Brian in the Kitchen Recipes
BRIAN IN THE KITCHEN brought to you by Stittsworth Meats
May 15 2018
American Craft Beer Week - Crisp-Tender Roast Duck with Cherry-Rosemary Sauce with Bemidji Brewing Honeyberry Sour
One 5-pound Pekin (aka Long Island) duck
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 shallot, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup cherries fresh or frozen, halved and pitted
1/2 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade, or low-sodium store bought
2 tablespoons cherry or berry whole-fruit preserves
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
Rinse the duck inside and out and pat dry. Trim any excess fat from the neck and cavity, snip off wingtips and discard. Mix 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl, and sprinkle the bird inside and out. Using a paring knife, make dozens of slits through the skin and fat (taking care not to pierce the meat) all over both sides and all parts of the bird.
Put the duck breast-side up on a rack in a roasting pan and roast for 1 hour. Take the bird out of the oven, transfer to a platter and carefully drain the fat from the pan into a measuring cup (you'll end up getting 2 to 3 cups). Return the duck to the pan, prick with the knife again, turn it breast-side down and roast another hour. Repeat each hour, roasting the duck for a total of 4 1/2 hours.
While the duck cooks, make the sauce: In a small saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon duck fat over medium heat and cook the shallots until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add the cherries, stock, preserves, honey and rosemary, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the lemon juice, swirl in the butter and taste for salt and pepper. Set aside until the duck is finished.
After 4 1/2 hours of roasting, turn the oven temperature up to 350 degrees F, prick the duck skin one last time, salt the skin again and return bird to the oven, breast-side up. Roast for 30 minutes until the skin is nicely browned.
Remove from the oven, tent with foil and let rest for 20 minutes. Gently reheat the sauce over low heat. Carve the duck, put the pieces on a serving platter and serve with sauce.
NOTE - for a quicker after work meal: use duck breast...1/2 pound per person
Take the duck breast out of the fridge and pat it real dry. Score the skin (not the meat!) in a criss-cross pattern with a very sharp blade. This will help release the fat that is located under the skin and will also result in a crispier skin.
Sprinkle the duck breast generously with salt and pepper, then place it skin side down in a cold, dry skillet. Yes, that’s right. No need to preheat the pan or add fat to it. Starting with a cold pan will ensure that we get the most fat to render. Turn the heat up to medium-high and cook the duck breast until the skin becomes beautifully golden brown, thin and crispy, which should take about 6-8 minutes, depending on the initial thickness of the skin.
Turn the breast over and cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes for rare to medium-rare (internal temperature should read 125°F – 130°F on instant read thermometer.
Take the duck out of the pan and let it rest on a cutting board, skin side up for about 5 minutes. Just like a good steak, a duck breast needs to rest, otherwise, the juices will run all over your cutting board instead of down your throat like they should.
Carve with slices cut on the bias and on the diagonal and serve with the cherry rosemary sauce from above.
Beer Pairing - Fatty, dense-pallette foods pair nicely with a sour beer and the tart berry notes in the Bemidji Brewing Honeyberry Sour will pair nicely with the cherry sauce. Bemidji Brewing Honeyberry Sour has an ABV of 5.8% and comes in at 6 IBU. It features a vibrant redish-purple color. It's tart and funky, with notes of subtle citrus and earthy notes. The fruit used is called a honeyberry and is a small blueish/purple berry similar in color and size to a blueberry. The flavor is similar to a blueberry, but a bit juicier and more tart. The shape is a bit more oblong than a blueberry. Bemidji Brewing sources 100% of these berries from a farm in Bagley, MN..