Pinot Braised Duck Legs with Roasted Pears and Onions

When I think of autumn I think of geese flying south calling out their coordinates for all the world to hear as they travel on. I think of a nip in the morning air, frost on the pumpkins, and the smell of rotting leaves. I think of Mother harvesting her garden and jars of pickles, jams and preserves lined up on the counter and the freezer and root cellar being filled for the long winter ahead. Needless to say I'm working from memory here since autumn in Tucson is more like summer where I come from. Do you sense a whine?

My Big Guy knows how homesick I get this time of year so he cooked up an autumn dinner last night to beat all. Duck legs marinated in a lovely fruity Pinot Noir, then sauteed to a deep rich brown and braised in the marinade liquid until richly colored and extremely tender. He strained the pinot flavored braising liquid to make a deep garnet colored sauce redolent of juniper and cloves and jazzed up the duck with roasted caramelized onions and pears (as if it needed jazzing). Plated beside a creamy two potato gratin, dinner was without question, absolutely unbelievably superb!

 

And you know what? That's not ALL the Big Guy did this weekend. He smoked 15 pounds of side and back bacon, sliced it up all "purdy" and wrapped it to fill our freezer with the food of the Gods; he also rolled, tied and sent about 3 pounds of cured side pork to the wine fridge for another round of pancetta; made a Sunday morning breakfast including some of his maple smoked bacon to rival the best restaurant's fare, mixed up a couple of spicy bloody mary's and to top it all off, he put together our new shiny red gas grill.

So I bet you're wondering what I did to contribute to the household aren't ya? Ah, that would be not much! What a GREAT weekend!

By the way, you don't have to cook duck to enjoy this side dish of sweet roasted onions and pears. It would be fabulous next to a roast pork loin or nestled beside roast turkey or goose on your holiday table. It is that special!

Pinot Noir Braised Duck Legs with Roasted Pears and Onions (adapted from Gourmet via epicurious.com) 

3 or 4 large duck legs

1 750 mil bottle Pinot Noir

Bouquet Garni of 10 juniper berries, 3 whole cloves, and orange zest from half an orange and 1 bay leaf all tied in a cheesecloth bag

1 stick cinnamon

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 large carrot in quarter inch dice

1 large onion, in quarter inch dice

1 large celery rib in quarter inch dice

Salt as required

2 parsley sprigs plus 1 tablespoon minced parsley

Beurre manie’ made from 2 tablespoons softened butter and 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

Trim excess fat from duck legs. Place duck legs, wine and bouquet garni and cinnamon stick in a large bowl. Cover and chill for 2 hours.

Transfer duck legs to a plate and pat dry with paper towels. Discard cinnamon stick but reserve marinade and bouquet garni. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium high until very hot. Add vegetable oil and when shimmering add duck legs skin side down and cook until well browned and crisp – about 20 minutes. Turn and born on other side – about 2 minutes, then remove to a plate. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from pot. Return pot to the heat and add vegetables along with a sprinkle of salt. Sauté until tender and lightly browned – about 15 minutes.

Return duck legs to pot, skin side up. Add parsley and reserved marinade along with bouquet garni. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 1-1/2 hours or until duck legs are very tender. When cooked, transfer duck to a plate and keep warm. Strain liquid through a sieve and let stand for a few minutes. Skim off excess fat if desired. Return liquid to pot and cook to reduce to 2 cups of liquid. Add beurre manie’ a little at a time whisking after each addition. Boil for 2 minutes. Serve duck legs with sauce spooned over them. Garnish with parsley. Serve with roasted pears and onions.

Roasted Onions & Pears

1 pound small onions, peeled

2 ripe Bosc pears

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons honey

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400. Melt butter in cast iron skillet large enough to hold ingredients in a single layer. Add onions and bake for 30 minutes. Peel and core pears, adding pear halves cut side down and bake additional 20 minutes. Stir together lemon juice, honey and salt and add to onions and pears. Toss to coat. Download Pinot Noir Braised Duck Legs with Roasted Pears and Onions

A year ago - Fried Catfish with Hushpuppies

Comments

[Lea]

Nothing says "I love you" like cooking for the one you love - and the Big Guy showed his love for sure!
Duck is one of my favorite proteins - must try!

[Mary from Apron Strings & Wedding Rings]

I am so impressed with the many dishes you choose to prepare June. Very high-end gourmet! HUGS, Mary L.

[June]

Lea - yes, I'm very well cared for by my darling man. He really cooked up a storm this weekend! Duck's one of our favorites too and I wish we'd doubled the recipe because the leftovers would be amazing.

Thanks Mary. The Big Guy and I both love to cook and we love to eat too so we never run short of ideas around here.

[Lorraine]

You definitely have bragging rights my friend. Big Guy...you are the best. I have just started working with duck so will have to give this one a try because it sounds to die for.

[June]

Lorraine - duck is really worth the effort as it yields some unbelievably tasty meat, never mind all that glorious duck fat. This is definitely one of our favorite ways to cook duck legs and with a good Oregon Pinot it would be amazing! As for the side dish - Oregon pears and onions too - geez, I'm gonna' start crying here if we're not careful. LOL