Duck Bourguignonne With Chestnut Spaetzle Recipes

Steps:

• Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add celery, carrots, and onion; cook, stirring, until softened and browned, about 8 minutes. Add port, red wine, and garlic; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes; remove from heat and let cool completely.
• Place duck legs in an 8-quart Dutch oven. Pour cooled wine mixture over duck legs to completely cover. Cover Dutch oven and refrigerate 1 to 2 days.
• Remove duck legs from marinade; pat dry and set aside. Strain marinade through a mesh strainer into a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, discarding solids. Bring liquid to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and let simmer until liquid has reduced by two-thirds, about 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325 degrees. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a Dutch-oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, season duck legs with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour, coating on all sides and shaking off any excess. Add duck legs to hot oil and cook until golden brown on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer duck legs to a plate and repeat process with remaining duck legs.
• Return all duck legs to Dutch oven. Whisk butter into reduced wine mixture until well blended and add to Dutch oven along with chicken stock, bay leaves, orange peel, and thyme. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, and immediately transfer to oven. Cook until duck legs are tender and pulling away from the bone, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
• Remove Dutch oven from oven and transfer duck to a platter; set aside. Strain liquid through a fine-mesh strainer set over a medium saucepan; discard solids. Place saucepan over high heat and cook until liquid reduces enough to coat the back of a spoon, skimming off any foam or oil that floats to the surface, about 1 hour. You should have about 5 cups of liquid. Season with salt and pepper.
• Return duck legs to Dutch oven and strain liquid over duck, discarding solids. Place Dutch oven over medium-high heat and cook until duck legs are heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Cover to keep warm.
• Divide spaetzle among 4 plates. Top each with 2 duck legs; spoon over about 1/4 cup of sauce per plate. Stir parsley into Grand Mere. Top duck legs with Grand Mere and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Lightly score the skin of the duck breasts, then season well. Place a non-stick pan over a medium heat, then lay the duck in the pan, skin-side down. Cook until the fat starts to come from the duck, then add the garlic and thyme. Turn down the heat, then continue to cook for 15-20 mins, depending on the size of the duck breast, until the skin is really crisp and brown. As it cooks, pour the fat into a large pan for the cabbage.
• Flip the duck over, cook on the flesh side for 3 mins until browned, then turn off the heat (this will result in meat that is pink in the middle - cook for a few minutes longer if you like it well done). Leave the duck in the pan to rest.
• While the duck cooks, heat 1 tbsp of its fat in the other pan. Add the celeriac and bacon, then gently fry for 5 mins until the celeriac has browned and the bacon starts to crisp. Add the thyme, then the cabbage. Fry the cabbage for 5 mins until it starts to wilt. Add 100ml water and simmer for 5 mins until the water has evaporated and the celeriac is soft. Pour in the cream, stir to coat, then add the chestnuts and heat through. This can be done up to a day ahead - cook the celeriac in 1 tbsp vegetable oil instead of the duck fat and reheat with an extra splash of cream before serving.
• Cut the pear in half and use a melon baller or teaspoon to scoop out the core. Place a star anise in the cavity of each half.
• Place 3 tbsp of the icing sugar in a non-stick pan and heat to make a light amber caramel. Pour in the vinegar and bubble to make a sticky syrup. Dust the pear halves heavily with the rest of the icing sugar, then place the pan back on the heat. Cook the pear for 10 mins until brown and caramelised all over. This can be done up to a day ahead and reheated, adding a splash of water.
• To serve, slice each duck breast lengthways and dress the watercress in the olive oil and vinegar. Spoon a neat mound of cabbage on one side of each plate. Place a pear half, cut-side up, on the opposite side of the plate and drizzle the sticky sauce around it. Place the outside slices of duck breast on the cabbage and fan the rest of the duck over. Scatter the dressed watercress sprigs around the sides of the plates and serve.