Duck Mousse Toast Recipes

Steps:

• A day before roasting, remove the giblets and neck from the cavity of the bird and discard. If necessary pluck any stray pinfeathers off the duck with tweezers. Trim the neck flap and excess fat from around the cavity. Rinse and dry the bird well. Set the duck on a rack on a baking sheet, and refrigerate, uncovered, for 24 hours.
• Heat the oven to 300 degrees F. Pierce the duck's skin all over (including the back), every 1/2-inch, with a skewer or small knife. Season the cavity with salt and pepper and stuff with 3 strips of the orange zest and the onion. Set the duck on a rack in a roasting pan, and pour a cup of water in the pan. Roast the bird for 3 hours, removing the duck from the oven every hour to prick the skin again.
• Meanwhile, make the glaze: Combine the remaining orange zest, molasses, honey, coriander, pepper, orange juice, vinegar, and garlic in a small saucepan. Heat, stirring, over medium-high heat until warm. Remove glaze from the heat and set it aside at room temperature while the duck cooks.
• Remove the duck from the oven and carefully, pour off the excess fat from the pan. (If desired reserve this fat for frying potatoes or wilting greens.) Raise the oven temperature to 450 degree F. Return the duck to the oven and roast until crisp and brown, about 30 minutes more.
• Let the duck rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before carving. Brush the duck's skin with glaze 4 to 5 five times during the resting period. Carve the duck and transfer pieces to warm serving platter. Serve the remaining glaze at the table to drizzle over the duck, if desired.

Steps:

• Duck Mousse with Clarified Butter Croutons and a Duo of Red Berries:
• In a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, and the foam moves to the top, skim off the foam with a spoon or small ladle. Pour off the clean yellow butter, into a small bowl, leaving the cloudy milky liquid on the bottom. The clean liquid is clarified butter. In a clean skillet, over medium heat, pour in some of the clarified butter. Once the butter is hot, add the brioche cubes and toast on all sides until golden brown. Transfer the bread cubes to paper towels and set aside. To assemble, skewer 1 bread cube on a toothpick, then follow with a piece of mousse and 2 berries. Repeat with remaining toothpicks and serve.
• Pan-seared Duck Breast with Habenero Apple Mango and Pear Chutney:
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a large skillet or saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat and saute the onion until soft, about 5 to 6 minutes. Gently stir the fruits and orange juice into the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the honey and habanero. Sprinkle the mint leaves over the top, cover with lid, reduce the heat to low and cook until the fruit is tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the habanero pepper just before serving.
• Season the skinless side of the duck breast with salt and pepper. Heat a small oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, add the duck breast, skin side down, to cook until crispy, about 6 minutes. Turn the breast over and transfer the pan to the oven. Roast for 8 minutes for medium-rare. Remove the duck breast from the oven to a cutting board and let rest for a few minutes before slicing. Keep warm. Slice duck breast into 12 thin slices. Fold each slice in half, spear on a toothpick and garnish with spoonful of chutney.
• Meringue-Berry Stick:
• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
• Set a very clean, heat-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Add the egg whites to the bowl and whisk until just fluffy. Continue whisking and gradually add the powdered sugar. (You can switch to a hand mixer at this point if you'd like, or continue using a whisk.) Beat the whites until stiff peaks form. Make sure not to overbeat, as this will cause the whites to release water and the batter will become runny. Put the batter into a pastry bag with a large, round tip and pipe out 12 small rounds with a little peak onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Meringues should be bite-sized. If you have more batter, pipe out more rounds and bake them for a snack! Store in an airtight container. Bake the meringues until light gold, about 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. On a toothpick, gently skewer 1 meringue and follow with a fresh raspberry or blackberry.

Steps:

• Unwrap the ducks and allow them to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. With a fork, prick the skin without piercing the meat. This will allow the fat to drain off while the ducks cook.
• Meanwhile, in a very large stock pot which can hold the 2 ducks, heat the chicken broth with 1 tablespoon of kosher salt until it boils. Add the ducks very carefully and bring the stock back to a boil. If there isn't enough stock to cover the ducks, add the hottest tap water to cover. If the ducks float to the top, place a plate on top to keep them immersed. When the stock comes back to a boil, lower the heat and simmer the ducks in the stock for 45 minutes.
• When the ducks are finished simmering, skim off enough duck fat from the top of the stock to pour a film on the bottom of a 14 by 18 by 3-inch roasting pan. This will keep the ducks from sticking when they roast. Carefully take the ducks out of the stock, holding them over the pot to drain. Place them in the roasting pan, pat the skin dry with paper towels, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and the pepper. If you have time, allow the ducks to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow the skin to dry.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. (Be sure your oven is very clean or it will smoke!) Roast the ducks for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow them to rest, covered with aluminum foil, for 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Steps:

• Place the livers in a bowl and add the milk to cover. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight. Drain well and pat livers dry.
• In a large skillet cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crisp and all of the fat is rendered, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove the bacon and transfer to paper towels to drain. Set bacon aside. Reserve the bacon drippings. Add the livers and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add the shallots, garlic, thyme, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, and the pepper and cook until the livers are just slightly pink and the shallots are soft, about 1 to 2 minutes longer. Add the cognac and cook until the liquid has evaporated and the livers are cooked through but still tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a large shallow bowl to cool.
• Once cooled, place the liver mixture together with any drippings in the bowl of a food processor and add the cream cheese and 1/2 pound butter and process until smooth. Add salt to taste if necessary.
• Spoon the mixture into small ramekins or serving bowls and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, 4 to 6 hours.
• While the mousse is chilling, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a large skillet and add the onions. Season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and the sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft and caramelized, about 20 minutes. If the onions begin to toughen or get too dark around the edges before they are soft and caramelized, add a bit of water, as necessary. Season the onions with salt and pepper, to taste, transfer to a small bowl and set aside until ready to serve the mousse.
• Crumble the crisp-cooked bacon into a small bowl.
• To serve the mousse, place the ramekins on a plate and serve with the toasted croutons. The caramelized onions and crumbled bacon should be nearby in small bowls for guests to garnish their mousse-spread croutons. (Alternatively, spread the mousse on the croutons and garnish with the onions and crumbled bacon and pass the assembled hors d'oeuvres on a platter.)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Remove giblets and neck from duck cavity and discard or reserve for another use. Cut off excess fat from duck cavity.
• Place duck, breast side down (wings up), on a rack in a roasting pan; add water to come just below the rack. Sprinkle duck with pepper and brush with a little soy sauce.
• Roast 30 minutes, undisturbed. Prick the back all over with point of a sharp knife, then flip bird onto its back. Sprinkle with pepper and brush with soy sauce again. Add a little more water to the pan if the juices are spattering (carefully--you don't want to get water on the duck).
• Roast 20 minutes, then prick the breast all over , and brush with soy sauce. Roast 10 minutes; brush with soy sauce. Roast 5 or 10 minutes more if necessary, or until duck is a glorious brown all over and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thigh measures at least 155 degrees. Let rest 5 minutes before carving and serving.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
• Trim duck of all visible fat. Using a fork, prick the skin all over without piercing the meat; season with salt and pepper. Place duck on a rack set in a roasting pan and transfer to oven; roast for 40 minutes. Reduce heat to 400 degrees and continue roasting until juices run clear when thigh is pierced, about 30 minutes more. Remove from oven and let cool.
• Reserve any duck fat from roasting pan. Store in an airtight container, refrigerated, up to 2 weeks. Remove skin from duck and discard. Remove meat from bones; discard bones. Shred meat and serve or store in an airtight container, refrigerated, up to 3 days.

Steps:

• For the sauce, fry the shallot in the oil for 5 mins or until softened but not coloured. Add the plums and sugar, stirring for a few mins until the sugar has dissolved. Add the red wine and stock, then simmer for about 15 mins, stirring occasionally, until softened and slightly thickened. Keep warm or leave at room temperature for up to a day before reheating to serve.
• Meanwhile, heat the oven to 180C/ 160C fan/gas 4. Score the skin of the duck breasts with a sharp knife and season well with salt and pepper. Heat a non-stick frying pan and place the duck breasts in, skin-side down. Fry for 6-7 mins, then turn and add the thyme, star anise and butter. Allow this to melt, basting the duck with the juices, then transfer everything to a small roasting tin and finish in the oven for 5-6 mins for pink or 10-12 mins for well done.
• When the duck is ready, baste again with the juices, then rest for 5 mins while you finish everything else.
• To serve, thinly slice each duck breast on a chopping board. Arrange on each plate along with a spoon of the Creamed potatoes, some of the plum sauce and the Buttered spinach.

Steps:

• 1. Place duck fat in a skillet, and cook over medium to high heat for 4 to 5 minutes, until the fat has melted and some of it has browned.
• 2. Add the shallots, and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring occasionally. Add the liver, herbes de Provence, and garlic, and cook over medium to high heat for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the salt and pepper.
• 3. Transfer the mixture to a blender, add the Cognac, and blend until liquefied. If a finer textured pâté is desired, push the mixture through the holes of a strainer with a spoon. This will yield 1/2 cup. Let cool for at least 1 1/2 hours, then cover and and refrigerate until serving time.
• 4. Spread the pâté on the toasted baguette slices, and serve. The pâté will keep, well covered, for 3 to 4 days.