Duck Wilted Spinach And White Bean Salad Recipes

PAN-FRIED DUCK BREAST WITH CREAMY WHITE BEANS

Steps:

• Score the skin of the duck breast at 2cm intervals, then season with sea salt and black pepper.
• Place the duck skin-side down in a cold non-stick frying pan, then turn the heat on to medium-high. Cook for 8 minutes without moving it, or until the fat is well rendered and the skin is golden and crispy.
• Meanwhile, finely chop the bacon. Peel and finely slice the garlic.
• Turn the duck over and cook for 4 minutes on the other side, then remove to a plate to rest, leaving the pan of duck fat on the heat.
• Sprinkle the bacon and garlic into the hot pan, strip in the rosemary leaves and cook for 2 minutes, or until golden, stirring regularly.
• Add a splash of red wine vinegar and stir to pick up any sticky bits, then pour in the beans, juice and all. Simmer for a couple of minutes, then stir through the spinach until wilted.
• Slice the duck breast at an angle. Divide the beans between your plates and arrange the duck on top, spooning over any resting juices, to finish.

WILTED SPINACH SALAD WITH HOT BACON DRESSING

Steps:

• Place the spinach in a large bowl and leave at room temperature. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Use a slotted spoon to gently lower the eggs into the water. Boil until both the whites and yolks are set (hard-boiled), about 10 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl filled with ice water and cool completely. Once cool, peel the eggs and cut each into quarters.
• Meanwhile, put the bacon in a large skillet and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Remove half of the bacon fat to a small bowl and reserve.
• Return the skillet and remaining bacon fat to medium heat. Add the mushrooms, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of black pepper to the same skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour in the reserved bacon fat, vinegar, mustard and honey and whisk until smooth and emulsified. Taste and season with more salt and pepper.
• Pour the hot bacon dressing over the spinach and toss until evenly coated and slightly wilted. Transfer to a platter and top with the eggs, red onion and reserved bacon.

DUCK, WILTED SPINACH AND WHITE BEAN SALAD

Steps:

• Season the duck breasts with the salt and pepper to taste. Heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat until almost smoking. Add the duck and cook for 3 minutes. Turn and cook until crisp and brown on the outside and still rare in the center, about 3 minutes longer. Remove the duck from the pan and set aside; keep warm.
• Gradually place the spinach in the skillet, and stir-fry until barely wilted, adding more as room allows. Place in a bowl and toss with the beans. Add the vinegar to the skillet and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon and scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add to the spinach mixture and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Cut the duck on the diagonal into thin slices. Divide the spinach mixture among 4 plates and drape the duck slices over it. Serve immediately.

PECAN CRUSTED DUCK CONFIT AND WILTED SPINACH SALAD

Steps:

• In a hot saute pan, render the andouille for 1 minute. Add the shallots, garlic, and yellow onions. Saute until soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add the balsamic vinegar. Transfer to a mixing bowl and whisk in 1/2 cup of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• In a food processor, combine the pecans and 1/2 cup of the flour. Pulse until finely ground; be careful not to overprocess or the mixture will become a paste. Season with the Essence.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a shallow bowl, season the remaining flour with salt and pepper. Season the egg wash and duck legs with salt and pepper. Dredge the legs in the seasoned flour. Dip each leg in the egg wash, letting the excess egg wash drip off. Dredge the legs in the pecan-flour mixture, coating the leg completely. In a large saute pan, heat enough olive oil to come 1/3-inch up the sides of the pan. When the oil is hot, lay each leg into the hot oil. Pan-fry the legs until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the legs briefly to a paper towel-lined plate to blot any excess oil. Transfer legs to a small baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the oven and cook the duck legs until heated through, 6 to 8 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, combine the spinach and red onions and toss with the vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper. Mound the greens in the center of 4 plates. Lay 1 leg on top of each serving of greens. Garnish with black pepper.
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
• Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch, published by William and Morrow, 1993.

CRISPY DUCK SALAD WITH GREEN BEANS AND HONEYED ALMONDS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook honey and salt until thin and runny, then mix in almonds until coated. Add sugar and toss to coat. Spread nuts on baking sheet (lined with parchment paper) and bake, stirring once, until deeply golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Let nuts cool, then break up clumps with your fingers.
• In a medium pot on medium-high heat, bring six cups salted water to boil. Fill a medium bowl with ice water. Cook green beans until bright green and tender, 2 to 4 minutes depending on thickness of beans. Drain, then plunge into ice water to stop cooking. Drain and pat dry.
• Raise oven heat to 400 degrees. Using a sharp knife, score duck fat into a crosshatch pattern, with cuts a half-inch apart. You want to cut through fat but not into flesh of duck.
• In a small bowl, mix salt, chili, pepper, cumin and cinnamon. Rub mix all over duck, working it into the fat.
• Set an ovenproof pan on the stove over medium-low heat. Add 1 teaspoon of oil, heat for a few seconds, then add duck, fat side down. Sear without moving until dark brown, about 10 minutes (if it starts to burn, lower the heat). Flip duck and cook for 1 minute, then transfer pan to oven and roast until meat is done to taste, 4 to 8 minutes longer for medium rare (130 degrees). Let duck rest on a cutting board. Reserve 2 tablespoons of fat from pan.
• Using mortar and pestle or side of a heavy knife, make a paste from garlic and a pinch of salt. In a small bowl, mix it with lime juice and a half-teaspoon salt, then drizzle in remaining olive oil, whisking well.
• In a large bowl, toss green beans and watercress with reserved pan drippings and just enough of dressing to coat. Taste and add salt if desired.
• Slice duck breasts and toss with salad. Garnish with almonds and serve.

SLOW-ROASTED DUCK WITH MASHED WHITE BEANS, SIZZLED HERBS AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Cook the beans: Rinse beans and put them, along with the onion, bay leaves, cloves and garlic, in a large heavy-bottomed pot with a lid. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Add 2 teaspoons salt, reduce heat to low, and bring beans to a bare simmer. Cover, but leave lid ajar. Cook very slowly, adding water as needed, for about 1 1/2 hours, or until beans are soft. Taste broth and adjust seasoning. Remove onion, bay leaves, cloves and garlic, and discard. Let beans cool uncovered in the cooking liquid. (They may be cooked up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated.)
• As beans cook, prepare the duck legs: Lay them on a cutting board skin-side up, and use a skewer or the tip of a knife to prick the skin of each leg all over.
• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Season each leg generously on both sides with salt and pepper - don't go crazy, but don't be meek.
• Place legs in a roasting pan, in a single layer skin-side up. (Take care that the roasting pan is high-sided enough, as a fair amount of fat will be produced as legs cook.) Roast, uncovered, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the meat is quite tender, nearly falling off the bone. At this point, check to see the skin is crisp and nicely browned.If not, raise oven temperature to 400 degrees, and roast for another 10 minutes, or perhaps more, until skin is crisped. Remove legs from roasting pan and keep warm. (An inch or more of liquid fat will have accumulated in the roasting pan. Let it cool a bit before pouring it into a jar for future use.)
• Bring beans to a boil in a pot over medium-high heat. Pull them off the heat, and drain in a colander, reserving liquid. Put three-quarters of the beans in a mixing bowl and use a potato masher to mash them. (Alternatively, you can purée the beans in a food processor.) Add bean broth as needed to loosen the mixture to the consistency of soft mashed potatoes. Stir in the reserved whole beans. Adjust the seasoning. Keep warm.
• Prepare sizzled herbs: Add 3 tablespoons olive oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add sage and rosemary until they're coated with oil. When all the sage leaves have wilted, keep stirring until the herbs begin to fry and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn heat to low, then swirl in the garlic and red-pepper flakes. Immediately add olives and warm through.
• To serve, pair one duck leg with a spoonful of mashed beans. Spoon some of the olive mixture over the duck and beans. If desired, dress crisp green arugula with just a few drops of lemon juice and a little salt, and serve alongside for a refreshing counterpoint to the rich, salty duck and beans.