Duck with Pomegranate Chile Sauce

Thanksgiving is but a whisper away which means Christmas is just around the corner. Yikes. I don't know about you, but I've been wondering what the heck I'm going to cook for Christmas dinner now that I have our Thanksgiving menu all sewed up. Well, the big guy may have come up with the perfect solution.

Saturday he took a "dead duck" and gave it the hot water treatment - pricked the skin, hung it up and poured several pots of hot water over the bird to loosen the skin and dissolve some of the fat underneath it. After it hung over the sink to drip dry, it spent the night in the refrigerator, uncovered, on cooling racks over a sheet pan so air could circulate and dry the bird further. If it seems like a lot of trouble to you, it's worth it because the end result will be wonderfully crisp skin. Really, what in the world can be better than that?

 Late yesterday afternoon the bird was stuffed with fresh oranges and placed on the Weber rotisserie over charcoal and a hunk of alder wood for an hour and a half to get happy. The big guy babied his duck and basted it during the last 20 minutes or so with an unbelievable glaze, recipe courtesy of none other than last December's Bon Appetit.

Made from our home grown pomegranates, the sauce included reduced pomegranate juice, chicken stock, dried chiles and a little adobo sauce from canned chipotles. Further reduced to a syrup consistency, the end result was a beautifully colored, perfectly moist bird, with a crisp skin and just the right touch of sweetness from the pomegranates and heat from the chiles. The ultimate palate pleaser!

Served with our favorite fruit and nut filled wild rice salad, Download Fruity Wild Rice Salad wouldn't you agree it looks like Christmas on a plate?

 

Duck with Pomegranate Chile Sauce (adapted Bon Appetit, December 2009)

Sauce:

1/3 cup sugar

½ cup water

2 cups pomegranate juice

2 cups low sodium chicken broth

3 large dried New Mexico chiles

1 large dried Pasilla (Ancho)

1-1/2 teaspoons adobo sauce from canned chipotles

1-1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

1/8 teaspoon ground cumin

Coarse salt and fresh ground black pepper

Stir sugar and water together in a large heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves.  Increase heat and boil until syrup is a deep amber color – about 8 minutes. Add juice, broth and chiles. Boil until sauce is reduced to 1-1/2 cups (about 25 minutes). Set aside to cool. Puree in blender until smooth. Whisk in adobo sauce, vinegar and cumin. Season with salt and pepper.  If you’d like a thicker sauce return sauce to a pot and cook over medium high heat until it is of the desired consistency. Cover and chill – rewarm before using.

Duck:

One 6 pound duck, defrosted

1 large orange, cut in quarters

Salt & pepper

Fresh pomegranate seeds for garnish

Remove any excess fat from inside duck and discard giblets. Prick skin of duck being careful not to cut into the flesh. Hang duck up over kitchen sink, and pour a quart of boiling water over the outside on all sides. Repeat boiling water process 3 times. Let duck hang for 30 minutes to drip dry, then place on cooling racks over a sheet pan and refrigerate uncovered overnight.

Next day salt and pepper inside of duck and stuff with orange sections. Place on rotisserie and roast until internal temperature reaches 165. Approximately 20 minutes before duck has finished cooking, brush several times with sauce. Remove from heat and let rest 15 minutes before carving.  Serve garnished with pomegranate seeds and more sauce on the side. Download Duck with Pomegranate Chile Sauce

 

Comments

[Mags]

Oh my lord...now I've seen it all! You make your own duck! It's absolutely gorgeous. I'm so impressed with the way you two cook.

[June]

Aw thanks Mags. We do love to cook though I'm a tad worried that when we retire we might not be able to find a kitchen big enough for the two of us. Ha! The big guy did a beautiful job of it didn't he?

[Nanan]

I love it!!!! I knew those pomegranates were from your yard - I read the pizza post first!!! You and the big guy definitely make a great team! And yes - you share well - he is great in the great outdoor grilling area - you do the inside (mostly hehehehe - with his brilliant contributions)life is grand! That would be lovely for Christmas - or any special occasion!

[June]

Thanks Lea and you're right, we do work well together. He totally did the duck and I just made the salad. I know I'm lucky!