Red Wine Braised Duck Legs With Roasted Pears And Onions Recipes

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 LEGS WITH RED WINE SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Put the duck legs in one layer in a roasting tin on a bed of rosemary sprigs and garlic cloves. Sprinkle with salt and five-spice powder. Roast for 1 hr.
• Bring the wine and jelly to a gentle simmer, stirring to dissolve the jelly, then continue to simmer for 5 mins. When the duck has been cooking for an hr remove from the oven and spoon off almost all the fat (save it for roast potatoes), then pour the wine mixture around it and return to the oven for 10-15 mins to finish cooking and reduce the sauce.

ITALIAN RED-WINE BRAISED DUCK WITH OLIVE GREMOLATA

Steps:

• Trim duck legs of extraneous fat with a sharp knife, leaving a thin layer on top. (It is best to do this straight from the fridge, while fat is still firm.) Save duck fat for rendering. If you don't wish to render fat immediately, freeze for up to 2 months
• Season each leg generously with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with ground coriander and fennel. Massage seasoning into meat and leave at room temperature for 30 minutes, or wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• Roast duck legs in a 400-degree oven for about 45 minutes, until nicely browned. Pour off fat accumulated in roasting pan and reserve for another purpose.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce: Pour olive oil into a wide heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and let them cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to color. Add carrot, celery, thyme, bay leaf and orange peel. Season with salt and pepper and continue cooking until the carrot and celery are softened. Add garlic and tomato paste and stir to coat. Add chopped tomato and red wine and bring to a brisk simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, until slightly thickened. Add chicken broth and return to a simmer. Taste sauce for salt and adjust seasoning, adding a pinch of cayenne or red pepper flakes if desired. Finally, add duck legs, put on the lid, reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook for about 45 minutes, until meat is tender when probed with a paring knife.
• Transfer the duck legs to a low baking dish, all in one layer. Skim any fat from surface of sauce. Ladle sauce over duck legs and bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes, until sauce is bubbling and legs have browned a bit on top. (Duck may be prepared up to 3 days in advance, then reheated.) Sprinkle olive gremolata evenly over dish. Serve with wide ribbons of buttered egg pasta or polenta, if desired.