool.

Once the duck has cooled, carefully remove the skin and shred the meat with your fingers taco-sized.

Don’t get rid of that skin! chop it up fine and top the tacos with it. Trust me: y-u-m.

The chickpeas

2 roasted poblano peppers peeled, de-seeded & chopped
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 palm cumin
1 tsp. powdered garlic

When your duck is finished crisping, toss the chickpeas into the leftover fat. Watch your temperature; I added my chickpeas when the pan was on medium-high, and had exploded chickpeas all over my kitchen to go with the duck fat. You’re looking to cook the chickpeas over a hot enough temperature that they crisp up, but not so hot as to be dangerous. Or, if you’re like me, throw caution to the wind and burns be damned.

Once your chickpeas are looking nice and toasty, add the poblanos & spices. You’re looking to warm them, not burn them, so you will only need an additional minute or two on the heat.

The sauce
Adapted from Gluten Free Girl’s Smoked Paprika Chipotle Sauce

16 oz. jar light veganaise (you could sub regular mayo, but the thought made me queasy)
3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
3 Tbsp. smoked sweet paprika
1/2 palm ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, peeled
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
2 big pinches salt

Combine all ingredients in a blender and let it run until fully combined. If the ingredients aren’t whizzing to your liking, add a splash of water to serve as blender lube. Taste. Add seasoning as needed.

Assembling your tacos

Depending upon the brand of tortillas you have purchased, you may need 2 tortillas per taco. We sure did. Assemble your tacos: duck on the bottom topped with a little sauce, some apple and finished off with duck skin was our preferred layering technique.

Serve with a side of chickpeas.