I’m sure many have circled this weekend’s date with Oregon as a game to look forward to. Big opponent, big crowd, beautiful fall weekend. Well, those are all important things … but I’ve had this game marked for some time, because I love duck. I love it grilled, roasted, sauteed, whatever. Here is a “quack”-tastic recipe that should please everyone.
Your first order of business is to find duck … easier said than done. Some higher-end grocery stores will have them, as well as butcher shops. I would recommend searching a couple days in advance of the game, so you’re not left scrambling at the last minute. If you can’t find duck, chicken thighs (either boneless or bone-in) will work fine. The Organic Butcher in Charlottesville sometimes has it, Feast (in the Main Street Market) has duck confit (duck legs cooked slowly in fat), which is perfect for this recipe. Whole foods will sometimes have it (I recommend calling ahead), and I’ve occasionally seen duck in Harris Teeter and Kroger (but don’t get the whole frozen ducks – they take 3-4 days to thaw properly). Frozen duck breasts and thighs are fine … but you’ll need a full 24 hours to thaw out in the refrigerator. If you don’t have that much time, you can place them in Ziploc bags (sealed air-tight) and submerge them in cold water for about 90 minutes – cook immediately.
Duck Turnovers
I could eat 100 of these things. They aren’t the easiest recipe to make, but they’re worth it. If you can’t find puff pastry, you can use premade pie dough, but they won’t be quite as good. This recipe makes approximately 20 turnovers (you’ll need 3-5 per person).
Ingredients
- Puff pastry (frozen food section of the grocery store): you’ll need about 2.5 sq ft of pastry or approximately 2 pounds
- 4 duck legs or 4 legs of duck confit
- 1 large carrot, rough chopped
- 1 medium red onion, rough chopped
- 1 large stalk of celery, rough chopped
- 2 cups of port wine
- 2 eggs, beaten
- If using pie dough, 1 stick of butter, melted
Time To Cook
If using raw duck legs, cover legs with salt and pepper and cook in a 375 degree oven for 1-1.5 hours, or until the internal temperature reads 175 degrees. Let cool at room temperature for about an hour. This step can be done 1-2 days ahead of time. Pull the skin off and pull the meat from the bone. Dice the meat into 1/4 inch pieces. You don’t want to mince the meat, but you don’t want huge chunks either. Reserve the skin.
If using duck confit, pull the skin off (and reserve), pull the meat from the bone, and dice the meat into 1/4 inch pieces.
Thaw the puff pastry according to the instructions on the box. This usually entails leaving it covered (so it won’t dry out) at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
In a food processor, add the celery, onion and carrot. Pulse the vegetables until the pieces are about 1/8 of an inch thick.
In a large saute pan on medium heat, add the leftover duck skin and saute until about 1 tablespoon of fat is rendered out. Remove the remaining skin from the pan and discard. Add the vegetables and cook until slightly softened and just beginning to brown. Add the duck meat and cook until heated through, stirring enough to keep the meat from sticking to the pan.
Increase the heat. Deglaze the pan with the port wine. Continue to cook on medium, stirring constantly until there is no longer any liquid left in the pan. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove the mixture from the pan and cool at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Once the puff pastry is thawed, cut it into 2.5 inch squares. Don’t stack the squares, as puff pastry has a tendency to stick together. To assemble the turnovers, place approximately 1 tablespoon of the duck mixture into the center of a square of pastry. Take a pastry brush and very lightly brush some of the beaten egg around the edges (this will help the pastry stick together to close the turnover). Fold one side of the pastry over to form a triangle around the filling. You will want to stretch out the dough slightly as you fold it over the duck mixture. Once you form the triangle, press the edges of the pastry together with your fingers.
You want the turnover to be completely filled up, but not so filled that the pastry won’t hold the mixture without splitting open. You may need to use more or less than 1 tablespoon of the mixture … it will depend on how big you’ve cut the squares and how big the pieces of duck/vegetables are.
Take the edge of a fork and crimp the edges of the pastry that you pressed together. This will help the pastry stick together and form a decorative border. Place the completed turnovers on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper about 1 inch apart. Lightly brush each turnover with the remaining egg – this will help it brown evenly and produce a beautiful sheen (if using pie dough, brush with melted butter, instead of egg). Cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. If they puff up too much, you can push them down slightly after they cook … they aren’t as fragile as they look.
Serve warm, not scalding hot. They are fine at room temperature for an hour or two. You can freeze the uncooked turnovers for up to 3 months … just thaw them out in the refrigerator for 24 hours prior to baking.
Note: If you can’t find duck legs, you can use duck breasts. You will cook them in the oven, but remove them when the internal temperature is 150 degrees. Duck breasts will dry out if overcooked. If using bone-in chicken thighs, reduce the cooking time by about 15 to 30 minutes (remove them from the oven when the internal temperature reads 175 degrees). If using boneless chicken thighs, you will only need to cook them about 20 minutes.
If you want larger turnovers for a main course, rather than an appetizer, increase the size of the pastry to 4 inches and add 2-3 tablespoons of the filling.
