Northern Italian Sweet And Sour Duck Sauce Recipes

SPICY DUCK SAUCE

Steps:

• Mix 1/2 cup duck sauce, 3 tablespoons horseradish, 1 tablespoon apricot preserves, 2 teaspoons rice vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, and salt to taste.

NORTHERN ITALIAN TRATTORIA BURGER

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor, combine the parsley, basil, thyme, shallot, garlic, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard and puree until smooth. Add the butter and pulse until well combined. Transfer to a small bowl and reserve.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle 1/2 of the cheese into 2 to circles (approximately 4 1/2-inch in diameter) in the skillet. Cook for 2 minutes. Then carefully flip with a spatula and cook for another 1 minute. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining 1/2 of the cheese.
• Meanwhile, to make the speck, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the speck and cook until crispy, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Remove from the skillet and drain on paper towels.
• To make the patties, put capicola and rosemary in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. In a large mixing bowl, combine the capicola mixture, chuck, salt, and pepper; mix well. Separate the mixture into 4 equal portions and form the portions into patties to fit the size of the buns.
• Heat large skillet or grill pan over high heat. Add the patties to the skillet and cook for 3 1/2 minutes. Flip the burgers and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or to desired doneness. During the last few minutes of cooking, top the burgers with equal amounts of fontina cheese and tent with aluminum foil to melt cheese. Also, during last few minutes of cooking, toast the buns.
• To assemble the burgers, spread a generous amount of Italian Herb Butter on the cut sides of the buns. On each bun bottom, arrange equal amounts of pine nuts, Crispy Speck, arugula, a patty topped with cheese, and a Frico. Cover with the bun tops and serve.

NORTHERN PIKE WITH CHOUCROUTE AND JUNIPER SAUCE

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan over a medium high flame and add the sauerkraut and the cabbage. Stir the mixture well, season to taste, and when it is very hot cover and set aside. In a small sauce pot combine the spices and vinegar and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, cover and steep for 20 minutes. Strain the vinegar into another small saucepot and add the sugar, salt, chicken stock and canola oil. Heat again until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Emulsify the liquid with a hand held mixer. Incorporate some air into the liquid as you are mixing so that the liquid becomes very frothy. Set aside at room temperature. Once the sauce and the garnishes are prepared, saute the pike. Heat the peanut oil in a saute pan large enough to hold all the fish and dust it lightly with flour. Add the fillets to the pan and cook for 1 minute on the first side. Add the whole butter to the pan and flip the fish over. Baste the fish with the butter for 1 or 2 more minutes until it is done and remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Stir the cilantro into the hot choucroute. Place a mound on each plate and top with a piece of fish. Spoon some of the sauce around each fish and dust with a little ground juniper. Serve with boiled potatoes or Fromage Blanc Dumplings (see separate recipe).

SWEET AND SOUR DUCK

Steps:

• Remove the skin from the duck breasts and cut the duck into thin slices. Put the duck slices in a bowl with a pinch of salt, the white pepper, rice wine or dry sherry and the cornstarch. Mix well.
• Heat a wok over a high heat and pour in the peanut oil. Heat the oil to 350F or until a cube of bread dropped in turns golden brown in 15 seconds and floats to the surface.
• Shallow fry the duck in the oil for about 2 mins, stirring now and again, until golden and crispy on the outside.
• Take the wok off the heat, remove the duck with a slotted spoon and drain on absorbent kitchen paper. Pour the oil from the wok through a fine seive into a bowl.
• Return 1 tbs of the oil to the wok (you can discard the rest) and return the wok to a high heat. When the oil starts to smoke, add the ginger and stir fry for a few seconds., then add the red pepper and stir fry for 1 minute.
• Return the fried duck slices to the wok. Next add the orange juice, lime juice and soy sauce and toss together until well combined.
• Serve immediately.