Roast Duck with Cherry and Ginger Glaze

And so it has come – the last of my duck experimentation recipes.

I have to admit to glancing at a recipe in a book store by Maggie Beer that has inspired this creation. I remember it used a cherry jam with some fresh ginger as the glaze and suggested some preparation ideas that were a little unusual to me. Never the less, I committed those few things to memory and have created this dish with those things in mind.

Roast Duck with Cherry and Ginger Glaze

[ Serves: 4 - 6 | Time: 30 Minutes | Cost: $4 ]
[ Joes Rating: 4 / 5 | My Rating: 4 / 5 ]

Ingredients

½ duck – I used the thigh / leg pieces
¼ - ½ cup cherry jam
1 teaspoon ginger

Method

1. Mix the jam and ginger together. Apply heat if necessary to make it thin and well incorporated.
2. Trim the excess fat and skin from the sides of the cut of duck.
3. Lay the pieces on a wire rack in a sink and pour boiling water over the flesh. It should contract however, the pores in the skin will open to allow the marinade to sink right into the flesh.
4. Transfer the pieces to a bowl and pour over about half of the jam mixture, rubbing it well into the skin.
   

   Notice the tightness in the flesh after the hot water has been used to open the pores?

5. Bake the duck on a wire rack at 180°C until cooked. My pieces took roughly 30 minutes. Pour half of the retained glaze mixture about half way through the cooking process
6. Rest for 10 minutes, covered with aluminium foil.
7. Pour the remaining glaze mixture over the meat and serve while hot.

Hot sticky and crispy skin is a diabetics dilemma.

Observations

• Be sparing with how much hot water you apply to open the pores in the skin. You don’t want that flesh to retract too much. It takes too long to relax again. The pores will visibly open though, so watch closely.
• By baking the duck on a wire rack, you allow for the fats to run off rather than being absorbed into the meat. Its a healthier option for you. 
• Ensure that you rest the duck before serving it. It will need it to relax or it will be tough.
• I have to admit that I over cooked the duck by about 5 minutes. Watch the texture of the meat and try not to over cook it.
• Diabetic Note: Like all jams, the cherry jam has a fair amount of sugar in it. I didn’t pour anywhere near as much jam on my piece. Go lightly with the jam and it will be a wonderful choice just the same.
• Ethical Note: This is the last of my three dishes from one duck bird. I have to say, I am kinda thrilled at what I got off this one bird. It fed us three satisfying meals and the entire bird was utilised.

I served the duck with crispy baked vegetables and steamed greens.

Related articles

• Duck breast, avocado and bean salad with plum and ginger dressing recipe (telegraph.co.uk)
• Roast Duck w/ Sesame-Ginger Glaze (tgipaleo.com)
• HOW TO: Roast Duck Salad w Asian Dressing (ateaspoonhalffull.wordpress.com)

 

Brinjal Sweet Pickle – Gourmet Garden Blogoff

Welcome to a week-long session as I compete to the Gourmet Garden cook off / blog off. For the next week, all the items I make will be made with a range of Gourmet Garden products. I hope you will enjoy them!

The farmers markets always inspire me to create awesome food. A few weeks ago, I purchased a tub of Brinjal from a local woman named Pinny. I have never experienced it before and it was mouth-watering delicious. I decided to give it a go myself. This is my first attempt at a home-made pickle, and I managed to amaze myself! This recipe is modified from Awes me Cuisine.

[  SERVES: 3  |  TIME: 25 MIN  |  COST: <$3  ]
[  JOES' RATING: 4.5 / 5  |  MY RATING: 4.5 / 5 ]

INGREDIENTS

1 kg eggplants
2 cups vinegar
1½ cups sugar
1 onion
¾ cup oil
2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp gourmet garden chunky garlic
1 tbsp gourmet garden hot chilli paste
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp gourmet garden ginger paste
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp turmeric powder

Method

1. Wash and cut the eggplant into large bite size chunks. Dice the onion finely.
   
2. Soak the garlic, chilli, cumin seeds, ginger, mustard seeds and caraway seeds in the vinegar for an hour or so.
3. In a large sauté pan, in a little oil, fry off any dry ingredients with the onion until caramelised.
   
4. Add the remaining ingredients – the eggplant, vinegar mixture, sugar and salt.
   
5. Reduce the heat and stew until reduced and the sauce has thickened. This will take about 30 minutes.
   
6. Enjoy warm or allow to cool and serve with crackers, bread or as a side with vegetables.

Observations

• This pickle is quite sweet and mild tasting. Next time, I intend on cutting the sugar back by half, reducing the oil content by half and increasing the spice content by double.
• Today Joe and I feasted on this Brinjal with some hot crusty home-made sourdough bread!
• As eggplants are in full season, I was able to utilise two different varieties in this dish. It doesn’t matter which variety you can access.
• Diabetic Note: As delicious as it is, the recipe (ingredients) I used today is not diabetic friendly unless it’s used sparingly. The changes I mention above (observations) should make it a much wiser option for diabetics.
• Ethical Note: Pickling is a great way of utilising seasonal produce that allows you to enjoy those flavours long after the season is over. Reusing old jars and tubs is a great way of recycling.