Sorry for the late reply guys, I suppose a trip to the grocery store is all I can do until I quit buying knives and save for a 12 ga. Otherwise Mano shared an awesome ballotine recipe with me, I hope its not poor form to post it here but I figure he was kind enough to pass it on to me so why not everyone else?
duck ballotine with duck pate stuffing and blackberry sauce
Kungpao,
This is a combination of several recipes with some of my own process thrown in so I'm hoping the directions are accurate. I'm a home cook and this always gets rave reviews.
Duck Ballotine with Duck Pate Stuffing with optional Blackberry Sauce
Ingredients:
2 Whole Ducks or 1 duck + 2 breasts. One duck will be stuffed and the other to be used for breasts and liver
Duck Pâté
2 duck breasts trimmed of skin and fat
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp. orange liqueur
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 fresh or 1 dried bay leaves
1 lb. boneless pork shoulder, chilled
1/4 lb. fatback, or pork belly fat or bacon chilled
livers from both ducks or 1⁄4 lb. chicken livers
1 egg
1 tbsp. chopped thyme leaves plus 8 sprigs
1⁄2 tsp. ground cloves (be careful of adding too much which will over power the dish)
1⁄2 tsp. ground ginger
1⁄4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1⁄4 tsp. paprika or piment d'Espelette
4 1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt
optional: 1⁄3 cup shelled pistachios or equal amount dried cherries (this is to add some color and texture)
optional: 3 tbsp. dried green peppercorns
Preparation
Debone ducks as per Jacques Pepin:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=kAekQ5fzfGM
One duck will be stuffed and the other to be used for breasts and liver
Take the breasts off one duck and trim skin and fat
Use the bones for duck stock
Cut the duck breasts into 1⁄2" cubes.
In a bowl combine duck breasts, 1 minced clove garlic, orange liqueur, 1 tbsp. of the olive oil and bay leaves
Stir to coat the duck pieces.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 day and up to 3 days, to allow the flavors to come together.
Finely chop and combine pork shoulder, fatback/bacon, the remaining garlic and livers,
Add eggs, chopped thyme, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, piment d'Espelette/paprika, and salt.. Mix well and chill.
Remove bay leaves and mince/food process the duck breast misture and fold it into the pork mixture. Taste test a bit of the mixture for seasoning by heating remaining olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat and adjust seasoning accordingly. Cover bowl and refrigerate.
Add whole pistachios or dried cherries and/or pepper corns and mix in before stuffing the duck.
Stuff duck and tie as per Pepin
NOTE: Duck bones are longer and stronger than chicken, and there is less meat, so deboning is a bit more difficult. Breaking the ends of leg bones requires more force.
Blackberry Sauce
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
1 1/4 cups frozen blackberries, thawed
1 1/4 cups beef or duck stock or beef broth
1/2 cup chicken stock or broth
2 tablespoons Cognac or brandy
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
Note: Reducing is a long PITA process, so you can add some blackberry preserves or jelly
Preparation
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add sugar; stir until sugar dissolves and mixture turns deep amber color, about 5 minutes.
Add wine, orange juice and vinegar (mixture will bubble vigorously) and bring to boil, stirring to dissolve caramel.
Add 1 1/4 cups berries and both stocks and boil until sauce thickens and is reduced to about 1 cup, stirring occasionally. (This is where you can add the blackberry preserves or jelly)
Add water to dilute if sauce is too strong.
Strain sauce through sieve into small saucepan, pressing on berries with back of spoon.
Mix in Cognac and maple syrup.
Set sauce aside. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
.
Before serving bring sauce to simmer, add 1 tablespoon butter and whisk just until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Spoon sauce onto plates. Slice duck and place atop sauce. Garnish with additional berries, if desired, and serve.
EDIT- I'm not sure if this is 'easier' than the traditional peking method but its definitely what I'll be doing this Tday.
