Cumin Cilantro Duck Breast With Apricot Jus And Japanese Eggplant Recipes

CHICKEN ADOBO WITH FILIPINO FRIED RICE AND CHARRED JAPANESE EGGPLANT

Steps:

• For the chicken: Heat a large, high-sided pan over medium-high heat. Add the black peppercorns and toast for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant, shaking the pan to evenly distribute. Transfer to a spice grinder and grind. Add 3 tablespoons of the canola oil to the pan and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Pat the chicken dry and season liberally with kosher salt. Reduce the heat to medium. Place the chicken into the pan skin-side down and sear without moving the chicken until the skin pulls away from the bottom of the pan and begins to brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook until browned on the other side, another 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan. Discard the excess cooking oil and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of canola oil to the pan.
• Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 5 minutes. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, palm sugar, garlic, bay leaves, ground black pepper and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and add the chicken back to the pan. Cover and cook until an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees F when inserted into the center of the chicken, 15 minutes. Remove the chicken and allow to rest. Continue to cook the sauce, uncovered, until thickened and reduced, 5 minutes.
• For the charred eggplant: Add the white vinegar, sugar and bay leaf to a small saucepan. Heat over medium high and bring to a simmer for 2 minutes. Stir to dissolve the sugar, then turn off the heat and set aside.
• Preheat a grill pan to high heat. Brush the inside of the Japanese eggplants with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper. Place the eggplants on the grill pan, flesh-side down, and grill until slightly charred and there are grill marks on the underside, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip, then grill another 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the eggplants to a cutting board and slice on the bias into 2-inch pieces. Add the eggplant to a bowl with the onions and tomatoes. Pour the pickling liquid over the vegetables and toss to combine.
• For the fried rice: Heat the canola oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter and swirl the pan to melt. Add the garlic and annatto powder and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and the garlic starts to lightly brown, 2 minutes. Add the cooked rice and toss to combine, making sure the rice is fully coated with the garlic and annatto mixture. Cook the rice, stirring occasionally, until it starts to get crispy, 5 minutes.
• To serve, place a chicken leg and thigh onto each plate, spoon the sauce around the chicken and garnish with the sliced scallions. Serve with the fried rice and charred pickled eggplant. Drizzle the eggplant with a little olive oil.

DUCK BREASTS WITH APRICOT SAUCE AND GRILLED FRUIT

Steps:

• Place dried apricots and orange juice in a saucepan and heat to boiling. Remove from heat, cover and let steep about 30 minutes. When cool, place in a blender and purée, adding more orange juice to thin the sauce if necessary. Return sauce to the saucepan and set aside.
• Preheat a ridged grill pan over medium-high heat. Cut fruit in half and remove pits. Brush cut sides with olive oil and place oil side down on the pan. Grill until fruit loosens easily, about 5 minutes, and turn a quarter turn to make cross-hatching grill marks. Grill until tender, about another 4 minutes. Turn over to rounded side and grill until tender throughout, about 4 minutes. Remove to a plate and keep warm.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place duck breast on a cutting board with meat sides down. Score fat side diagonally (through the fat but not through to the meat) with parallel lines 1/4 inch apart. Turn duck breast around and score it the opposite direction so that the surface is covered with little squares. Sprinkle the fat with the orange zest, salt and pepper and rub the mixture in well. Preheat a deep skillet over medium-low heat and add duck breasts, skin side down. Cook without turning until skin is crispy and golden brown and much of the fat has rendered, about 10 minutes. Place duck breasts on a baking sheet with meat sides down and bake until medium-rare, about 10 minutes.
• Heat sauce until simmering and pour enough of it over a platter to cover. Pour remaining sauce in a sauce boat. Thinly slice the duck on the bias and arrange the breasts with slices spread out on top of the sauce. Garnish with grilled fruit. Add extra sauce to taste.

ROAST DUCK BREAST WITH BALSAMIC AND APRICOT SAUCE

Steps:

• Make sauce:
• In a 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan cook shallot in 1 teaspoon butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Carefully add Port and brandy and boil until reduced by half. Add demiglace and simmer 5 minutes, or until reduced to about 2/3 cup. Pour sauce through a fine sieve into a small bowl and return to pan. Stir in apricot, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer sauce until apricot is just heated through and stir in remaining tablespoon butter.
• Preheat oven to 450° F.
• Put duck breasts, skin sides down, on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife and following shape of breast, trim all sinews, excess skin, and fat. With a fork carefully prick skin all over without piercing meat.
• Heat an ovenproof cast-iron skillet over moderately high heat until hot and add oil, swirling skillet until coated evenly. Pat duck dry and season with salt and pepper. Put duck, skin sides down, in skillet. Reduce heat to moderate and cook duck until skin is deep golden, about 3 minutes. Turn duck over and cook 2 minutes more. Remove duck from skillet and pour off fat. Return duck, skin sides down, to skillet and roast in middle of oven 5 minutes for medium-rare. Keep duck warm and reheat sauce over low heat.
• Slice duck on the diagonal and serve with sauce.

DANIEL BOULUD'S EGGPLANT WITH CUMIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Pierce the eggplants in several places so they won't explode, place in a greased baking pan and bake until soft, almost to the point of collapse, 35 to 45 minutes. Cut in half, cool for 15 minutes or so and drain the juices. Remove the skin, finely chop the flesh and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and cumin, cover and cook for 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add the eggplant and salt and pepper to taste. Cook gently for 20 minutes, or until moisture evaporates. Check for seasoning.

CILANTRO-CUMIN DIP

Steps:

• Pour oil into a small saucepan and add cumin seeds. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and simmer very gently for 10 minutes. Let cool.
• Put cilantro, vinegars, mustard and cayenne in the bowl of a food processor or in a blender and pulse to combine. With the motor running, drizzle in the cooled cumin oil and seeds until the mixture is emulsified and the color lightens.
• Taste and add salt and sugar as needed. Pulse once more and transfer to a serving bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

PAN-SEARED FIVE-SPICE DUCK BREAST WITH BALSAMIC JUS

Steps:

• In a large, heavy self-sealing plastic bag, combine the garlic, ginger, five-spice powder, salt, and pepper. Add the duck breasts, seal, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. Remove from the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C/gas 6. In a large ovenproof sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Sear the duck breast, skin side down, for 5 minutes; turn and sear for 5 minutes on the other side. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 5 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer the duck breasts to a plate and keep warm.
• To make a balsamic jus, pour off the fat from the pan. Return the pan to medium-high heat, add the wine, and stir to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook to reduce the wine by half. Add the balsamic vinegar and cook to reduce for several more minutes.
• Cut the duck breasts into diagonal slices and serve drizzled with the balsamic jus.

SPICY ROASTED EGGPLANT WITH TOMATOES AND CILANTRO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Oil rimmed baking sheet; place eggplant halves, cut side down, on sheet. Roast eggplant until flesh is soft, about 1 hour. Cool slightly. Using spoon, scoop pulp from eggplant halves into medium bowl; mash. Discard skins.
• Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add ginger and stir 1 minute. Add tomatoes and next 4 ingredients; sauté 5 minutes to blend flavors. Add eggplant and stir until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm before serving.)

DUCK BREASTS WITH APRICOT CHUTNEY

Steps:

• For chutney, in a saucepan, combine orange juice and sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Add the apricots, cherries, raisins, ginger, coriander, cumin, salt, pepper and cloves. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cook until apricots are tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; stir in lemon juice. Let stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours., Season both sides of duck with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, saute duck, skin side down, in oil until skin is browned; turn and cook for 1 minute. Set aside 1 tablespoon drippings. , Place duck on a greased rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake at 350° until meat reaches desired doneness (for medium, a thermometer should read 165°; well-done, 180°), 30-35 minutes. , For orange sauce, saute garlic in reserved drippings for 1 minute. Add wine; bring to a boil. Cook and stir until reduced by half. In a bowl, combine the cornstarch, orange juice, broth and orange zest until blended. Stir into wine mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add butter and basil; whisk until smooth. Remove skin from duck if desired before slicing. Serve with orange sauce and chutney.,