Roast Duck With Prunes And Juniper Berries Recipes

ROAST DUCK WITH APPLES AND PRUNES

Steps:

• Duck is a notoriously fatty bird. To diminish the fat and produce a crispy skin, begin by trimming the excess fat from the body. Rinse the duck thoroughly, inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels. Season the bird inside and out with a generous amount of salt and pepper.
• To prepare the stuffing: Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, celery seed, prunes, apples, and 4 sage leaves; season with salt and pepper; saute for 10 minutes until soft. Add the bread cubes and toss the mixture together to combine. Put the stuffing in a large mixing bowl and moisten it with a squeeze of lemon and the heavy cream; give it another toss and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the stuffing into the duck cavity. Rip off a foot long piece of aluminum foil and lay it on an insert rack fitted in a roasting pan, let a bit of the foil hang off the end. Lay the duck, breast-side up, on the foil; tuck the wing tips back under the duck, and fold the excess foil over the end of the duck with the stuffing. The foil will protect the stuffing from burning and falling into the delicious duck fat.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Roast the duck for 21/2 to 3 hours, rotating the pan every 20 minutes or so. It may seem like a bother, but it's the best way to ensure an even crispy skin. The legs will wiggle easily when the bird is done and an instant-read thermometer will register about 180 degrees F when inserted into the thigh.
• Take the insert rack out of the pan and set the duck on a cutting board to let it rest before carving. Now you have a whole lot of duck fat in the bottom of the roasting pan. Pour out all but a couple of tablespoons of the duck fat into a container and reserve.
• For the gravy: Place the roasting pan, with the couple of tablespoons of duck fat, on the stove over 2 burners set on medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour and stir to make a paste. Crank the heat up to high and add the wine, cook and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan, until the liquid is reduced slightly. Add the chicken stock and remaining 4 sage leaves, season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes until the gravy has thickened slightly.

ROAST DUCK WITH PRUNES AND JUNIPER BERRIES

Steps:

• Bring 3 cups water, 20 juniper berries, and pinch of salt to boil in large saucepan. Reduce heat to medium; cover and simmer 10 minutes. Set juniper broth aside.
• Preheat oven to 450°F. Cut wing tips from duck; reserve. Sprinkle cavity of duck with salt and pepper. Place heart, liver, and gizzard in cavity, then 10 juniper berries, 4 thyme sprigs, and bay leaf. Tie legs together to hold shape. Place duck, breast side up, in roasting pan. Add wing tips and neck to pan. Pour 1 cup juniper broth over duck. Roast duck in center of oven until beginning to brown, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring remaining juniper broth to boil. Add prunes; cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until prunes are soft, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer prunes to small bowl.
• Tilt roasting pan; spoon off 1/2 cup fat from top of liquid. Pour 1/2 cup prune poaching liquid over duck. Turn duck, breast side down. Pour 1/2 cup prune poaching liquid over duck. Return to oven; roast 15 minutes. Turn duck, breast side up. Arrange prunes around duck; spoon pan juices over prunes. Drizzle vinegar over duck. Return to oven and roast duck until skin is crisp and juices run clear when thigh is pierced, about 20 minutes longer. Transfer to cutting board, breast side down; let stand 20 minutes.
• Discard wing tips and neck. Using slotted spoon, transfer prunes to bowl. Pour pan juices into medium saucepan; spoon off fat. Add thyme sprig. Boil until juices are reduced to 1 1/4 cups and thickened slightly, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Return prunes to juices to rewarm; season with salt and pepper. Turn duck, breast side up. Cut legs from duck. Cut off wings with some breast attached. Cut breasts from duck; thinly slice crosswise. Arrange duck on platter. Spoon juices with prunes over and serve.

RED-WINE-BRAISED DUCK LEGS WITH ROASTED PEARS AND ONIONS

Steps:

• Trim excess fat from duck legs, reserving fat for the sautéed kale. In a large bowl marinate duck legs in wine with bouquet garni, covered and chilled, 2 hours.
• Transfer legs to a plate, reserving wine and bouquet garni. In a heavy kettle large enough to hold legs in one layer heat oil over moderately high heat until hot. Pat legs dry with paper towels and season with salt. Cook legs, skin sides down, 20 minutes, or until skin is crisp and mahogany-colored, removing fat from kettle as it rendered with a metal bulb baster (or very carefully pouring it off). Turn legs and cook until browned on other side, about 2 minutes, transferring as browned to a plate.
• Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons fat from kettle and sauté vegetables with salt to taste, stirring occasionally, until tender and lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Add duck legs, skin sides up, with parsley sprigs and reserved wine and bouquet garni and simmer, covered, 1 1/2 hours, or until tender. Braised duck legs may be prepared up to this point 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. Reheat mixture over low heat, adding 1/3 cup water, before proceeding with duck preparation.
• Make roasted pears and onions during last hour of duck braising:
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• In a shallow baking pan large enough to hold onions and pears in one layer melt butter in oven and swirl pan to coat. Add onion halves, cut sides down, and quarters, and bake 30 minutes. Add pears, cut side down, to pan and bake 20 minutes, or until pears and onions are tender and lightly browned. In a cup stir together lemon juice, honey, and salt and add to onions and pears, tossing to coat.
• Transfer duck legs to a warm plate and keep warm, covered with foil. Discard parsley sprigs and bouquet garni and strain liquid into a 1-quart measuring cup, reserving vegetables. Let liquid stand until fat rises to top and skim and discard fat. Return liquid to kettle and simmer until reduced to about 2 cups. Add beurre manié, a little at a time, whisking, and boil 2 minutes. Stir reserved vegetables and minced parsley into sauce and heat through if necessary.
• Serve duck legs, with sauce spooned over them and garnished with parsley sprigs, with roasted pears and onions.

ROAST DUCK WITH PRUNES AND WINE-BRAISED CABBAGE

Steps:

• Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cabbage; sauté 2 minutes. Add 2 cups juice, 1 cup wine, vinegar, sugar, orange and cinnamon. Simmer until cabbage is tender and almost all liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Discard orange. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Cabbage can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cool, then cover and chill.)
• Preheat oven to 450°F. Place duck on rack in roasting pan. Place 10 prunes and apple in duck cavity. Sprinkle duck with salt and pepper. Roast duck 25 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Continue roasting until meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 160°F, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine remaining 1 cup juice and 16 prunes in heavy medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until prunes absorb almost all liquid, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer duck to platter. Tent with foil to keep warm. Pour off fat from pan. Add remaining 3/4 cup wine to roasting pan, set over medium heat and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Add wine mixture to prune mixture; simmer until sauce is reduced to 1 cup, about 4 minutes.
• Bring cabbage to simmer, tossing occasionally. Slice duck; arrange on plates. Spoon prune sauce over. Serve cabbage alongside.