A yummy Asian inspired meal
Sunday - a chill out day that I can really enjoy making an extra effort with our family meal. Today I really wanted to get away from our traditional slow-cooked beef ragu, pasta & salad - I got it into my head that I'd like to try a duck dish and, looking for inspiration, I checked out the back copies of the LCBO Food & Drink Magazine - now happily, available on-line. I came across a Thai-inspired recipe for Duck Curry and incredibly, we had all the ingredients in our store cupboard (bar lemon-grass & duck breasts). We were in for a real culinary treat tonight!
I also had some Prawn Tempura in the freezer too, so we had them with 2 dipping sauces - Sweet Chilli & Soy & Sesame - great start to to the meal.
Recipe for Duck Curry
This recipe is 100% transcribed from the on-line LCBO magazine
http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo/recipe/duck-curry/201203020#.Wf-RiK2cbeQ
CURRY SAUCE 1 can (398 mL) coconut milk 1 tbsp (15 mL) Thai red curry paste (or more to taste) 1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped ginger 1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped garlic 2 lemon grass stalks, each 4 inches (10 cm) long 1 cup (250 mL) chopped onion 1 cup (250 mL) drained chopped canned tomatoes, crushed 1 cup (250 mL) chicken stock 2 tbsp (30 mL) fish sauce 1 tsp (5 mL) grated lime rind 1 tsp (5 mL) sugar 1 tbsp (15 mL) lime juice (optional) 1 cup (250 mL) green peas DUCK 2 duck breasts Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 Place coconut milk in a large skillet over high heat and bring to a boil. Boil for 8 to 10 minutes or until the fat is just starting to separate. Stir in curry paste, ginger, garlic and lemon grass. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to simmer until curry paste is fragrant, about 2 minutes. 2 Add onion and simmer for 2 minutes longer. Add tomatoes, chicken stock, fish sauce, lime rind and sugar; simmer for 15 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened and fragrant. Remove lemon grass. Stir in lime juice and peas. Simmer for 2 minutes or until peas are just cooked through. 3 Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). 4 Score skin of duck breasts in a diagonal pattern, cutting through the fat but not the meat. Season with salt and pepper. Set in a cold ovenproof skillet, skin-side down, and place on medium heat. Cook for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes or until fat is rendered and skin is beginning to crisp. Drain fat. Return heat to medium and sear duck for 1 minute on the flesh side. 5 Place skillet in oven and bake 10 to 12 minutes or until duck is medium-rare. Remove from skillet and let rest for 5 minutes. 6 Thinly slice duck. Place a pool of the curry sauce on a plate and add the duck slices on top. Sprinkle with mint. Serve with rice, if desired. Serves 4