Duck Breast With Braised Belgian Endive Shaved Cauliflower And Green Peppercorns Recipes

Steps:

• Split and trim the duck breasts to yield 4 individual breasts. Some people remove the "tenders," as there is a small span of unchewable silver skin within, but I just leave them intact and deal with it when eating, like the fat or gristle in any steak or chop. It's just part of the deal.
• Season the duck with salt and pepper generously on both skin and flesh sides, then place breasts skin-side down in an extra-large heavy-bottomed steel pan.
• Set the pan over medium-low heat, and gently cook the duck breasts 20 to 25 minutes, skin-side down the whole time, pouring off the rendering duck fat many times along the way so that the duck does not poach or steam in its own fat. Save all of that duck fat.
• In the meantime, split the endive heads in half lengthwise, and remove any limp outer leaves. Crush the green peppercorns with the flat side of your chef's knife, then mince the crushed peppercorns further, sometimes dragging the mince under the flat side of your knife to make it into a paste, as you might with a clove of garlic.
• When the duck skin is dark golden brown and crisp and most of the white fat has rendered out, turn the breast flesh-side down. Increase heat to medium-high (you want to get a true sear and not a gray "steam"), and sear for 2 to 4 minutes, or until the flesh is golden brown. Remove the duck breasts from the pan, and set them aside in a warm place.
• Add a nice spoonful of the rendered duck fat back into the hot pan, and lay in the endive halves, cut-side down. Cook until you get a dark golden sear on the cut sides of the endive, about 3 minutes. Turn the endives over onto their rounded backs, and add the cauliflower, shallot and peppercorn paste to the pan.
• Add back in another nice spoonful of the rendered duck fat, and stir together as best as you can without disturbing the endive. You can move it to the side and give yourself some room for stirring and cooking the cauliflower. You want to make sure the cauliflower and the shallots have contact with the fond (the fat, salt and pepper that have been left behind from the cooking of the duck breasts) in the pan.
• Add the chicken stock and the sherry or vermouth, and partly cover the pan to simmer the vegetables until soft and cooked, about 4 minutes. The liquid will be absorbed, the high note of the alcohol will burn off and a loose sauce will remain when finished cooking.
• Season the vegetables with salt and pepper as needed, and drizzle some more of the rendered duck fat over the whole deal if that moves you, as it does me.
• Slice the duck breasts across at a slight bias, approximately the thickness of your pinkie, and serve each with endive and cauliflower. Sprinkle a few drops of sherry vinegar over each serving to finish.

Steps:

• Scald the milk with half of the sugar (1/4 cup) in a 2-quart sauce pot. Remove from heat.
• In a stainless-steel bowl, whisk the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, with yolks, cornstarch and salt until thick and creamy and pale yellow. Whisk the hot milk into the yolk mixture and return the sauce pot to the stove and whisk constantly over medium-high heat until it bubbles and thickens, 60 to 90 seconds.
• Remove from heat, pour contents back into the bowl and stir in the vanilla extract. Set bowl over ice bath, and let cool a couple minutes but whisk in the cold butter while the mixture is still warm. When the pastry cream has cooled completely, stir in two tablespoons of cold heavy cream to loosen a bit. Keep chilled over ice bath.
• Sprinkle gelatin over the tap water evenly to soften. Break up any clumps, then microwave for 10 or 15 seconds to dissolve completely.
• Thoroughly whisk dissolved liquidy gelatin into the stiff and cool pastry cream.
• Whip 1/2 cup cold heavy cream to stiff peaks and fold into the chilled pastry cream, blending thoroughly.
• Keep chilled until ready to use.

Steps:

• For endive:
• Arrange endive in single layer in heavy large skillet; sprinkle with sugar and salt. Add juice and stock; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover; simmer 15 minutes. Turn endive over. Cover; simmer until tender, about 10 minutes longer. Using tongs, transfer endive to plate, draining juices back into skillet. Boil juices in skillet until reduced almost to glaze, whisking occasionally, about 9 minutes. Season juices with salt and pepper. Return endive to skillet.
• For sauce:
• Stir vinegar, sugar, and coriander seeds in heavy small saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil (do not stir) until syrup is dark at edge of pan and bubbles break thickly on surface, swirling pan occasionally, about 5 minutes. Carefully add juice and stock and boil until sauce is reduced to 1 cup, stirring often, about 12 minutes. Strain sauce into another small saucepan. Add peel. Simmer until sauce is reduced to 1/2 cup, about 3 minutes. (Endive and sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately; chill.)
• For duck:
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Sprinkle duck with salt and pepper. Melt butter with oil in heavy large ovenproof skillet over high heat. Add duck, skin side down; cook until skin is very crisp, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, transfer duck, skin side down, to work surface. Brush meat side of each duck breast with 1/2 tablespoon honey. Press 1/2 tablespoon coriander seeds into honey on each breast. Discard fat from skillet. Return duck, skin side up, to skillet. Press 1/2 tablespoon coriander seeds onto skin of each breast.
• Place duck in oven and roast until cooked to desired doneness, about 7 minutes for medium-rare (150°F to 160°F). Rewarm endive in covered skillet. Transfer duck to work surface. Brush most seeds off duck. Cut each breast crosswise into thin slices. Overlap slices of 1 breast on each plate. Spoon sauce over. Set 3 heads of endive on each plate.

Steps:

• Whisk together all the bloody Mary mix ingredients, transfer to a bottle and shake well just before using.
• Fill tall glasses with ice; pour the bloody Mary mix on top.
• If using the vodka, mix 1/4 cup vodka with 1/2 cup bloody Mary mix in a shaker over ice; shake for 10 hard strokes, strain and pour into each ice-filled glass.
• Garnish with a leafy interior rib of celery, a wooden skewer of olives and a lemon wedge.

Steps:

• For the choucroute: Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the bacon and blanch for about 15 seconds to remove some of the smoky taste. Drain.
• Heat a 3-quart saucepan over high heat. Add the vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion and endive and sauté until they wilt slightly, about 10 minutes. Add the blanched bacon, apple, wine, vinegar, juniper berries, honey, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Do not let the mixture cook dry; it should be moist. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Keep warm.
• For the duck breasts: With a sharp chef's knife held horizontally, shave about half of the skin and surface fat from the duck breasts and discard, leaving some skin and a thin layer of fat to lubricate the meat as it cooks. Season the breasts on both sides with salt and pepper.
• Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add the duck breasts, skin side down. Sear until crisp and browned, about 2 1/2 minutes, then turn with tongs and cook on the flesh side, basting a few times with drippings, until medium-rare, about 3 1/2 minutes longer. Let rest for 5 minutes before carving.
• Slice the duck breasts on the diagonal about 1/4 inch thick. Divide the choucroute among 4 dinner plates and arrange a sliced duck breast on each plate. Serve immediately.
• Enjoy with Cakebread Cellars Anderson Valley Pinot Noir or another young Pinot Noir with concentrated flavor.