We began with a baby spinach salad with a warm dressing of caramelized onions and apples, toasted walnuts, homemade croutons, and topped with gently seared slices of fresh foie gras. The main course featured magret - duck breast - that had been seared and quickly broiled in a hot oven, and was accompanied by dishes of roasted brussels sprouts and carrots with slivered almonds and dried cranberries, as well as duck fat-roasted potatoes. Other than saying that the company and flavors created an ideal evening, I won't write more of the experience and instead provide the details of the ingredients and procedures upon which I relied.
Baby spinach salad with a warm caramelized onion and apple dressing, toasted walnuts, and homemade croutons.
Dressing:
1 apple - any firm variety would be a good choice (I used Braeburn) - peeled, cored, cut into 12 wedges
1 onion, thickly sliced
3 tblsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup apple cider
1/4 cup cider vinegar,
salt and pepper
1) Begin by heating 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a small saucepan over minimal heat. Add the apple wedges, and onion slices. Cover the saucepan and cook the apple and onion gently until both are soft and slightly caramelized.
2) At this point add the vinegar and apple cider, increase the heat, and boil all uncovered until you are left with about 2 - 3 tablespoons of liquid. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil should the flavor of the dressing be a little too pungent. Season to taste.
Croutons
2 cups of bread cubes - a crusty bread is ideal
1 tsp dried parsley
2 tblsp duck fat
salt and pepper
1) Melt the duck fat in the microwave and toss in a large bowl with the bread cubes, dried parsley and seasoning. Turn the evenly coated bread cubes out onto a sheet pan and bake for 30 minutes at 250 degrees.
Salad
1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 tsp duck fat
1 quantity of baby spinach - as little or as much as you deem appropriate for your crowd
1/4 -1/3 lobe fresh foie gras, in 1/3" thick slices
Croutons
Dressing
Salt and pepper
1) Heat a small non-stick pan over medium high heat and add the duck fat. Toss in the walnuts and seasoning and toast them for about 5 minutes until they turn golden and fragrant - remember to shake the pan on occasion so that they will toast evenly.
2) Wash and dry the spinach and put it into large bowl with the croutons, and walnuts. Add the warm dressing, and toss everything together. Divide the salad among the necessary number of plates.
3) Heat a small pan over high heat, and when it is searing add your pieces of foie gras. Cook for less than a minute per side and sprinkle with a little coarse sea salt. Top each salad with an even portion of foie gras and serve immediately.
Dressing
Baby Spinach Salad
Seared magret with a blood orange and balsamic jus
Sauce:
1 cup veal stock - or other homemade stock
2 blood oranges, juiced
1 tblsp balsamic vinaigrette
1 tsp maple syrup
Salt and Pepper
1) Begin by boiling down your stock until you have about 1/4 of well concentrated liquid. Add the blood orange juice and balsamic vinaigrette and reduce again. Finally add the maple syrup and seasoning to your liking and put aside until ready to serve.
Duck:
6 duck breasts with fat
Salt and pepper
1) Preheat a broiler to high. Place a large non-stick frying pan over high heat. Meanwhile put the breasts, skin side up on a cutting board. Score the fat diagonally in both directions to achieve a diamond pattern. Turn the breasts over so that they are skin side down and season the flesh with salt and pepper and any other herbs/spices that you wish.
2) When the pan is searing hot, add three breasts, again skin side down to the pan. Cook the breasts for about 5 minutes on the first side. Turn each breast over and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Remove the breasts to a sheet pan and repeat this procedure with the remaining three breasts.
3) Place all 6 breasts on the sheetpan in the preheated oven and allow them to finish cooking until you reach your desired temperature - note that duck is best served rare or medium rare.
4) To serve remove the breasts to a cutting board and slice thinly and arrange on a presentation platter. Rewarm the sauce to just below a simmer and pour over the duck slices.
Roasted brussels sprouts and carrots with slivered almonds and dried cranberries
1-2 lbs brussels sprouts, washed and trimmed
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4"-thick coins
2 tblsp duck fat
1 tsp dried parsley
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup slivered raw almonds
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2) Melt the duck fat in a microwave and pour it into a large bowl with the prepared vegetables and seasonings
3) Turn the vegetables out onto a sheetpan and roast for 20 minutes until tender. Add the almonds and cranberries and roast for a brief 3-5 minutes to warm everything through.
Duck fat roasted fingerling potatoes
3 lbs fingerling potatoes
1/2 cups duck fat
2 tsp dried parsley
Salt and Pepper
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2) Cut the potatoes lengthwise into quarters. Put into a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling cook the potatoes for 5 minutes.
3) Drain the potatoes in a large colander and shake so that the pieces begin to become jagged.
4) Melt the duck fat in the microwave and pour into a large roasting pan. Add the potatoes and the seasoning and toss to coat everything evenly.
5) Roast the potatoes in the preheated oven for 30 - 40 minutes, tossing occasionally so that they crisp up evenly. Serve hot with duck and roasted veggies.
