Duck Or Rabbit Livers With Onion Marmalade Recipes

Steps:

• Thinly slice the onions by first cutting in half, then removing the core at an angle. Thinly slice the onions like a fan. Over medium heat, add the oil followed by the onions. The onions will start to sweat and cook down, releasing their liquid. Continue to cook over low heat, stirring every 2-3 minutes until the moisture is gone, 20 minutes or more as needed, depending on moisture level of the onions.
• When all of the moisture's been cooked out of the onions, turn the heat back to medium, add the sugar, a pinch of salt, and the vinegar and bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar and combine. Turn the heat to low and reduce until the mixture is a thick jam, about 45 minutes.

Steps:

• Fry bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels and reserve.
• Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a medium skillet over moderate heat. Cook shallots with salt until soft and nearly golden, about 3 minutes. Add cooked bacon, stirring briefly to rewarm. Add vinegar, turn the heat to high and reduce by half. Add stock and reduce again by half. Break remaining butter into small pieces and whisk into sauce until smooth. Whisk in mustard and remove from heat.
• Preheat grill or a dry skillet. Season liver with salt and pepper. Grill or saute in melted butter over high heat, about 3 minutes per side.
• Arrange liver over a bed of Sauteed Onions on individual serving plates and spoon on sauce. Serve immediately.
• Melt butter in a large skillet over high heat. Reduce heat. Saute onions with salt, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Steps:

• First, make the marmalade. Sizzle the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat until it is nut brown, 3 to 4 minutes, then immediately add the onions, sugar and ½ teaspoon of the salt. Reduce the heat and stew gently until the onions are dark caramel brown, 30 to 45 minutes, being careful to not blacken them. Add the vinegar and wine and cook for another 30 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the butter floats separately from the onions. You need only a few spoonfuls of this for the livers, but don't be angry! The ingredients were cheap, and this will keep for weeks, stored in a jar in the refrigerator. From thence it shall come to enliven sandwiches, charcuterie, roasts and all kinds of other stuff.
• On to the livers. Warm a plate in a low oven. Trim, rinse and pat the livers dry; season with the pepper and the remaining salt. Warm the oil in a nonstick skillet and fry the livers for about a minute and a half per side. Let them rest for 5 minutes on the warm plate, then slice and serve with a few tablespoons of marmalade on polenta, toast or crêpes parmentier (see recipe here).

Steps:

• Halve and thinly slice the onions, then thinly slice the garlic. Melt the butter with the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over a high heat. Tip in the onions and garlic and give them a good stir so they are glossed with butter. Sprinkle over the sugar, thyme leaves, chilli flakes if using and some salt and pepper. Give everything another really good stir and reduce the heat slightly. Cook uncovered for 40-50 minutes, stirring occasionally. The onions are ready when all their juices have evaporated, they're really soft and sticky and smell of sugar caramelising. They should be so soft that they break when pressed against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon. Slow cooking is the secret of really soft and sticky onions, so don't rush this part.
• Pour in the wine, vinegar and port and simmer everything, still uncovered, over a high heat for 25-30 minutes, stirring every so often until the onions are a deep mahogany colour and the liquid has reduced by about two-thirds. It's done when drawing a spoon across the bottom of the pan clears a path that fills rapidly with syrupy juice. Leave the onions to cool in the pan, then scoop into sterilised jars and seal. Can be eaten straight away, but keeps in the fridge for up to 3 months.

Steps:

• Gently bruise the mint with lime juice in a shaker using a muddler or wooden spoon. Add syrup, rum, bitters and a big handful of ice, and shake until well chilled. Strain into a coupe or cocktail glass and add Champagne.
• With a knife, slit the lime slice halfway through and pierce it with the mint sprig. Perch it on the rim of the glass.

Steps:

• Gently fry the onion, apple, garlic, ginger and chilli, if using, in a pan with the oil for about 10 mins until softened. Pour in the vinegar and bubble down until reduced by half. Add 100ml water and sugar to taste. Cook until reduced by two thirds and thickened. Stir in the redcurrants and balsamic vinegar, and cook for another 5 mins. The relish can be made up to a week ahead and stored in the fridge.
• Using a sharp knife, slash the fat of the duck breasts in a criss-cross, cutting almost through to the flesh. Rub the skin with salt and five-spice powder.
• Heat a heavy-based frying pan, until you can feel a gentle heat, then place the duck, skin-side down. Cook for 5 mins on a low to medium heat until the fat begin to melt. Spoon over the duck and season.
• When the skin begins to brown and crisp, after about another 2 mins, tip out the excess fat. Flip over the breasts and cook for another 5 mins on the flesh side. This will give you medium-rare duck. If you prefer well done, cook for a further 3 mins or so. Remove from the heat, allow to stand for 5 mins then slice diagonally. Serve with watercress salad and the relish.

Steps:

• Chop the fat into ¾-inch cubes and place in a small covered saucepan set over low heat. Add ½ cup water and bring to a simmer. Stir after 30 minutes. Continue to cook, letting it bubble, and stir from time to time. When the water boils off, render for about 2 hours. The lard will clarify, and the cracklings will shrivel and shrink. As it cooks, watch and listen: turn down the heat or take the pan off the heat if it smokes or if the lard starts to brown.
• When the cracklings are lightly golden and have almost stopped bubbling, remove them and drain on paper towels or a brown paper bag. Strain the lard through a cheesecloth into a jar or bowl, where it will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for several weeks. Try a crackling. If it is not crunchy and appetizing, crisp the rest on a baking sheet in a 375-degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Season if you'd like, then cool on paper towels. Cracklings, well drained and lightly covered, will keep at room temperature for at least a week.