ROASTED MALLARD APICIIUS w/QUINCE

By BobD

Ingredients

• 2 SERVINGS
• Slowly Roasted Mallard Apicius with Roasted Quince
• In Imperial Rome, Apicius was regarded not only a great gastronome, but as a gourmand as well, for the luxury of his feasts. Author or Apicius De Re Coquinaria, the first known Roman cookbook.
• • 1 guinea hen, 2 1/2 to 3 pounds, giblets and neck removed, patted dry
• • 1 quince or 1 firm, barley ripe Bartlett pear plus 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• • 1 small sprig rosemary
• • 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup honey
• • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• • 1 teaspoon each ground coriander and ground cumin
• • 1/2 teaspoon each white and black peppercorns (or 1 teaspoon black peppercorns), coarsely ground
• • Pinch dried lavender
• • 1 Mallard duck, 2 wing joints removed, patted dry
• • 1 tablespoon olive oil or canola oil

Details

Servings 2
Adapted from dartagnan.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat oven to 300°F.

2. Place quince, rosemary, 1 tablespoon honey, butter, and salt and pepper to taste inside a square of aluminum foil. Wrap securely and bake until just tender, 1 to 2 hours, depending on size (a pear will cook in a bout half the time).

3. Bring remaining ½ cup honey to soft ball stage, 230°F on a candy thermometer, over medium heat. Remove from heat, stir in coriander, cumin, ground peppercorns, and lavender and let mixture cool until slightly thickened. Recipe may be done 1 day ahead to this point. Refrigerate quince in its foil wrapper, and cover honey glaze.

4. Season duck with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add duck and slowly sauté until crisp on all sides, about 25 minutes. Turn heat down to medium low if skin browns too quickly.

5. Roast duck in a preheated 300°F oven, breast side up, until tender, 15 to 20 minutes for rare to medium rare. (If quince was made the day before reheat it briefly in the oven, and warm the honey glaze over hot water).

6. Remove duck from oven and let cool to room temperature. Cut off legs and brush some of the warm honey glaze on them. Set aside and let glaze soak in.

7. Peel, core, and finely dice quince. Keep warm. Preheat broiler. Cut breasts from the bone, brush with more of the glaze, and broil along with legs until skin is crisp and brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Watch carefully that they don’t burn. Serve a breast and leg on each plate, along with 2 small spoonfuls of quince.