Braised Duck With Apples Calvados And Sour Cream Recipes

Steps:

• Dredge duck pieces with flour and shake off excess. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add duck pieces, skin side down, and fry slowly until nicely browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn and brown other side. Remove duck and reserve.
• Pour off all but 2 to 4 tablespoons of fat in the skillet, add onion and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned. Add apples, sugar, liver and giblets. Cook, stirring, 3 minutes more. Add thyme, sage, stock, salt, pepper and Calvados. Bring to a boil and return duck pieces to skillet. Cover securely and cook over very low heat for 1 hour, or until quite tender but not falling off the bone.
• Remove duck pieces to a deep serving platter and skim off fat from mixture in skillet. Add sour cream, check seasonings, reheat without boiling and pour over duck. Serve with mashed potatoes.

Steps:

• Salt and pepper duck generously on both sides. Place halves, skin side down, in large saute pan (preferably seasoned cast-iron or nonstick) or 2 medium saute pans. Wedge thyme and garlic under skin. Cover pan with lid or foil; place over low heat. Braise for 1 hour (duck should crackle and sizzle gently; skin should be golden and crisp; most fat should be rendered). Turn duck; cover pan. Braise for 1 more hour, until duck bottom is well browned and meat very tender.
• Remove duck to cutting board; cut halves in half. Reserve fat from pan. In clean saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons fat (if there is not enough, use canola oil) over medium-high heat. Place duck pieces skin side down, and saute for 3 to 5 minutes, just until skin is crisp and dark. Transfer to dish, and serve.

Steps:

• Peel and devein shrimp. Heat clarified butter in a large skillet until very hot. Add shrimp and saute briefly until they turn opaque. Remove and reserve.
• Add shallots to skillet and saute 1 minute without browning. Remove skillet from the stove and add Cognac. Return skillet to stove and flame Cognac carefully, or boil the Cognac to evaporate the alcohol. Add cream and boil until reduced to a saucelike consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Return shrimp to skillet to heat through and finish cooking (about 1 minute). Pour mixture into serving dish. Serve over rice.