DUCK CIVET

Duck Civet image

Chef Gavin Kaysen of Cafe Boulud in New York City prepared this heartwarming civet, a type of French stew, on "The Martha Stewart Show. The recipe comes from "Daniel Boulud's Cafe Boulud Cookbook."

Provided by Martha Stewart

Categories Food & Cooking Dinner Recipes

Number Of Ingredients 19

Ingredients

2 (3 1/2-pound) Muscovy or Long Island (Pekin) ducks
Coarse salt and freshly ground white pepper
12 shallots, peeled, trimmed, thinly sliced, and rinsed
10 cloves garlic, peeled
5 medium carrots, peeled, trimmed, and thinly sliced
5 ribs celery, peeled, trimmed, and cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick pieces
2 1-inch-wide strips orange zest (pith removed)
20 whole black peppercorns, crushed
8 sprigs fresh thyme
2 dried bay leaves
8 juniper berries
3 bottles dry red wine
Juice of 1 orange
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 ounces thick-sliced bacon, cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives or fresh flat-leaf parsley

Steps:

Remove legs from ducks and cut each leg in half. Using poultry shears, remove backbone and neck. Chop backbones and necks into 2 to 3 pieces each; set aside. Split each pair of breasts down the center and then cut each breast in half crosswise. Remove and discard as much fat as possible from all duck pieces.
Season meat and bones with salt and white pepper; transfer to a deep pot such as a small stockpot or Dutch oven with a lid. Add onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and orange zest. Place peppercorns, thyme, bay leaves, and juniper berries in a piece of cheesecloth and tie with kitchen twine to enclose; add to pot. Add wine and orange juice; cover and transfer to refrigerator. Let marinate overnight, turning duck pieces in marinade once or twice.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees with a rack fitted in the center of the oven.
Remove duck meat and bones from marinade and dry well using paper towels; set aside. Place marinade over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat to a low simmer.
Meanwhile, in a large ovenproof skillet or Dutch oven with a lid, heat butter and oil over medium heat. Add duck meat and bones to skillet in an even layer (working in batches if necessary); brown on all sides (you may need to add more butter and oil if working in batches). Return all duck pieces to skillet (if working in batches) and add flour. Cook, stirring, until flour is browned. Stir in tomato paste and add simmering marinade; bring to a boil and season with salt and pepper.
Using a sheet of parchment paper, cut out a round that is 2 to 3 inches larger than the diameter of your skillet or Dutch oven. Snip the extra inches of the parchment circle at 2-inch intervals to make a fringe. Place parchment paper circle over ingredients, pressing gently and allowing the fringe to press against the sides of the skillet. Cover with lid and transfer to oven. Cook for 2 hours, skimming and discarding any fat that rises to the surface and gently stirring ingredients every 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, place bacon in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until fat is rendered and bacon is lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes; transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
Remove civet from oven; remove cheesecloth packet and discard. Season civet with salt and pepper. Garnish with cooked bacon and chives or parsley before serving.