BRAISED DUCK WITH APPLES, CALVADOS AND SOUR CREAM

Braised Duck With Apples, Calvados and Sour Cream image

Provided by Robert Farrar Capon

Time 1h30m

Yield Makes 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 13

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1 large duckling, cut into serving pieces
Seasoned flour for dredging ( 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper per half-cup flour)
2 tablespoons butter
1 large Spanish onion, chopped coarse
2 tart apples, peeled, cored and cut into eighths
1 tablespoon sugar (or more, as desired)
Duck liver and giblets, cut small (optional)
1/2 teaspoon thyme
2 teaspoons sage
1 cup chicken stock
Salt and pepper, as desired
1/4 cup Calvados (or more, as desired)
1 cup sour cream

Steps:

Dredge duck pieces with flour and shake off excess. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add duck pieces, skin side down, and fry slowly until nicely browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn and brown other side. Remove duck and reserve.
Pour off all but 2 to 4 tablespoons of fat in the skillet, add onion and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned. Add apples, sugar, liver and giblets. Cook, stirring, 3 minutes more. Add thyme, sage, stock, salt, pepper and Calvados. Bring to a boil and return duck pieces to skillet. Cover securely and cook over very low heat for 1 hour, or until quite tender but not falling off the bone.
Remove duck pieces to a deep serving platter and skim off fat from mixture in skillet. Add sour cream, check seasonings, reheat without boiling and pour over duck. Serve with mashed potatoes.