Sauteed Duck Breast With Wild Mushrooms And Carrot Cauliflower Puree Recipes

PAN-ROASTED DUCK WITH WILD MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Rinse dried mushrooms to remove sand or dirt and place in a bowl. Cover with boiling water and let steep for 30 minutes.
• Lay duck breasts skin-side down on a cutting board. With your fingers, remove the thin tenderloins from the underside of each breast and reserve for sauce. With a sharp knife, trim away any gristle. Turn breasts skin-side up and trim excess fat from the edges. Score the skins in a diamond pattern. Season generously with salt and pepper, transfer to a plate and leave at cool room temperature for 1 hour.
• Put olive oil in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the reserved tenderloins and brown well on both sides. Add butter and flour to pan, and cook, stirring, until mixture is lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add soaked mushrooms and soaking liquid, and stir well as sauce begins to thicken. Add wine, thyme and bay leaf, turn heat to low, and simmer gently until gravylike, but not too thick, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and discard tenderloins, thyme and bay leaf. Taste sauce and adjust seasoning. Keep warm. (Sauce may be prepared several hours or up to 2 days in advance.)
• Set a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, add duck breasts to skillet skin-side down and let sizzle. Lower heat to medium and cook for about 7 or 8 minutes, making sure skin doesn't brown too quickly. (This will render fat and crisp the skin.) Turn breasts over and cook 3 minutes more for rare (thermometer should read 120 degrees), or 4 to 5 minutes for medium-rare (thermometer should read 125 degrees). Transfer to a warm platter and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Pour off all but 2 tablespoons rendered fat from the pan, and raise heat to medium-high. Add sliced mushrooms and sauté, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, letting them brown nicely. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off heat and stir in garlic and parsley.
• Slice duck 1/4-inch thick, crosswise at a slight angle, and serve immediately. Each serving should have 4 to 5 slices of duck, a large spoonful of mushrooms and a bit of sauce.

SAUTEED DUCK BREASTS WITH WILD MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F. Using sharp knife, score skin of duck breasts diagonally to create 3/4-inch-wide diamond pattern; pat dry. Sprinkle duck with salt and pepper. Heat heavy large skillet over high heat. Add duck breasts, skin side down. Cook until skin is deep golden brown, about 8 minutes. Turn duck over; cook about 3 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet and keep warm in oven.
• Pour all but 1 tablespoon drippings from skillet. Add oil. Reduce heat to medium-high. Add mushrooms and shallots and sauté until mushrooms are tender, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add wine and stir until juices thicken, scraping up browned bits, about 1 minute.
• Place 1 duck breast on each of 4 plates. Pour mushroom sauce over, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.

SAUTEED DUCK FOIE GRAS

Steps:

• After deveining, cut the foie gras crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick pieces, then season with salt and pepper.
• Heat 1 teaspoon of the canola oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking.
• Sauté half the foie gras until golden, 45 to 60 seconds on each side (it will be pink inside). Quickly transfer to a paper towel to drain and discard fat in skillet.
• Sauté the rest of the foie gras the same way, then discard all all but 1 tablespoon of remaining fat in skillet. Add 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar and bring to a boil. Serve foie gras with sauce.

CREAM OF CAULIFLOWER SOUP WITH SAUTéED WILD MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Put the cauliflower, potato and onion in a large saucepan with the butter and half of the oil. Gently heat the contents until they start to sizzle, then cover with a lid and sweat over a low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The vegetables should be softened but not coloured.
• Pour in the stock and bring to the boil, then pour in the milk and return gently to a boil. This way, there will be no scum forming from the milk. Season to taste then simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Pour in half the cream.
• Blend everything in a food processor or blender, in batches. For an extra creamy texture, push the purée through a sieve with the back of a ladle. Stir in the rest of the cream. (If preparing ahead cool, cover and chill for up to a day.)
• To serve, pick over the mushrooms. Wild mushrooms can be gritty so wash them quickly in a bowl of cold water then drain well and pat dry. Trim the stalks and chop or slice the mushrooms neatly. Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and, when very hot, stir fry the mushrooms quickly until nicely browned, seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper as you cook them.
• Reheat the soup until piping hot. Check for seasoning and ladle into warmed bowls. Spoon the mushrooms into the centre and sprinkle lightly with the chives. Italy's elegant, mildly citrussy whites, such as Vernaccia di San Gimignano, or a Chardonnay would suit this rich soup.

WILD MUSHROOM AND CAULIFLOWER LASAGNA

Steps:

• For the tomato sauce: Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until soft. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, breaking them up with a wooden spoon, and the basil and cook until thickened and the tomatoes soften and break down. season with salt and pepper.
• Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. Return the mixture to the saucepan, add the basil and chopped parsley, season with salt, pepper, and honey, if needed.
• For the cauliflower sauce: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the florets from the head of cauliflower and put in a small roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add 1 1/2 cups water to the bottom of the pan, cover with foil, and cook until very tender, about 1 hour. Remove and increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in 4 cups of the milk, increase the heat and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the cauliflower, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 5 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Transfer the mixture to a blender (in batches) and puree until smooth. Strain the mixture into a clean saucepan through a medium mesh strainer and bring to a simmer over low heat. Whisk in the nutmeg, cheese, and salt and pepper, to taste. Cook for 1 minute. Add some of the remaining warm milk, if needed.
• For the lasagna: Increase the oven to 375 degrees F. Combine the ricotta, egg, 1/2 cup parsley, 1 teaspoon thyme, and romano cheese in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the garlic cloves and cook for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and cook until they begin to soften. Add the shallots and cook until golden brown and completely dry. Drain the porcini mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid, coarsely chop, and add to the mushrooms in the pan and cook for 1 minute. Deglaze with the porcini soaking liquid and cook until completely reduced. Stir in the remaining 2 teaspoons thyme, remaining 1/4 cup parsley, and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.
• To assemble: Ladle some of the tomato sauce into the bottom of a 10 by 14 by 2 1/2-inch baking dish. Ladle some of the cauliflower mornay sauce over the tomato sauce. Top with 4 noodles. Top the noodles with some of the ricotta mixture, then some mushrooms, fontina, and romano. Season with salt and pepper. Repeat to make 4 layers. Ladle the cauliflower mornay sauce over the top of the noodles, making sure to cover the noodles completely with the sauce, and sprinkle with more of the romano cheese. Put the lasagna pan on a baking sheet, cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until bubbly and the top is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes longer. Remove from the oven, sprinkle the top with parsley, and let rest 15 minutes before serving. Cut into squares and serve additional tomato sauce on the side.

ROASTED DUCK BREASTS WITH WILD MUSHROOM STUFFING AND RED-WINE SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the stuffing: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake bread cubes in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet until just golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely. Pulse in a food processor (in batches, if needed) until coarse crumbs form, about 15 seconds; transfer to a bowl. Add 1/4 cup oil; toss well. Spread breadcrumb mixture on the baking sheet, and bake, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
• Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat until butter has melted. Add leeks, celery root, and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are soft, about 15 minutes. Raise heat to medium. Stir in mushrooms and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are soft, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir vegetable mixture into breadcrumb mixture; let cool completely.
• Prepare the duck: Place duck breasts, skin sides up, on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, score lines, 1/2 inch apart, in a cross-hatch pattern into the fat; cut almost all the way through, but do not cut into flesh. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Cut six 14-inch pieces of kitchen twine. Lay 3 pieces of twine about 2 inches apart on cutting board. Place 1 duck breast half, skin side down, crosswise over twine. Place about 1/2 cup stuffing on top of duck. Top with another breast half, skin side up. Tie together tightly with the twine. Repeat with remaining breasts. Stuffed duck can be refrigerated, covered, overnight. Bring to room temperature before cooking.
• Bake remaining stuffing: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking dish; set aside. Stir together remaining stuffing and 1 1/4 cups stock in a large bowl. Transfer to prepared dish. Bake until top is crisp and pale golden brown but center is moist, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook the duck: Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add duck breasts to skillet. Cook, turning once, until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes per side. Transfer breasts to a plate; pour fat from skillet into a heatproof container. Return breasts to skillet, and place in oven. Cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers 125 degrees.for rare, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a plate; let rest in a warm place, loosely covered with foil, 15 minutes. Pour fat from skillet.
• Make the sauce: Lightly wipe out skillet, and place over medium-high heat. Add wine; cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add port, if desired, and stock. Simmer until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add accumulated juices from the duck to skillet. Season with salt and pepper; whisk in butter. Pour sauce through a fine sieve into a gravy boat. Slice duck, and serve drizzled with sauce, with baked stuffing on the side.