Figs With Duck Prosciutto And Sorrel Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Snip the hard stems off the figs and cut the figs in half lengthwise through the stem. With a small sharp knife, cut the prosciutto lengthwise into inch-wide strips. Wrap a strip of prosciutto around the center of each fig half, with the ends overlapping. Brush with olive oil and arrange cut-side up on a sheet pan.
• Roast the figs for 10 minutes, until the prosciutto is a little crisp and the figs are warmed through. Serve warm.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
• Cut a small hole in the center of the flesh of each fig. Fill each hole with 1/4 teaspoon of goat cheese.
• Take a prosciutto slice and tear in half. Use 1 half to diagonally wrap around the fig, starting from the top. Tuck underneath at the ends. Repeat until all figs are wrapped. (Secure with toothpicks if necessary.) Place wrapped figs on prepared baking sheet, evenly spaced.
• In a small bowl, combine honey and pumpkin pie spice. Drizzle honey evenly over each fig.
• Place in the oven on the top rack and roast for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Arrange prosciutto in overlapping slices on a large platter. Place figs beside prosciutto, drizzle with vinegar, and garnish with fresh thyme sprigs.
• Sprinkle the Parmesan shavings over prosciutto and figs.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, whisk together the honey and mustard.
• On a work surface, lay out the prosciutto slices and top each with a sorrel strip. Using a pastry brush, coat each lightly with some of the honey mustard. Place a fig, rounded side down, in the middle of each strip and wrap the prosciutto and sorrel around it. Push a toothpick from the base of each parcel through the top, pinning together the overlapping prosciutto and sorrel. Transfer to a serving platter and serve.

Steps:

• Put all the syrup ingredients in a small, heavy-based saucepan. Add 6 tbsp water, season lightly with salt and pepper and simmer over a medium heat for 8-10 minutes until the syrup has reduced by just over half and is very sticky. Remove from the heat.
• Put the duck breasts skin side down in a cold frying pan (it's unusual to start frying in a cold pan, but with duck this is often a good idea - it makes the fat render slowly from under the skin, keeping the flesh really moist). Fry slowly for about 15 minutes until the skin is golden. At least 100ml/31⁄2fl oz fat will be rendered from the skin. (Once cool, keep the fat in the fridge - it's great for roasting potatoes.)
• Preheat the oven to fan 180C/ conventional 200C/gas 6. Sit the duck breasts skin side up on a rack in a roasting tin. Spoon a little of the syrup on top and leave for 2-3 minutes until sticky. Tip any syrup that drips into the bottom of the roasting tin back into the syrup in the saucepan, and reheat to liquefy if necessary. Repeat this technique - spooning the syrup over the duck and leaving it to stand - until there are three or four layers and you have used up most of the syrup. If it gets too thick, just add 1-2 tbsp water. Conversely, if it's too thin, add another 1 tbsp sugar. Arrange the orange slices round the duck and spoon the last splash of syrup over the top.
• Roast the duck for 8-12 minutes until done to your liking. Meanwhile, cut the figs in half lengthways, tip into a bowl and toss with the olive oil and plenty of seasoning. Heat a ridged cast-iron griddle pan (or a heavy frying pan) on the hob until very hot, then chargrill the figs for 2 minutes on each side.
• Once the duck is cooked, take it out of the oven and let it rest for 3 minutes, then cut each breast at an angle into two or three slices. Transfer to four serving plates with the orange slices and figs, and garnish with extra bay leaves and the star anise from the syrup.

Steps:

• Halve the figs lengthways and put them, cut side down, without oil, in a hot griddle pan (or heavy-based frying pan) for 1 minute until charred. Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar and salt and black pepper to taste, and, while still warm, wrap each half in a little piece of prosciutto.
• Serve as canapés or a starter, garnished with shaved parmesan and fresh mint or rocket leaves.

Steps:

• Weigh breasts individually so you can check their progress toward curing. With a sharp knife, score skin of each breast in a crisscross pattern. Put about 1 cup salt (a half-inch layer) in a nonreactive baking dish that will just hold the breasts without touching. Nestle breasts on top of salt, skin side up. Pour more salt over breasts so that they are completely covered. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 24 hours.
• Remove duck from salt, rinse thoroughly and pat dry with paper towels. The flesh should feel dense and its color will have deepened. Dust breasts with pepper on both sides.
• Wrap each breast in cheesecloth and tie with string. Hang for about 7 days in a cool (50 to 60 degrees is optimal), humid place, like a garage, a basement or in an unlit fireplace. After curing, the flesh should be stiff but not hard throughout; the color will be a deep rich red. If they still feel raw in the center, hang for a day or two longer. Generally, dry-cured products are ready when they have lost 30 percent of their original weight.
• Remove cheesecloth, wrap duck in plastic and refrigerate until ready to use. It will keep several weeks or more.

Steps:

• Heat a griddle pan over a high heat or heat the grill to high. Drizzle each side of the bread with a little olive oil, then toast in the pan or under the grill for 2 mins on each side until golden brown.
• Spread the fig chutney over the toasted bread. Tear or chop the burrata into chunky pieces and arrange these on the toast, create little nests of prosciutto on top, then add the fig pieces. Sprinkle with the thyme, then drizzle with more olive oil and a little balsamic vinegar.

Steps:

• Heat a griddle pan to hot. Brush sourdough with olive oil, then grill for 1-2 mins on each side until lightly charred.
• Spread the toasts with ricotta. Top with figs and prosciutto. Drizzle with honey before serving, if you like.