Duck Breast With Braised Fennel And Golden Raisins Recipes

Steps:

• Place duck breast skin side-down on a cutting board. Cut a small slit from top to bottom, 2/3 of the way through the duck breast. Season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Place duck breast skin side-down in the hot skillet; cook until browned, about 30 seconds. Flip and repeat on the other side.
• Transfer duck breast to a clean work surface, skin-side down. Place 3 or 4 garlic strips inside the slit. Place rosemary sprig over garlic; top with remaining garlic strips. Place skin side-up in a baking pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 120 degrees F (50 degrees C), about 10 minutes. Cover with aluminum foil. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Steps:

• Cut off legs, wings, and breasts from duck and cut up carcass and wing tips for stock. Remove any bones from breasts, leaving skin on. Chill legs, wings, and breasts in a sealable bag.
• Wash leek , then put in a 6- to 8-quarts pot with carcass, 1 onion (cut in half), carrot, water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil, skimming foam. Reduce heat and gently simmer, uncovered, skimming occasionally, 1 hour. Strain stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, discarding solids. Skim off and discard fat.
• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
• Coarsely chop remaining onion. Peel parsnips and cut into 3-inch batons (1/4 inch thick). Pat legs and wings dry and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wide 6- to 7-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then brown legs and wings, turning over once, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Add onion to pot with parsnips, ginger, zest, juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and pale golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Add 2 cups duck stock (save remainder for another use) and nestle legs and wings in vegetables. Bring to a boil. Cover pot and braise in oven until meat is tender, about 1 hour. Let stand, uncovered, at room temperature 1 hour while cooking breasts.
• Season duck breasts with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper (total).
• Heat remaining teaspoon oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Cook duck breasts, skin sides down, until well browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Turn and cook about 6 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes.
• Mix together parsley and garlic. Slice breasts crosswise. Serve legs and wings over parsnips and serve sliced breast on the side. Sprinkle with parsley mixture.

Steps:

• Place duck breasts, skin side down, on work surface. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Combine garlic, fennel, rosemary and olive oil in small bowl. Press herb mixture over duck breast meat. Place 1 breast atop the other, meaty sides together. Tie breasts together with cooking string.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add tied duck breasts and cook until well browned on all sides, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes. Pour fat from skillet and discard. Transfer skillet with duck to oven. Roast duck to desired doneness, turning occasionally, about 25 minutes for medium. Transfer duck to work surface; let rest 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, pour pan drippings into glass measuring cup. Spoon fat off top. Remove string and cut each breast into 1/2-inch slices. Drizzle any pan juices over and serve immediately.
• *Available at specialty foods stores or from Joie de Vivre; call 800-648-8854, or go to www.frenchselections.com.

Steps:

• Salt and pepper duck generously on both sides. Place halves, skin side down, in large saute pan (preferably seasoned cast-iron or nonstick) or 2 medium saute pans. Wedge thyme and garlic under skin. Cover pan with lid or foil; place over low heat. Braise for 1 hour (duck should crackle and sizzle gently; skin should be golden and crisp; most fat should be rendered). Turn duck; cover pan. Braise for 1 more hour, until duck bottom is well browned and meat very tender.
• Remove duck to cutting board; cut halves in half. Reserve fat from pan. In clean saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons fat (if there is not enough, use canola oil) over medium-high heat. Place duck pieces skin side down, and saute for 3 to 5 minutes, just until skin is crisp and dark. Transfer to dish, and serve.

Steps:

• Trim the duck of any visible excess fat, especially from the tail area. Mix together the salt and five-spice powder, and season the duck all over, including inside the cavity, and marinate, refrigerated, for 2 hours or overnight. Rinse the duck with fresh water inside and out.
• Place a large wok or Dutch oven over medium heat, and add the sugar. After it liquefies, watch it carefully as it caramelizes to a medium brown, swirling the pot occasionally to help it color evenly. Add the star anise, garlic and ginger, and stir to coat in the caramel, and to keep the caramel cooking until it's a dark brown, but not burned. Stir in 1 cup of water to dissolve the caramel, then add the kecap manis.
• Add duck, breast side up, then add water to come up halfway, submerging the legs. Raise the heat to bring the liquid to a boil, then turn the heat down to a very gentle simmer, just barely bubbling.
• Cook for 15 minutes, then carefully flip the duck so the breast side is down. Cook 15 minutes, then flip again. Taste the liquid, and add salt or more kecap manis to taste. Cook 15 minutes, then flip so the breast side is down again. Cook another 5 to 15 minutes, until the breast is cooked to your liking. Traditionally it should be cooked through, but Tan's spin is to remove the duck when the breast meat is 135 to 140 degrees, or medium. To use a traditional test, poke a chopstick in the thickest parts of the duck thigh and breast; if it goes through without too much resistance, it's done.
• Remove the duck to a platter or cutting board, and tent with foil. Let it rest for 10 minutes. Add the tofu and eggs to the sauce, and simmer them gently for 10 minutes, until stained and hot. Skim the sauce of any floating fat if necessary, and serve it all with rice and chile sauce.

Steps:

• . Cut off fennel stalks and cut in half (reserve fennel fronds and 1/4 bulb). Place stalks and 3/4 bulb in pot and cover with water and 1 tablespoon of salt. Braise until translucent and tender (about 20 minutes). Take 1/4 inch thick slices of braised fennel and coat with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Grill until charred. Set aside.
• 2. Blanch fennel fronds in hot oil and then shock in cold water. Place drained fennel fronds in blender and puree. Slowly add olive oil in steady stream until emulsified. Season and reserve.
• 3. Shave raw bulb paper thin. Fry in olive oil until golden brown. Finish with salt and drain on paper towel.
• 4. Score duck breast skin and season with salt and pepper. Cook in pan on medium-low heat skin-side down, rendering out the fat (about 10 minutes). Once fat is rendered, flip breast over and finish cooking until medium rare/medium. Remove from heat and let rest until ready to serve.
• 5. For golden raisin relish, combine drained raisins with equal portion of diced braised fennel bulb. Add duck fat pan drippings and minced fried fennel fronds. Season with salt and pepper to taste.