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Smoked Duck with Warm Mushroom Pate and In-Season Fruit Glaze — Listed Below these fields

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Smoked Duck with Warm Mushroom Pate and In-Season Fruit Glaze

Pairs Well With

Ingredients

Brined smoked duck (recipe below)
Warm mushroom paté (recipe below)
In-season fruit glaze (recipe below)
 

Preparation

Once you have prepared all of the elements, warm serving plates. Center a large spoonful or two of paté on each plate. Place sliced or whole breast or leg/thigh piece on top. Drizzle duck with glaze, as well as the plate, which adds nice color. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

Brined Smoked Duck

Ingredients

Note: For ease you can buy a duck already smoked – I prefer Liberty Ducks produced here in Sonoma County (www.libertyducks.com). If you are doing your own, buy a Pekin Duck and smoke according to your smoker’s directions. I like to brine all my poultry before smoking. The brine ingredients include:
1 gallon water
2½ cups soy sauce
1 cup salt
½ cup honey
½ cup hoisin sauce
 

Preparation

Dissolve all ingredients and then cool with 4 to 5 pounds of ice. Score duck skin on breast, back and legs, but avoid cutting the meat. Brine a minimum of 5 hours or up to overnight. Smoke and cut into pieces: two breasts and two leg and thigh pieces.

Warm Mushroom Paté

Ingredients

Note: You can add some reconstituted dried mushrooms to this if you want a more concentrated mushroominess.
¼ cup olive oil
3 tablespoons butter (divided)
1½ cups diced yellow onion or a combination of chopped onions, shallots and leeks.
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1½ pounds mixed fresh mushrooms (discard tough stems), rough chopped or minced in food processor for finer texture
2 tablespoons soy sauce
½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (use half that amount if dried)
¼ cup Madeira, Marsala or sherry or ½ cup white or rice wine, or you could use some of the mushroom water here
 

Preparation

Heat oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter, and sauté with onion mixture. Add mushrooms, soy sauce and spices. Sauté until slightly dry. Add wine and simmer. Stir until moisture is mostly absorbed.

In-season Fruit Glaze

Ingredients

1 cup peeled and diced peaches, apricots, cherries, apples, raspberries, strawberries or a combination of these
2 tablespoons sugar, brown sugar or honey
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice or verjus
 

Preparation

Simmer over low heat until thickened.

Serves 4 to 6, depending on amount of duck per person
 
This dish from our longtime tasting host Lori Myers pairs beautifully with the 2018 Meredith Estate Pinot Noir. The earthy yet fruity flavors of this cool-climate Pinot Noir match perfectly with the duck’s gamey flavors tinged with fruit.