I'm not one for TV really. Though I love Iron Chef (original or America). I find it very inspiring. Weird, I know.
So the other day when the secret ingredient was "DUCK", I needed to find myself one of those and cook it up.
Granted this meal took a little longer than an hour to cook, but it was worth it!
Apple Smoked Duck with Blue Cheese Polenta and Carrot "Soldiers"
First I marinated the duck overnight in Davison's Apple Juice, white wine vinegar, shallots, garlic and parsley. Then is was slow-smoked on the Traeger for about 6 hours. (That step might be hard if you don't have a smoker, but I think it would be just as tasty on the grill with indirect heat and a smoke box.) The long cooking time helps to render the fat (and there's a lot of fat on ducks) so the meat is tender and juicy, not greasy. And it gives the meat time to absorb the flavor of the smoke and leave a gorgeous smoke ring, called a "bark" in the meat, without using nasty nitrates.
When the duck was about an hour away from being done, I started the carrot "soldiers". I adapted this recipe from Jamie Oliver's book, Cook With Jamie. Peel your carrots and cut them in about 3 inch lengths. How many carrots you need depends on how big a pot you use. Start placing your carrots in the pot so that they are standing on end and continue doing so until the bottom of the pan is covered (for variation, I've used a mix of carrots and leeks, but then it would be more like soldiers and corporals, since the leeks are so fat). Pour water or stock into the pot until it's about half way up the carrots. Top with a knob of butter. Start the water boilings and then turn down the heat so the carrots simmer for about 20 minutes with the lid on. Take the lid off, turn up the heat and let the water evaporate completely, then cook for about 5 minutes longer. At that point, the bottoms of the carrots will caramelize slightly adding a nice sweetness to the "soldiers". Sprinkle with parsley or your favorite herb before serving.
The polenta should only take about 15 - 20 minutes. I sauteed some shallots and garlic in a little butter and olive oil (don't let the garlic brown, it will turn it bitter). Add the cornmeal, cover with milk and stir until done. I like polenta creamy, so I may add a little more milk as it cooks for the right consisitency. Then to make is decadent, add chunks of blue cheese. Yummmm.
We opened a bottle of Castillero del Diablo Carmenere. This big-berry red from Chile had wonderful fruitiness that complemented the smoked duck; but it had enough tang, almost bitter with notes of coffee and dark chocolate to foil the sweetness in the carrots and polenta. I've never really enjoyed South Americans wines much, but my tune is changing. Probably because I can't buy reasonably priced French and Italian wines anymore... Damn BC liquor control and their sky-high taxes.
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