recipe help- duck starter

[Pete Franklin]

Hi guys- I need some help with a recipe idea.

I'm planning a dinner party at the weekend and i have an idea of using duck in two ways for the starter. i'm planning on hot smoking the breast and slicing it very thinly and making a hot duck rillette cube with a pressed bread crust, crisp fried in duck fat before serving.

What i need is some inspiration for what to serve this with. I was thinking something sweet and/or sour, maybe some kind of fruit or a dressed salad, which would cut through the fattiness of the rillette, but i need something that would tie it together with the smoked breast?

It needs to look good too.

any ideas?

Cheers Pete

[Stu R]

Chips.

Just kidding. Not sure what I'd serve with that, but it sounds lovely

[Plotloss]

Would doing something like a little Blini Sousette be too silly?

[bigandclever]

Caramelized orange. Yum yum You have time to marinate (in Grand Marnier) properly.

[Mobile Chicane]

Something bitter. Endive or radicchio with walnuts crumbled over and a walnut oil dressing.

Fruit vinegars are passé, but you could easily make a reduction from say, sanguinello orange or cherry juice (watered-down pomegranate syrup if you can get it) and drizzle that over.

[shirt]

caramelised poached pear + blueberry coulis. trust me.

[Cactussed]

Hmmmm. I like this idea.

I'd think about some bitter lettuce combined with some japanese picked vegetables (they have that lovely crunchy texture and amazing colours), fresh cucumber (which I'd add some salt and vinegar and let stand for 20 minutes) and combine with something like a reapberry vinagrette. Arrange duck breasts over top of or next to the salad, cube of rillette on the side and you're done.

Just my thoughts.

[Pete Franklin]

Cheers Guys- some great suggestions there

I'm going to do a test this evening (just with one breast) so i'll get a few bits together and do some tasting.

keep the suggestions coming.

[grumbledoak]

OP said:

a pressed bread crust, crisp fried in duck fat

If you mean what I think you mean that is going to be a near insurmountable amount of fat to cut through. Surely a pressed slice of crust-free bread, toasted or baked would give you a better chance?

I like the sound of a cherry chutney with this, though I've not made one. The fat-toungued one has one here: http://www.jamieoliver.com/bloggers/viewtopic.php?...

ETA- or possibly better still here: http://www.womanandhome.com/articles/food/recipes/...

Must try this myself...

Edited by grumbledoak on Tuesday 15th June 10:50

[Simpo Two]

Plotloss said:

Would doing something like a little Blini Sousette be too silly?

I read that as Blini Scousette.

Mind you until last Christmas I thought a 'blini' was a small fish

[escargot]

grumbledoak said:

OP said:

a pressed bread crust, crisp fried in duck fat

If you mean what I think you mean that is going to be a near insurmountable amount of fat to cut through. Surely a pressed slice of crust-free bread, toasted or baked would give you a better chance?

I too would go for the baked or toasted route.

As for a sauce, what about heavily reducing port & redcurrant jelly together? You could also add some tart orange juice to the mixture for a bit more acidity to cut through the fat. If you reduce it down far enough, it'll be very potent and therefore you won't need much of it.

[Pete Franklin]

grumbledoak said:

OP said:

a pressed bread crust, crisp fried in duck fat

If you mean what I think you mean that is going to be a near insurmountable amount of fat to cut through. Surely a pressed slice of crust-free bread, toasted or baked would give you a better chance?

Well i think it will be OK- i'm not planning on adding too much fat to the rillette, i'll cure and confit the legs then shred the meat and then maybe a desert spoon of fat added just to keep things moist. i'll then press the shredded mixture into a rectangular mould and let it set up- i can then slice into cubes 3-4cm wide and wrap it in 1 layer of the pressed bread and fry it off. ive done similar with breadcrumbs before and that was good- rich yes but very tasty. keep portions small but rich and its OK i think.

[escargot]

Pete, it sounds superb. Make sure you take some pics

[Pete Franklin]

escargot said:

Pete, it sounds superb. Make sure you take some pics

I'll try- i might never live it down though.

liking the idea of glazed slices of poached pear, maybe i could make a reduction of the liquor and make a vinagrette with it, maybe serve with small bundle of rocket leaves (we have an abundance growing at the moment). thinking hat well and truely on

[SVX]

I'd can recommend a reduction of blood orange juice as a dressing for some bitter salad leaves. The mixture of sweet and sour will help cut through the fat of the confit.

[Pete Franklin]

thanks for all the sugestions

Well no pics unfortunely- i forgot in the heat of the moment- but the recipe turned out superb

i went for the poached glazed pears and rocket salad with a syrupy balsamic and poaching liquor reduction. i tested the orange reduction and several others but this was my favourite.

very happy with the results and my guests were stunned, the crisp rillette cube wasnt too rich (in my opinion) i can highly recommend it but it was an awful lot of work.

Cheers

Pete