Duck With Lentils And Bacon Date Puree Recipes

WINE-BRAISED DUCK WITH LENTILS AND WINTER VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Trim the duck legs, keeping the skin intact but removing any extraneous fat. Lay them in one layer on a baking sheet and season generously on both sides with salt and pepper.
• Heat a large skillet or Dutch oven on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add duck legs, skin-side down, and cook until nicely browned, about 10 minutes. (The legs will render a fair amount of fat as they cook.) Flip and cook for about 5 minutes more, until lightly browned. Remove legs from pan and set aside.
• Pour off all but 3 tablespoons fat from the pan (reserve it for another use). Place pan back on the stove over medium heat. Add onion, carrot and celery, salt lightly, and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in bay leaf, thyme sprig, fennel seed and allspice. Continue to cook, stirring, until vegetable mixture is lightly browned, about 5 minutes more.
• Add tomato paste and flour to vegetable mixture and stir well to coat. Cook for a minute or so, then add chicken broth and wine and bring to a simmer. Return duck legs to pan in one layer, skin-side up. (The liquid will not completely cover the legs.)
• Cover pan and bake for about 45 minutes, until legs are tender when probed with the tip of a paring knife.
• Cook the lentils: Pick over lentils for rocks and debris, then rinse well. Place in a saucepan with a good pinch of salt. Using the cloves, pin the bay leaf to the onion. Add to the pot along with thyme sprig. Cover lentils with water by about 2 inches and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, covered with lid ajar, until tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. Taste often so that lentils are neither under nor over-cooked. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.
• When duck legs are cooked, remove from the oven and reduce the heat to 225 degrees. Transfer duck legs to an ovenproof serving dish, cover, and keep warm in the oven. Pour braising liquid into a saucepan. Spoon off any fat that rises to the surface and discard. Simmer braising liquid over medium heat until slightly thickened. Pour liquid over duck legs in the serving dish.
• Meanwhile, cook the vegetables: Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add carrots, celery root and parsnips. Simmer until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes, then drain and toss gently with butter. Sprinkle with half the parsley and chives.
• To serve, place a duck leg, some lentils and a spoonful of vegetables on each plate. Spoon sauce over duck leg and finish with more parsley and chives. Alternatively, pass everything on platters, family-style.

JACQUES'S SKILLET DUCK WITH PARSNIPS AND SHALLOTS

Steps:

• Separating the duck:
• Cut off most of the fatty flap of neck skin and reserve. Insert a sharp knife into 1 breast near the shoulder joint and slice - in a semicircle - around the wishbone. Slide your finger in back of wishbone and pry it out.
• To remove the legs, lift the duck by one leg and cut through the skin all around the thigh, including the meaty piece along the backbone, called the "oyster." Grasp the leg at the knee and pull back the thigh, to expose the joint. Cut through it and pull the leg off the carcass in 1 piece. Repeat to remove the other leg. Cut the drumsticks from the thigh pieces.
• To remove the breast halves, slice along both sides of the breastbone. Lay the duck on its side, and cut through the upper shoulder joint. Hold the carcass down by the neck with one hand, grasp the shoulder section with the other, and pull off the entire breast half, in 1 piece. Repeat on the other side. Pull out the 2 slim meaty filets that remain on either side of the breastbone.
• Chop off the wing tips. Cut around the wing on 1 breast piece to free it from the breastbone; separate the largest wing joint from the other 2. Repeat on the other side.
• You should now have 12 pieces to put in the pan: 2 large breast pieces, 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks, 2 small breast filets, and 4 wing pieces.
• Finally, trim any loose, fatty flaps of skin from the carcass, the breast, or the leg pieces.
• Frying the duck:
• Set the pan over moderate heat. Slice the reserved neck skin into 3 or 4 strips and put them in the pan to begin rendering fat. Season the duck pieces with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and the 1/4 teaspoon pepper. When there's enough fat to film the pan bottom, lay in all the pieces, skin side down (you can push aside the strips of neck skin, but leave them in the pan).
• Raise the heat to medium-high, and cook skin side down and uncovered. The duck skin will shrink and color, and lots of fat will accumulate in the pan. Check the underside of the pieces once or twice t make sure they are not burning; lower the heat slightly if necessary. Fry until the skin on all the pieces is well browned and quite crisp; the whole process should take 20 to 25 minutes.
• Turn the heat down to low. Leave the duck pieces on their skin - they should be half submerged in fat - and strew the parsnip pieces, shallots, and garlic cloves all around them in the pan. Add the rosemary and bay leaves, and sprinkle over 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Cover the pan, turn down the heat to low, and cook for 30 minutes. Check occasionally to make sure that the duck is gently steaming; adjust the heat as necessary.
• When the duck and vegetables are tender - pierce with a sharp knife to check - turn off the heat. Immediately lift the duck and vegetable pieces from the pan with the spoon or skimmer, allowing the fat to drain, and arrange on a serving platter.
• Pour off the clear duck fat from the pan - you will have 1 1/2 cups or so - and save for other uses. Add 1 cup of water to the pan, bring to a boil, scraping with a wooden spatula to melt all the solidified juice, and pour over the duck. Scatter chopped parsley over and serve.
• A Côtes du Rhône, Syrah, or Grenache-type wine would be good with this duck.

DUCK WITH LENTILS AND BACON-DATE PUREE

Steps:

• For bacon-date puree:
• Sauté bacon in small saucepan over medium heat until crisp. Stir in brandy, scraping up browned bits. Add dates and 1 1/4 cups water; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until dates are very soft, about 12 minutes. Transfer to blender. Puree date mixture until smooth, adding more water by tablespoonfuls if too thick to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Date puree can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.
• For lentils:
• Place 8 cups water, lentils, garlic, and bay leaves in medium saucepan. Sprinkle with salt. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer until lentils are just tender but still firm to bite, about 15 minutes or longer, depending on type of lentils. Drain; rinse under cold water to cool. Drain; discard garlic and bay leaves. Transfer to large bowl.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add carrot, celery, and 1/3 cup shallots. Sauté until carrots and celery are crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Stir carrot mixture into lentils. Mix remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons shallots and red wine vinegar in small bowl. Let mixture soak 5 minutes, then whisk in remaining 6 tablespoons oil. Add vinaigrette to lentil mixture; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
• Using sharp knife, score skin of duck breasts diagonally to create 3/4-inchwide diamond pattern. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 1 large skillet and 1 medium skillet over medium-high heat. Place 2 duck breasts in large skillet and 1 duck breast in medium skillet, skin side down. Cook until skin is brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. Turn duck, skin side up, and cook until brown and thermometer inserted horizontally into center registers 130°F, about 6 minutes.
• Transfer duck to work surface. Drain all but 1 tablespoon fat from 1 skillet. Add shallot and sauté until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add Sherry vinegar and stir, scraping up browned bits. Add broth; bring to boil. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
• Thinly slice duck breasts. Spoon 1/4 cup date puree in center of each of 6 plates and spread with back of spoon, forming well in center; spoon lentils into each well. Place duck breast slices atop lentils, dividing equally. Drizzle sauce over and serve.