Braised Duck Legs With Plums And Red Wine Recipes

RED-WINE-BRAISED DUCK LEGS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. and season duck legs with salt and pepper.
• In a heavy kettle just large enough to hold legs in one layer, cook legs, skin sides down, over moderately high heat 10 to 15 minutes, or until skin in scrip and mahogany colored, removing fat from kettle as it is rendered with a metal bulb baster (or very carefully tilting the kettle and spooning off). Turn legs over and cook until browned on the other side, about 2 minutes, transferring to a plate.
• Pour off fat from kettle and deglaze with wine, scraping up brown bits. Boil wine until reduced to a syrup and add garlic, thyme and 1/2 cup dried fruit. Return duck legs, skin sides up, to kettle and add broth. Bring mixture to a simmer and braise, uncovered, in oven 2 hours, or until legs are very tender. Transfer legs to a platter and keep warm.
• Pour braising mixture into a 1-quart measuring cup and let stand until fat rises to the top. Skim off fat and pour liquid through a sieve into a saucepan, pressing hard on solids. Boil liquid until reduced by about one third and slightly thickened and add remaining 1/2 cup dried fruit. Simmer sauce until fruit is softened, about 5 minutes, and season with salt and pepper.
• Serve duck legs with sauce and noodles or roasted and mashed potatoes.

BRAISED DUCK LEGS WITH PLUMS AND RED WINE

Steps:

• Lay the duck legs on a baking sheet in one layer. In a small bowl, mix together salt, pepper, clove, allspice and cayenne. Sprinkle salt mixture evenly over duck legs on both sides. Set aside for 20 minutes. (Alternatively, wrap and refrigerate seasoned legs for several hours or overnight.)
• Put a wide, heavy skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add duck legs skin side down. Legs will begin to exude fat and sizzle. Let them cook, without moving them, until nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Turn legs and cook on other side for 10 minutes more.
• Remove browned legs from pan and set aside. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons duck fat (save remaining fat for future use). Add diced onion to pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add tomato paste, stirring to incorporate, then add wine and broth and bring to a simmer. Add cinnamon stick, star anise and bay leaf. Chop half the plums into 1/2-inch pieces and add to the simmering broth.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Transfer duck legs to a Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot. Pour the hot broth mixture over legs, then cover and bake for 20 minutes. Lower heat to 350 degrees and bake for 30 to 40 minutes more, until legs are quite tender when pierced with a skewer. Remove pot from oven and skim fat from surface. (You may prepare the dish to this point 1 to 2 days in advance, if desired.)
• Heat butter in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add reserved plums cut side down and sauté for a minute or so, until lightly browned, then turn and cook on skin side for a minute more.
• Transfer duck legs to a warm platter and spoon the hot sauce over them. Garnish with sautéed plums. Mix together parsley, chives, pistachios and lemon zest. Sprinkle parsley mixture over the top and serve.

DUCK LEGS BRAISED WITH RED WINE AND LIME

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Season the duck with salt and pepper. Place a stew pot over medium-high heat, and add the oil. When hot, add the duck, skin side down, and cook until golden brown. Rotate the legs and cook for 30 seconds more; transfer to a plate.
• Turn the heat to medium-low, add the onions and a little salt and cook covered, stirring occasionally, until they are softened, about 15 minutes. Stir in the lime zest and serrano chili. Add the red wine, 1/2 cup of water and a pinch of salt. Nestle the duck legs, skin side up, on top of the onions. Bring to a boil, and then cover, place in the oven and cook until the duck is tender but still toothsome, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Transfer the duck and 1/2 cup of the onions to a plate; cover to keep warm. Purée the remaining onions, the cooking liquid and lime juice in a blender. Adjust to taste with salt and lime juice. Stir in half of the cilantro.
• Mound the reserved onions in the centers of 4 plates. Put a duck leg on top of each, and pour the sauce around the duck. Sprinkle the remaining cilantro over each plate. Serve as a hearty appetizer.

RED-WINE-BRAISED DUCK LEGS WITH ROASTED PEARS AND ONIONS

Steps:

• Trim excess fat from duck legs, reserving fat for the sautéed kale. In a large bowl marinate duck legs in wine with bouquet garni, covered and chilled, 2 hours.
• Transfer legs to a plate, reserving wine and bouquet garni. In a heavy kettle large enough to hold legs in one layer heat oil over moderately high heat until hot. Pat legs dry with paper towels and season with salt. Cook legs, skin sides down, 20 minutes, or until skin is crisp and mahogany-colored, removing fat from kettle as it rendered with a metal bulb baster (or very carefully pouring it off). Turn legs and cook until browned on other side, about 2 minutes, transferring as browned to a plate.
• Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons fat from kettle and sauté vegetables with salt to taste, stirring occasionally, until tender and lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Add duck legs, skin sides up, with parsley sprigs and reserved wine and bouquet garni and simmer, covered, 1 1/2 hours, or until tender. Braised duck legs may be prepared up to this point 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. Reheat mixture over low heat, adding 1/3 cup water, before proceeding with duck preparation.
• Make roasted pears and onions during last hour of duck braising:
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• In a shallow baking pan large enough to hold onions and pears in one layer melt butter in oven and swirl pan to coat. Add onion halves, cut sides down, and quarters, and bake 30 minutes. Add pears, cut side down, to pan and bake 20 minutes, or until pears and onions are tender and lightly browned. In a cup stir together lemon juice, honey, and salt and add to onions and pears, tossing to coat.
• Transfer duck legs to a warm plate and keep warm, covered with foil. Discard parsley sprigs and bouquet garni and strain liquid into a 1-quart measuring cup, reserving vegetables. Let liquid stand until fat rises to top and skim and discard fat. Return liquid to kettle and simmer until reduced to about 2 cups. Add beurre manié, a little at a time, whisking, and boil 2 minutes. Stir reserved vegetables and minced parsley into sauce and heat through if necessary.
• Serve duck legs, with sauce spooned over them and garnished with parsley sprigs, with roasted pears and onions.

ITALIAN RED-WINE BRAISED DUCK WITH OLIVE GREMOLATA

Steps:

• Trim duck legs of extraneous fat with a sharp knife, leaving a thin layer on top. (It is best to do this straight from the fridge, while fat is still firm.) Save duck fat for rendering. If you don't wish to render fat immediately, freeze for up to 2 months
• Season each leg generously with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with ground coriander and fennel. Massage seasoning into meat and leave at room temperature for 30 minutes, or wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• Roast duck legs in a 400-degree oven for about 45 minutes, until nicely browned. Pour off fat accumulated in roasting pan and reserve for another purpose.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce: Pour olive oil into a wide heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and let them cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to color. Add carrot, celery, thyme, bay leaf and orange peel. Season with salt and pepper and continue cooking until the carrot and celery are softened. Add garlic and tomato paste and stir to coat. Add chopped tomato and red wine and bring to a brisk simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, until slightly thickened. Add chicken broth and return to a simmer. Taste sauce for salt and adjust seasoning, adding a pinch of cayenne or red pepper flakes if desired. Finally, add duck legs, put on the lid, reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook for about 45 minutes, until meat is tender when probed with a paring knife.
• Transfer the duck legs to a low baking dish, all in one layer. Skim any fat from surface of sauce. Ladle sauce over duck legs and bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes, until sauce is bubbling and legs have browned a bit on top. (Duck may be prepared up to 3 days in advance, then reheated.) Sprinkle olive gremolata evenly over dish. Serve with wide ribbons of buttered egg pasta or polenta, if desired.

CRISP-BRAISED DUCK LEGS WITH AROMATIC VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Put duck legs, skin side down, in a skillet large enough to accommodate all ingredients comfortably; turn heat to medium. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Brown duck legs carefully and evenly, sprinkling them with salt and pepper as they cook. Meanwhile, peel and dice vegetables.
• When legs are nicely browned, turn them over and sear for just a minute or two. Remove to a plate; remove all but enough fat to moisten vegetables. Add vegetables to skillet along with some salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Return duck legs to pan, skin side up, and add stock; it should come about halfway up duck legs but should not cover them. Turn heat to high, bring to a boil, and transfer to oven.
• Cook for 30 minutes, then lower heat to 350 degrees. Continue to cook, undisturbed, until duck is tender and liquid reduced, at least another half hour. The duck is done when a thin-bladed knife pierces the meat with little resistance. When done, duck will hold nicely in a warm oven for another hour. Serve hot.

DUCK LEGS BRAISED WITH SEVILLE ORANGES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Season the duck legs on both sides. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan set over a medium heat. Place the legs in the pan, skin-side down, and fry until well browned. Turn them over and brown the flesh side. Remove the pan from the heat and pour away most of the fat. Lay the orange slices in the bottom of a ceramic baking dish and top with the duck legs.
• Return the pan to the heat. Add the chopped shallots, celery and carrot, and fry, stirring, for 4 mins to allow the vegetables to brown a little. Add the wine, bring to a simmer and cook for 2-3 mins. Add the herbs, garlic and chicken stock, mix everything together, then pour over the duck legs. Tuck the vegetable pieces in between the legs so they are submerged in the liquid. Add just enough water to almost cover the legs, then cook in the oven for 1 hr.
• Meanwhile, add half the butter to a frying pan set over a medium heat. Add the whole shallots and brown all over. After the duck has been in the oven for 1 hr, add the browned shallots and cook for a further 30 mins until tender. Remove the dish from the oven and transfer the legs to a baking tray. Lift out the whole shallots and put to one side. Strain the cooking liquid into a jug and skim off any fat or vegetable debris that comes to the surface.
• Increase oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Place the duck legs back in the oven and let them crisp for 10 mins while you finish the sauce. Boil the liquid in a large pan and reduce until you have about 300ml, then season to taste and add sugar, if necessary. Finally, add the remaining butter and stir to melt, before returning the shallots to the pan and gently reheating. Serve the legs on a bed of buttered kale, drizzling the light sauce around it, with roast parsnips on the side.

ROAST DUCK LEGS WITH RED WINE SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Put the duck legs in one layer in a roasting tin on a bed of rosemary sprigs and garlic cloves. Sprinkle with salt and five-spice powder. Roast for 1 hr.
• Bring the wine and jelly to a gentle simmer, stirring to dissolve the jelly, then continue to simmer for 5 mins. When the duck has been cooking for an hr remove from the oven and spoon off almost all the fat (save it for roast potatoes), then pour the wine mixture around it and return to the oven for 10-15 mins to finish cooking and reduce the sauce.