Cured Duck Salad Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place the duck breasts on a sheet pan, skin side up. Sprinkle with salt and roast for about 20 minutes, until medium-rare. Remove from the oven, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and allow to sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove and discard the fat and skin on top (unless you're making cracklings), slice the duck, and then cut the slices crosswise into julienned pieces.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the shallots, sherry vinegar, orange zest, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. Whisk in the olive oil and set aside.
• For the salad, trim the bottom half-inch from the endive and cut them diagonally into 1/2-inch slices. Separate the leaves and discard the cores. Place the slices in a large salad bowl. Add the mache leaves, oranges, raspberries, and toasted pecans. Toss with enough dressing to moisten. Gently toss in the warm duck meat and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Make the duck/marinade: 8 hours to 1 day before serving, prick the entire skin of the duck all over with a fork. In a large pot over high heat, bring 6 quarts of water to a rapid boil and blanch the duck for 7 to 8 minutes in hot water. Remove the duck from the water and place on a plate in the refrigerator. Allow the duck to sit 3 to 4 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and wipe the rendered fat from the skin of the duck. In a medium saucepan, combine the marinade ingredients and cook over low to medium heat until thickened. (Do not boil. This will give the marinade a burnt taste due to the amount of brown sugar). Allow the marinade to cool then brush the duck generously with the mixture. (Reserve some of the marinade to baste the duck with while roasting.) Refrigerate 6 to 8 hours or overnight. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the duck in a roasting pan and roast for 15 minutes, basting with the reserved marinade every 5 minutes. Remove the duck from the oven and let rest 10 minutes. Remove the breasts from the bone and the thighs with the legs attached. Place the thigh/legs into a medium saucepan pan with 1-inch of water in it. Cover the pan and place in the 350 degree oven for approximately 40 minutes or until the meat falls off the bone. Remove from the oven and set aside. When cool enough to handle pick the meat from the bone and tear into bite sized-pieces. Just before serving, place the breasts in a oven-proof skillet skin-side-down and heat 6 to 8 minutes (depending on your preference of doneness, i.e. rare, medium rare). Slice the breasts very thinly on the bias (each breast should yield 3 servings). Keep the meat warm until service.
• Make the vinaigrette: In a saucepan over high heat, reduce the orange juice until it forms a syrup. Let cool. In a blender, combine the orange syrup, vinegar, honey and chili powder (if using). Blend for 30 seconds. With the blender running, slowly add the olive oil until the dressing emulsifies. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour into a plastic squeeze bottle. (May be prepared up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated.) Bring to room temperature before serving.
• Make the sauteed pears: In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter, sugar and cinnamon and cook to a light syrup. Add the sliced pears and cook until they are soft but still retain their shape. Set aside.
• Make the peanut brittle Make a caramel with the sugar, add the peanuts and pour onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Let harden and coarsely chop.
• Assemble the salad: In a large bowl dress mesclun greens lightly with some of the orange vinaigrette and arrange on the top halves of 6 plates. Arrange the breast in a fan shape beneath the greens and place the thigh meat on both sides of the greens. Scatter the pears over the duck and dress lightly with the remaining vinaigrette. Top with peanut brittle and chopped chives.

Steps:

• Weigh breasts individually so you can check their progress toward curing. With a sharp knife, score skin of each breast in a crisscross pattern. Put about 1 cup salt (a half-inch layer) in a nonreactive baking dish that will just hold the breasts without touching. Nestle breasts on top of salt, skin side up. Pour more salt over breasts so that they are completely covered. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 24 hours.
• Remove duck from salt, rinse thoroughly and pat dry with paper towels. The flesh should feel dense and its color will have deepened. Dust breasts with pepper on both sides.
• Wrap each breast in cheesecloth and tie with string. Hang for about 7 days in a cool (50 to 60 degrees is optimal), humid place, like a garage, a basement or in an unlit fireplace. After curing, the flesh should be stiff but not hard throughout; the color will be a deep rich red. If they still feel raw in the center, hang for a day or two longer. Generally, dry-cured products are ready when they have lost 30 percent of their original weight.
• Remove cheesecloth, wrap duck in plastic and refrigerate until ready to use. It will keep several weeks or more.

Steps:

• Rinse, pat dry and trim the duck legs (use the excess fat to render). Rub salt and herbs into duck legs allow to cure for 2 days covered in refrigerator. Melt duck fat and bring to 200 degrees. Rinse salt off of duck, pat dry and immerse in pan of duck fat, cover and cook for 3 1/2 hours. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Duck can be held refrigerated for several days. Before service remove duck from fat, discard skin (or use to make cracklings) and take meat from bone. Reserve duck fat.
• In a small saucepan add halved shallots, honey and just enough water to cover; bring to a boil and simmer until tender and glazed, remove and reserve.
• In a medium saute pan heat 1 tablespoon reserved duck fat, add potatoes, duck, walnuts, reserved shallots and toss until hot. Add chopped shallots, green beans, vinegar, salt and pepper and taste for seasonings.
• Arrange in the center of plate, garnish with watercress tossed in olive oil and crouton brushed with farmers cheese.
• In a non reactive saucepan, combine milk and slowly bring to 180 degrees. Strain through cheesecloth and allow to cool. When cool, place in a bowl, season, add herbs and lemon zest, to taste.

Steps:

• Combine sugar, salt, garlic, rosemary and thyme and cover the duck evenly. Refrigerate for 24 hours. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Place cured duck in a roasting pan and cook for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, or until leg bone twists free with ease. Let duck cool, de-bone and julienne meat. Thinly slice the cabbage. In a pot add cabbage, jalapeno peppers, 1/2 cup red wine vinegar, dry mustard, black pepper, salt, celery salt and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a simmer, turning and stirring often for 20 minutes.
• Blanch the asparagus in boiling water until tender and immediately shock in ice water bath. Reheat the duck, cabbage and asparagus and plate. Garnish with rosemary and sprig.

Steps:

• Score the top of the duck breast before marinating.
• Marinade: Combine the soy sauce, garlic, ginger, 5-spice, brown sugar, chili flakes, basil, cilantro, and salt. Add the duck to the marinade and coat well.
• Heat a large saute pan over high heat. Add the duck breasts and saute until golden brown on both sides and cooked to your desired temperature, about 3 minutes per side for medium rare.
• Remove the duck from the pan and keep warm. Deglaze the pan with coffee. Add the reserved marinade and reduce to desired consistency.
• In a mixing bowl, combine dashi with sugar and rice wine vinegar. Transfer mixture to a blender and add garlic, fresh ginger, pickled ginger and pinch of salt. Slowly add salad oil to the blender. Refrigerate until needed.
• Have fryer heated to 360 degrees F.
• Deep-fry the menlo until golden brown, about 30 seconds. Remove from the oil to a paper towel lined plate. On a platter, place deep-fried menlo topped with spring mix. Slice duck breast and place on top of greens. Serve with chilled pickled ginger vinaigrette. Sprinkle with macadamia nuts.

Steps:

• Trim duck breasts of extraneous fat (or ask your butcher to trim them) and score the skin. Season very lightly with salt and generously with coarsely ground pepper.
• Make the marinade: In a mixing bowl, whisk together miso, soy sauce, sake, orange zest, ginger, garlic, cayenne and sesame oil. Remove 1/4 cup of the marinade and combine it with 2 tablespoons orange juice to make a dressing; set aside. Add remaining 2 tablespoons orange juice to the marinade in the mixing bowl.
• Lay duck in a shallow pan and pour the marinade over, making sure meat is well coated. Let sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour. If you wish, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day; bring to room temperature before proceeding.
• Prepare a bed of medium-hot coals in a grill, or heat a stovetop grill or cast-iron pan to medium hot. Cook duck breasts skin-side down for 8 to 10 minutes, until fat is rendered and skin is nicely colored. (See note.) Turn and cook on the other side for 3 or 4 minutes, until internal temperature registers 125 degrees. Remove from heat and let rest at least 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook green beans for 1 to 2 minutes, until firm-tender. Drain green beans and rinse with cool water; blot dry.
• Slice duck crosswise about 1/8-inch thick. Line a platter with lettuce leaves. Place several slices of duck on each leaf, along with a couple of mango slices. Arrange green beans over the top and garnish with watercress, if using. Drizzle reserved dressing over everything, sprinkle with scallions and serve.

Steps:

• Cure duck:
• Stir together water, coffee, kosher salt, brown sugar, and Insta Cure in storage tub until solids are dissolved, about 3 minutes, then add molasses and stir until dissolved. Add ice and stir until cure is cold (ice may not melt completely; keeping liquid cold slows salt absorption).
• Add duck to cure and weight down with a large plate (to keep submerged). Chill, tub covered with a lid or plastic wrap, 6 hours.
• Rinse duck and pat dry, then discard brine.
• Prepare grill and cold-smoke duck:
• Prepare grill and cold-smoke duck followingprocedure for grilling and cold-smoking chicken legs . (Duck will not be cooked.)
• Cool duck completely, uncovered, then chill, wrapped in plastic wrap until ready to thinly slice and fry (seeduck breast bacon and frisée salad recipe ).

Steps:

• Gently wash duck breast of excess blood and then dry with a towel, try to get rid of as much surface water as possible and set aside.
• In a bowl prepare the curing mix by mixing the salt and the brown sugar evenly. Alternatively you can mix all contents into a jar seal it and shake until evenly mixed.
• In an air-tight plastic container pour about 1inch thick of of the curing mix, and gently lay the duck breast (skin side up) ontop of it. ,Make sure the breast doesn't touch the sides of the container.
• Pour the remaining mix ontop of the breast, completely covering it and filling the container (make more if there is not enough to fill the container).
• Place the sealed container in the fridge and leave for 1 to 2 days.
• The salt is now curing the meat and drawing the moisture out of the duck breast. Thus preserving the meat and enabling it for human consumtion without cooking, just like italian proscuitto. The sugar imparts a slight sweet flavour onto the meet to offset the saltiness.
• After 1 to 2 days remove the container from the fridge and remove the duck breast from the cure mix.
• Quickly wash off the excess mix with water, but don't keep it under the water for too long.
• Pat the cured breast dry and wrap tightly with a clean muslin, cheese, or thick cloth. Suspend the duck from a string in a dry, warm area for 5 to 7 days to thoroughly dry the duck out.
• Alternatively at this stage the breast can be thinnly sliced and pan fried as a duck version of pork bacon.
• After 5 to 7 days the duck is ready to be thinnly sliced like normal proscuitto and used in salads, pastas, or served as part of a meat & cheese platter. Enjoy and watch your friends' reactions when you tell them you cured the proscuitto yourself!
• To store, keep duck refridgerated and wrapped in clingfilm.
• Flavour Variations: To impart other suttle flavours into the meat feel free to add dried herbs and spices to the curing mix before curing. Dried orange peel, dried cranberries, and pink peppercorns work nicely with duck breast. The overall curing mix should always work on a 3 parts salt to 1 part everything else.