Duck With Summer Peas Beans 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.

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.

BRAISED DUCK WITH GREEN BEANS, THAI STYLE

Steps:

• Remove excess fat from duck or duck legs. Season with salt and pepper, and put in a skillet that will fit it comfortably; turn heat to medium, and cover. Check once you hear sizzling: duck should be simmering in its own fat and exuding liquid. Adjust heat to create a steady simmer.
• Once bottom browns, turn. Eventually liquid will evaporate and duck will cook in fat only; at this point, lower heat and continue to cook duck, turning once in a while, until it becomes tender, about an hour.
• Transfer duck to a plate. Pour off all but a couple of tablespoons of fat. Turn heat to medium high, and add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until it softens, about 5 minutes. Add ginger, garlic and chilies and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add beans and sugar and turn heat to high; cook, stirring occasionally, until beans begin to brown, about 5 minutes.
• Add 2 tablespoons water and nam pla or soy sauce. Put duck on top of bean mixture and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook until both beans and duck are very tender, 15 to 30 more minutes, adding a little more water if necessary to keep mixture moist. (You can prepare dish in advance up to this point; cover and set aside until ready to eat, then reheat.) Uncover and stir in lime juice; taste and adjust seasoning, then sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

PEPPERED DUCK WITH VANILLA MASH, PEA & WILD MUSHROOM RAGOUT

Steps:

• Peel the potatoes and cut into chunks. Place them in a pan of cold, salted water and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 10 mins until tender, then drain in a colander. While they are draining, place the pan back on a low heat with the cream and vanilla pod and heat to infuse. Remove vanilla pod and take pan off the heat. Push the potatoes through a ricer back into the pan. Add the butter and seasoning, then beat to form a smooth mash. Set aside.
• Season the duck all over with salt and press the pepper into the skin side. Put the duck, skin-side down, in a cold frying pan and place over a low-medium heat. As the pan heats up, the duck will start to cook - you only want a gentle sizzle coming from the pan. If it is cooking too quickly, turn the heat down slightly. Cook for 10 mins, shaking the pan occasionally. When the skin is mahogany and crisp, flip the breasts over and cook on the flesh side for 5 mins more. This will give you duck that is slightly pink in the middle. Transfer the duck to a tray or plate and leave it to rest.
• Pour off all but 1 tsp fat from the duck pan, place pan back on the heat and cook the bacon for 3 mins until crisp. Turn up the heat, add the mushrooms and cook for 2 mins more. Splash in the Port, add the peas and stock, then simmer for 2 mins more. Pour any juices from the rested duck into the pan and season to taste.

ONE-PAN ROAST DUCK LEGS WITH WHITE BEANS & CARROTS

Steps:

• If you have time, lightly salt the duck legs a day or two before cooking, scatter with some of the thyme sprigs, then cover and chill until needed. (If you don't have the time, this is not an essential step.) Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Heat a little oil in a shallow flameproof casserole or roasting tin. If the duck legs have been salted in advance, pat them dry with kitchen paper. Sizzle the legs in the tin or casserole, skin-side down, until golden brown and the fat has rendered out. Turn and cook for 10-15 mins to brown them all over.
• Remove the duck legs to a plate and pour away half the fat from the casserole or tin (you can save this for roasties). Return it to the heat and fry the carrots, garlic and thyme along with some seasoning for 5 mins until the carrots are starting to soften. Sit the duck legs on top, skin-side up, then pour about 100ml water over the veg. Bring to a simmer, cover and transfer to the oven to cook for 1 hr 30 mins.
• Remove the casserole from the oven and uncover. Turn the oven up to 200C/180C/gas 6. Lift the duck out onto a plate and stir the beans through the carrots and thyme. Sit the duck back on top, then return to the oven, uncovered, to cook for another 20-30 mins until the duck skin is crisp and the beans are simmering. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10 mins, then serve straight from the dish.

GRILLED DUCK BREAST WITH MINTED PEAS

Steps:

• Shell the peas and set aside. Chop the mint and blend into the butter. Pat the duck dry with kitchen paper and place on the oiled rack of a grill pan (or place a small cake rack in a roasting pan). Use a long sharp knife to score the skin of the duck in a diamond lattice pattern. Sprinkle the skin with salt and dried herbs. (If you wish, the duck, peas and mint butter can now be covered and set aside in a cool place for a couple of hours until ready to cook).
• Preheat the grill to very hot. Grill the duck breasts skin-side up for 10 minutes (watch carefully as you do this because the hot fat can splatter) until the skin is browning and has yielded most of its fat - carefully pour this off and reserve for roasting potatoes. Turn the duck over and grill on the flesh side for 5-10 minutes, depending on how rare you like the meat. Turn off the heat and allow the duck to rest while you prepare the peas.
• Cook the peas in boiling salted water for 3-5 minutes or until the peas are just tender and still bright green. Drain in a colander and return to the hot pan with the mint butter. Toss the peas until evenly coated with the butter.
• Serve the duck breasts whole or sliced with the minted peas, accompanied by buttered new potatoes.