Fig+Duck+Bleu

I first took care to clean the duck breast thoroughly making sure to leach the blood out of the meat.  To do this I rinse the breasted out teal in cold running water till the water runs clear. After I do this I pat the breast down with a paper towel and place in a glass container to cool in the refrigerator.

Flatbread (recipe below)

Whiskey Fig Jam (recipe below)

4 marinated and grilled Duck Breast halves, sliced thin (recipe below)

Mixed salad greens

Red onion, sliced thin

Bleu cheese, crumbled

Place a spoonful of Whiskey Fig Jam on the flatbread and spread thin.  (You can substitute homemade or store bought apple butter if desired).  Place 2 to 3 slices of duck breast on each flatbread and top with red onions, greens and Bleu cheese.  

Serves 6-8 people

Whiskey Fig Jam

2 lbs of fresh figs (stems cut off and cut in half)

1.5 lb sugar 

Zest from one lemon 

Juice from one lemon

i cup whiskey

2 jalapeños chopped

Place everything into a mixing bowl and let sit in refrigerator overnight.

Transfer into crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours.  Blend using stick blender.  Continue cooking on high, uncovered, until it becomes a thick dark jam consistency (1-2 more hours).  Ladle into sterile jars and follow typical canning methods.   Or you could allow to cool in refrigerator if you don’t want to can the jam.

Flatbread 

Roll out dough and use a desired cutter to cut out perfect circles. Brush with olive oil and place on hot grill.  Brush other side with olive oil and flip it (really doesn't take long only a minute on each side).  You can cook these in advance and just warm them when you are ready to prepare the dish.

Duck Marinade

1/4 cup olive oil

4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

Zest of one lemon

Juice of one lemon

1-2 Tbsp red chili flakes (depending on desired level of spice)

10 sprigs of fresh thyme, chopped

4 Tbsp water (approximate, see below)

Next I take the cloves of garlic and smash them on the cutting board and rough chop with a sharp knife.  I then add thyme, chili flakes, extra virgin olive oil, lemon and water to coat breast meat.  Finally cover return to refrigerator to marinade overnight.

Southern Boiled Custard

Christmas time is here which means it’s time for a trip to the south to see family and to do some duck hunting. There are a few foods that you would probably never eat any other time of the year - boiled custard and egg nog are top of the list. Here is a recipe that has been handed down from generation to generation and is well worth breaking out whenever you want. 

Things you will need:

1 quart milk

1 cup sugar

5 eggs

1 vanilla bean, split

Set a double broiler on medium heat on the stove top and add milk to the upper pan.

In a mixing bowl beat eggs and sugar together till incorporated. 

When milk is hot, add a ladle worth into the egg sugar mixture to temper. 

Repeat this step a few times till eggs are warm and add back to milk (the problem you can run into is scrambling the eggs so you want to make sure that everything heats and cooks slowly - take your time.)

Constantly stir the custard in the double broiler till thick enough to coat the wooden spoon. 

Add vanilla bean and cook for another five minutes.  

Strain through a fine strainer or cheese cloth into a metal bowl and place over ice to cool. 

When cool put into a sealable container and put into refrigerator.  When serving my wife likes to add fresh grated nutmeg and I like a good homemade or high quality amaretto.