Divine Smoked Duck Breast And Roasted Apples Recipes

Steps:

• Season duck breasts on all sides with salt and pepper. Place in a shallow dish and cover with 3 tablespoons maple syrup. Cover, place in refrigerator, and allow to marinate 12 to 24 hours.
• Preheat an electric smoker according to manufacturer's directions to 225 degrees F (110 degrees C) using maple wood chips.
• Remove duck breasts from marinade and rinse well. Pat dry with paper towels. Use a sharp knife to cut shallow cross-hatch marks into duck breast skin; do not cut all the way through to the meat. Brush with 2 teaspoons maple syrup.
• Place duck breasts, skin-side up, on grill rack in the smoker. Place a drip pan underneath. Smoke at 225 degrees F (110 degrees C) for 3 to 4 hours, adding more maple wood chips as necessary to keep smoke continuous, until duck breasts reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Cool to room temperature before slicing. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 120C/fan 100C/gas ½. Pull any excess fat from the duck's cavity and use a roasting fork or skewer to prick the skin of the duck all over - do this lightly as you don't want to pierce the meat. Rub the duck generously inside and out with flaky sea salt, then lay, breast-side down, on a rack over a roasting tray. Roast the duck for 3 hrs, pricking again every now and then should you happen to pass by. While the duck is cooking, score a line gently around the middle of each apple and set aside (this stops them exploding when they cook).
• After 3 hrs, remove duck from the oven and turn the heat to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Sit the duck on a plate and carefully pour away most of the fat from the tin. Return the duck to the rack, right way up, and continue to roast for 30 mins. Put the apples in under the duck or around the side and roast for a final 30 mins. By now you should have the crispiest duck and apples on the verge of collapse. Leave the duck to rest for 10 mins, then carve and serve with the apples.

Steps:

• Reduce the apple juice until only 50 ml remains.
• Cut the apples in four quarters and then in thiner slices (french fries style) but leaving on every slice one side with the skin of the apple.
• Heat the butter in a pan and roast the pieces of apple. Add in sugar and lemon juice. .
• Remove from heat and let cool.
• Add in the boiled apple juice and honey, then mix with the apples. I use the Leatherwood Tasmanian Honey that is more consistent and stronger in taste than regular honey (like Acacia).
• Chop the hazelnuts and grill them in a fat-free pan until they start to smell. You can substitute hazelnuts for pinenutes (no need to roast them).
• Peel the shallot, slice it into small cubes and mix with the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Season the young lettuce with this vinaigrette. Add on top of the lettuce the slices of roasted apples and smoked duck breast. Personally I add in my plate a little bit of the juice cooking from apples as well because I find it delicious. Top everything with roasted hazelnut or pinenutes.

Steps:

• Cut apples and onions into quarters. Remove seeds from apples and set aside. Rinse duck with cold water and pat dry. Discard giblets and organ meats. Trim all loose fat from the inner cavity. Stuff cavity with apples and onions. Sprinkle duck liberally with salt and pierce skin in several places with a fork.
• Place the duck, breast side up, in a roast holder (which is placed in a drip pan for gas grill) in the center of the cooking grate. Cook 1 1/2 to 2 hours, piercing the underside of the duck every 30 minutes to remove excess fat. When the duck juices run clear, and the internal temperature is 170 to 180 degrees F, remove from grill and let rest for 15 minutes. Remove apples and onions from duck cavity and place on cooking grate to crisp. Serve duck with the grilled apples and onions while still warm.