Duck Terrine Roasted in the Duck Skin

This is, admittedly, a rather time-consuming and elaborate dish, and there is much wrestling to be done with the duck. The advantage is that it allows a single fairly average sized duck to serve 4 to 6 people, with leftovers for Hungarian Mushroom Duck Soup and Duck & Wild Rice Salad. That's some extreme duck frugality.

I put the liver into mine, with the result that this had a certain resemblance to haggis. You may or may not wish to do that. Note that the duck stock is not used in this recipe; it's just that you might as well make it when you are doing your preliminary duck preparation.

4 to 6 servings
allow 1 hour to prep the chicken stock
 - plus 3 to 4 hours to cook it
2 1/2 hours to finish and cook the terrine - 45 minutes prep

Prepare the Duck & Make Duck Stock:
a 2.25 to 2.5 kilo (5 pound) duck
2 to 3 bay leaves
1 star anise pod
3 to 5 juniper berries
6 to 8 black peppercorns

Carefully cut the wings and legs off the duck, leaving the remainder of the skin as whole and undamaged as possible. Put the legs aside in a small roasting pan and cover and return them to the fridge for now. Put the wings into a stock pot with the seasonings.  If your duck came with a neck, add it to the pot as well.

Cut the skin down the backbone of the duck, and carefully peel it off, keeping it in one piece. Wrap it up and return it to the fridge. Cut the breast meat off the duck, and indeed any other bits of meat that you can find. Wrap them and return them to the fridge. Break up the carcass of the duck and put it in the stock pot along with 2 litres of water. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer for 3 or 4 hours, until you have good stock. Strain the stock, discarding the solids, and cool the stock.

This can and should be done a day in advance. The duck stock is not used here; it goes to the Hungarian Mushroom Duck Soup.

Make the Seasoning Mixture:
1/2 teaspoon dry rosemary leaves
1/2 teaspoon fennel
1/4 teaspoon ground Aleppo or other mildly hot pepper
3 allspice berries
6 to 8 black peppercorns
3/4 teaspoon salt

Grind the spices together and set aside for the moment.

Make the Duck Terrine:
3 cloves of garlic
1 medium carrot
1/2 cup finely diced peeled celeriac
OR 1 stalk of celery
2 small onions
1 tablespoon duck fat
2 large eggs
1/2 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
2 medium potatoes

Peel and mince the garlic. Peel and finely grate the carrot. Peel and finely dice or grate the celeriac, or trim and mince the celery. Peel and mince the onions.

Heat the duck fat in a medium skillet, and gently cook the vegetables until softened and reduced in volume; add the garlic last and just for the last few minutes of cooking. Add the seasoning mixture at the same time. Transfer the cooked vegetables into a mixing bowl to cool.

Meanwhile, finely chop the breast and any other bits of meat. You can add the heart and liver or not, as you like, although duck liver is fairly strong so keep that in mind. Mix the chopped meat in with the vegetables once they are cool.

Mix in the eggs and the bread crumbs. Wash and trim the potatoes, and grate them finely. There should be about 1 packed cup once grated; add them to the mixture.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Cut 3 pieces of kitchen twine to tie up the terrine. Lay the duck skin, outside down, over them. Form the filling mixture into a long sausage shape over the skin, then wrap it around the filling to cover, as much as possible. Tie it closed with the twine.

Put the terrine onto a metal rack over a pan to catch the drips with the seam side up, and roast it for 45 minutes. Carefully turn the terrine over so the whole skin side is up, and roast for a further 30 minutes to 45 minutes, until the skin is brown and crispy. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting into slices and serving.

You should roast the legs at the same time; they will be ready a bit quicker. See the recipe for Duck & Wild Rice Salad for more details. 

Save the drippings and fat; put them into a small but deep container and refrigerate. This will allow you to remove the fat and keep it for cooking - the other drippings can be added to soup. 




Last year at this time I made Cheese & Carrot Barley Casserole.

Posted in: Ontario Food