Caneton Au Muscadet Recipes

CANETON A L'ORANGE

Steps:

• Make duck:
• Prepare ducks for roasting. Place in pan with carrots, onions, a little thyme, and a bay leaf. Roast at 325°F. for 50 minutes to one hour, so the meat still shows a little blood when pricked with a toothpick and skewer. Remove and keep hot. Place roasting pan on heat and cook for a few minutes. Skim off excess fat and rinse pan with white wine and consommé. Cook for 5 minutes. Stain mixture through a fine sieve. Melt 2 tablespoons sugar in a heavy pan over low heat and just as it begins to carmelize, add vinegar and fruit juices. Add strained pan juices. Bring to a boil. Skim off excess fat. Mix flour with a little water and blend with sauce; cook until thickened to a syrupy consistency. Correct seasoning. Add Kitchen Bouquet to give rich color. Carve meat of one duck and arrange slices overlapping on top of second duck. Garnish with sections of orange. Add liqueur, 1/4 cup sugar, and cognac to sauce and carefully pour sauce over and around duck. Garnish the platter with potatoes. Serve peas separately.
• Make potatoes:
• Cook potatoes in boiling, salted water until tender. Drain and peel. Put through food mill or ricer. Blend in 6 tablespoons butter, cream and one by one, egg yolks, beating well after each addition. Flavor with finely grated orange peel. Roll into long cork shapes, dip in flour, beaten egg, and fine bread crumbs and quickly deep fry in hot fat until golden brown.
• With this, drink a light Bordeaux.

TERRINE DE CANETON A L'ANCIENNE

Steps:

• Bone duck, or have butcher do it, scraping away meat and ligaments. Save bones, liver and skin. Discard sinews. In workbowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, puree all fat and a 4-by-5-inch piece of skin. Set aside.
• Cut pork liver into small pieces. Process liver and duck meat briefly, using pulse button (you need not rinse bowl of food processor). Set aside.
• Crack duck bones into small pieces and brown lightly in bits of duck fat in a medium-size skillet. Drain off any fat. Add carrot, turnip, onion, tomato, 2 cups water and the herb bouquet, bring to a boil and skim carefully. Lower heat and reduce liquid to 2 tablespoons of duck glaze; this will take about 45 minutes. Scrape glaze into a small bowl to cool. Discard solids in skillet.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine ground pork liver and duck meat, pureed skin and fat, 2 1/2 teaspoons salt, freshly ground pepper, eggs, cream, garlic, shallots, parsley, quatre epices and freshly ground white pepper. Blend well.
• Fold in reserved duck glaze. Pat mixture into a bowl and spread Armagnac on top. Let stand, uncovered, 2 to 3 hours at room temperature, or, covered, overnight in the refrigerator. (Mixture should come to room temperature before proceeding with next step.)
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
• Stir mixture to loosen. Pack into a 1 3/4-quart terrine or loaf pan. Smooth it down, cover with foil and set in a larger pan of hot water. Place on oven's middle shelf and bake 1 1/2 hours. Remove foil covering, lower oven temperature to 225 degrees and bake 1 hour longer.
• Remove terrine from oven and let cool 30 minutes. Cover with foil, a dish or flat board and, on top of this, a weight (a 2- or 3-pound can will do). Let cool. When completely cold, refrigerate. Remove weight the following day. Cover with melted butter or chicken fat to seal completely. Serve after 3 to 4 days. If well covered with fat, this will keep in refrigerator 2 weeks or more. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.

CANETON AU MUSCADET

Steps:

• Rub the duckling well with salt, a little ground ginger, and ground cloves. Place on a rack in a roasting pan and roast in a 325°F. oven for 1 1/4 hours. Remove duck from oven and place in a deep iron casserole. Pour warmed cognac over it and ignite. Add Muscadet, onions stuck with cloves, carrots and beurre manié. Blend. Return to oven to cook for 30 minutes, basting duck occasionally with liquid in casserole.
• Meanwhile peel and slice the potatoes and brown them well in the butter. They should cook until they are just soft but crisp around the edges and on the outside. Shake the pan from time to time to keep them from sticking on the bottom. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Add the raisins to the duck mixture in casserole and cook for a further 10 minutes, basting once. To serve, arrange duck on a hot platter and surround it with potatoes. Pour a little of the sauce over the duck and serve the rest in a sauce boat.
• With this, drink chilled Muscadet.