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Recipe Detail Page
Coriander-Crusted Crispy-Skin Duck with Red Rice
Spring 2013
Arista’s duck was superb, its skin crisp and fatless with real flavour. The dark reduced wine sauce is perfect for the duck with its faint sweetness from the figs. If the duck breasts are bigger than 6 oz (175 g) you may only need three.
Serves 4
SAUCE
1½ cups (375 mL) Pinot Noir
¼ cup (60 mL) chopped, dried black mission figs
3 cups (750 mL) chicken or duck stock
¼ cup (60 mL) chopped carrots
¼ cup (60 mL) chopped celery
½ cup (125 mL) chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled and trimmed
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 black peppercorns
4 coriander seeds
1 tbsp (15 mL) cornstarch mixed with
1 tbsp (15 mL) water
DUCK
4 duck breasts, about 6 oz (175 g) each
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp (15 mL) ground coriander
1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
GARNISH
2 sliced radishes
2 whole fresh figs, sliced in half
4 leaves of shiso
4 sprigs parsley
1 Combine Pinot Noir, figs, stock, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, thyme, peppercorns and coriander seeds in a medium pot.
2 Bring to a boil on high heat, reduce heat to medium-high and reduce liquid to 2 cups (500 mL).
3 Strain through fine-mesh strainer, pressing down on solids. Discard solids and return stock to pot. Bring to a boil on high heat and add cornstarch water mixture, 1 tsp (5 mL) at a time, or until sauce coats the back of a spoon. Reheat when needed.
4 Score the skin of the duck breast, making 4 Xs across the skin to encourage the fat to render.
5 Season both sides with salt and pepper and then season only the skin side with the coriander.
6 Add olive oil to heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Add the breasts skin-side down and allow the fat to render slowly between 15 and 17 minutes, or until the fat is completely rendered and the skin is crisp. Pour off fat as it renders.
7 Flip over duck breast and continue to cook for 5 minutes or until medium rare.
8 Remove from pan and allow to rest for 5 minutes, skin-side up, before slicing. Drizzle sauce over duck. Garnish plate with radish, half a fig, shiso leaf and parsley. Serve with Red Rice (recipe follows).
Serves 4
RED RICE
Red rice is an unhulled rice that has a nutty taste. Slightly chewy Wehani rice, grown here in Canada, is a wonderful substitute with its reddish-brown colour and flavour of peanuts. If you want to make the rice ahead of time, then cool it by spreading it on a baking sheet to prevent overcooking.
2 cups (500 mL) vegetable stock
1 cup (250 mL) red rice
1 tsp (5 mL) kosher salt
1 tbsp (15 mL) butter
½ a ripe Asian pear, diced
½ cup (125 mL) toasted sliced almonds
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 Bring 1½ cups (375 mL) vegetable stock to boil. Add rice and salt and bring back to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pan and simmer for 15 minutes until rice is slightly firm in centre.
2 In a medium pot, add remaining ½ cup (125 mL) of stock and butter, the rice and pear. Bring to simmer and cook together until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Toss in almonds, season with salt and pepper and serve.
Makes 1½ cups (375 mL)
