Bottega - Michael Chiarello [72]
Meanwhile, put the dried fruit in a large bowl and add boiling water to cover. Let soak for at least 10 minutes, to make the fruit plump and soft. Drain and set aside.
Increase the oven temperature to 375°F. Heat a large sauté pan or skillet over medium-low heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, and cook until it foams. Add the onion, celery, and carrot and sauté until soft, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in the plumped fruit and remaining sage, then add to the cooled croutons and gently toss. Add the 1½ cups stock to moisten. Add more stock if you like a softer stuffing. For a firmer stuffing, stir in the beaten egg now. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Set aside.
FOR THE JUS: Preheat the broiler. Cut a small slice off both ends of each lemon, then cut the lemons in half crosswise. Arrange the lemons, flesh-side up, in a flameproof baking or gratin dish or a nonreactive baking pan, brush with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Broil 6 inches or more from the heat source until browned and soft, about 10 minutes. Remove from the broiler and let cool. Squeeze the lemon halves over a fine-mesh sieve suspended over a bowl. Press the pulp through the sieve with a rubber spatula or the back of a large spoon. Discard the lemon shells.
Heat a large sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat, add the 1/4 cup olive oil, and sauté the garlic until light brown. Immediately add the roasted lemon juice (this final flash of heat will cook off any residual acid flavor), 1 cup stock, rosemary, and parsley. Stir to scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Taste and adjust the seasoning. If the sauce tastes too lemony, stir in the butter.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Using 1 cup of stuffing per bird, gently stuff both cavities. With kitchen twine, tie the ends of the legs together, then bring the twine around to secure the neck cavity. Rub each bird with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Heat a large roasting pan over high heat and add the 2 tablespoons oil and the butter. When the butter foams, sear the birds, breast-side down, on the stove top, just until slightly caramelized, 3 minutes. Flip and sear the other side for 3 minutes. Transfer to the oven and roast for 20 to 25 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted at the thigh registers 160°F. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Remove the twine and serve a bird per person.
Conserva di Anitra con Frutta di Mostarda (Whole-Duck Confit with Fruit Mustard)
SERVES 4
If you want a dish that is worth every bit of the time and effort it takes to make it, confit a duck.
Eileen and I recently had some friends over for dinner—the first time we’ve entertained at home since Bottega opened. I made a duck confit ragù served with simple pasta, a green salad, and that was it. I don’t think we even had dessert—we just poured more wine and sat around the table shooting the breeze.
This is a wonderful dish for a party, because the work is done in advance; you just crisp up the duck and serve. Be sure to start at least the day before, so the duck has time to marinate in the spice blend overnight. Duck, like rabbit, is underused by most home cooks, and, like rabbit, it’s more widely available now than ever before. I love confitting an entire duck half, but you can confit just the legs if you prefer. Or confit several whole ducks and invite lots of people to dine with you. Once you understand the technique of confit, this method will serve you well.
The frutta di mostarda can be made 2 days in advance. It’s fruity, sweet, and pungent and sets off the rich duck meat like nothing else I can think of. Again, once you understand the mostarda technique, you can substitute any fruit as long as you start with firm core fruit such as apples or pears. Then you can try adding figs, blueberries, raspberries, any fruit you’d like. Just be sure to learn the technique before you begin experimenting.
Ask your butcher to butterfly the duck for you, or follow the instructions and do it yourself. The duck fat can be ordered