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There is probably no summer fruit more anticipated every year than fresh cherries. From the beautiful yellow and red Rainier to sour Montmercy cherries, they can be utilized in every course of the meal. David Reynoso, the chef of the famed Al Forno Restaurant in Providence, Rhode Island, agreed to come and share the restaurant's recipe for a classic preparation found on the menu every summer. Sweet, dark Bing cherries are the perfect match for rich duck meat. David shows us how to "confit" the duck legs, which is simply cooking the meat with low heat completely submerged in duck fat. The result is flavorful, crisp, delicious meat that is brought to life with a bite of sweet cherry compote alongside. Duck Duet1 whole duck, about 5 pounds, cleaned and rinsed Coarse salt 1. Cut duck into quarters: using a butcher knife, cut legs away from rib cage, leaving skin and thigh intact. Slice breasts with skin away from breastbone. Trim excess skin from all pieces and remove any skin and fat from carcass and reserve. Heavily salt legs and put on a small pan with thyme sprigs. Cover and refrigerate overnight along with trimmed breasts (do not salt breasts). 2. Put trimmed skin and fat in a small saucepan with about ¼ cup of water. Put pan over medium-low heat and gently simmer until fat is completely rendered, water has evaporated, and there are barely any solids left. Remove from heat, cool completely and store in refrigerator overnight. 3. Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Bring rendered duck fat to room temperature. Rinse salt from legs with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Put legs in a small, high-sided casserole just large enough to hold them and cover completely with room temperature duck fat. Seal dish with aluminum foil and put in oven for three hours. 4. Preheat broiler. Remove legs from casserole dish and pull off skin. Put skin on a small baking sheet and crisp under boiler until golden brown. Remove cracklings and drain on paper towels. For breasts, score only skin with a sharp knife and season liberally with kosher salt. 5. Melt 1 tablespoon of duck fat in a pan and place breast skin side down over low heat for about 15 minutes. This will crisp skin and render fat. Spoon hot fat over breasts every few minutes; remove duck when skin is crisp and meat is medium rare. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing on diagonal. Put legs into hot pan and cook, turning once, until deep golden brown and crisp. 6. To serve, carve legs and breasts; divide among 4 plates, and serve with cherry compote and a small green salad. Crumble cracklings and sprinkle over top. Cherry Compote
1 pound pitted Bing cherries 1. Sprinkle sugar over cherries in a bowl; stir well, cover, and let stand overnight. 2. Strain liquid into a small saucepan, reserving cherries. Bring liquid to a simmer over medium heat and cook until thick and syrupy, about 10 minutes. Add reserved cherries and continue cooking until cherries are very soft, about 5 minutes more. Cool completely then stir in the lemon juice. Special Thanks:
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