Duck al Mattone with Pear Mostarda

Preparation

1. Step 1

   To cure the duck, put the salt, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, and peppercorns in a large bowl and stir to combine. Place the ducks in a large nonreactive baking dish. Pack the cure on the ducks and use your hands to rub it all over. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and place the ducks in the refrigerator to cure overnight.

   Step 2

   To confit the duck, adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 300°F.

   Step 3

   Remove the ducks from the refrigerator, rinse off the salt, and pat dry with paper towels. Place them in a medium Dutch oven or another pot large enough to hold them (it’s okay if the ducks are stacked and not in a single layer). Add enough duck fat to cover the ducks by 1 inch and bring the fat to a gentle boil, uncovered, over medium heat. Turn off the heat and place an ovenproof baking dish or ovenproof plates on top of the ducks to keep them submerged. Place the lid on the pot or cover tightly with aluminum foil and put the ducks in the oven. About 30 minutes after you put them in the oven, uncover the pot to check to be sure the fat is not boiling. If it is, lower the oven temperature to 250°F and check the fat again in another 15 minutes, lowering the heat again, if necessary, to prevent the fat from boiling. Cook for a total of 3 1/2 to 4 hours, until the ducks are fork-tender. To check for doneness, insert a fork into the thigh of one duck half and wiggle the thigh. If it gives easily, it is done; if not, cover the pot and return the ducks to the oven for 30 minutes more before checking them again. Remove the pot from the oven, remove the lid, and let the ducks cool to room temperature in the fat. When they have cooled, cover the pot or transfer the ducks and fat to another container, making sure the ducks are submerged in the fat, and refrigerate overnight or for up to one week.

   Step 4

   When you are ready to serve the ducks, remove them from the refrigerator and set aside at room temperature to allow the fat to liquefy. Alternatively, if they are in a pot that can go on the stove, melt the fat over low heat. Gently remove the ducks from the fat, taking care not to tear the skin or detach it from the meat, and pat them dry with paper towels. You do not want to pull the ducks out of solid fat, as you might separate the meat from the bones and the skin from the meat in the process.

   Step 5

   Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F. Place a baking sheet near the stove.

   Step 6

   Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat until the oil is almost smoking and slides easily in the pan, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the heat off and carefully slide two of the duck halves, skin side down, into the pan. You must turn off the heat before adding the ducks to the pan, as any moisture that drips off them into the oil will flare up and put your duck—and possibly you—in jeopardy. Increase the heat to medium high and press the breasts into the oil so the maximum surface area is in the oil. Cook the ducks undisturbed until the skin is crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. You may want to step away while they are frying, as the oil in the pan will splatter and pop while the ducks cook. When the skin sides of the duck are crisp, turn off the heat and drain the fat from the pan into a bowl, reserving it. Starting at the leg and moving toward the breast, carefully slide a spatula under one of the duck halves to lift it out of the oil and place it cooked side up on the baking sheet. Repeat, lifting the second duck half out of the pan and onto the baking sheet. Pour a splash of water on the baking sheet (not on the duck) and put the baking sheet in the oven while you cook the remaining duck halves.

   Step 7

   Return the reserved fat to the pan and heat it over medium-high heat until the oil is almost smoking and slides easily in the pan. Cook the remaining two duck halves as you did the first two. When they are done, drain the fat from the pan and discard. Place the duck halves cooked side up on the baking sheet with the first two duck halves and return the baking sheet to the oven while you cook the vegetables.

   Step 8

   To prepare the corn, heat the duck fat in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until the fat is almost smoking and slides easily in the pan, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic, season with salt, and sauté for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly so it doesn’t brown. Add the corn kernels and the red pepper flakes, season the kernels with salt, and cook, stirring only as much as necessary to prevent the kernels from burning, until they are golden brown, slightly crisp, and popping in the pan, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the scallions, and stir them for about 1 minute, until they wilt slightly. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, if desired. Divide the corn among individual ramekins or serve family style.

   Step 9

   Alternatively, to prepare the Brussels sprouts, trim and discard the stem ends and cut the sprouts in half through the core. Use a small knife to carve out the cores, discarding the cores, and use your fingers to break the Brussels sprouts into loose leaves into a bowl.

   Step 10

   Heat the duck fat in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until the oil is almost smoking and slides easily in the pan, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the Brussels sprout leaves, season with salt, and cook, stirring often, until they are browned in places, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and vinegar, and cook for about 1 minute, until the pan is dry. Add 3/4 cup of water and cook, shaking the pan or stirring the leaves occasionally, until the pan is dry and the leaves are wilted. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, if desired. Divide the Brussels sprouts among individual ramekins or serve family style.

   Step 11

   Remove the ducks from the oven, drain the water off the baking sheet and place one duck half on each of four plates, or place the ducks on a large platter to serve them family style. Nestle one lemon wedge alongside each duck half. Spoon the mostarda into individual small bowls or ramekins and serve one to each person, whether you are serving the ducks family style or individually.

2. variation: crisp duck leg with lentils castellucciano

   Step 12

   serves 6 to 8

3. Step 13

   Cure and confit six to eight duck legs in the same manner as for Duck al Mattone, reducing the cooking time in the oven to about 2 1/2 hours, or until the skin splits away from the muscle at the anklebone. Fry the duck legs in the same manner, but change the stovetop cooking time to 5 minutes on the first (skin) side and 1 minute on the second side. Pour a splash of water on the baking sheet around the legs and place them in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, to heat them through. Fry 1 cup of sage leaves and 1 cup of rosemary tufts in the oil reserved from frying the ducks. Serve the duck legs on a bed of warm Lentils Castellucciano (page 264), drizzle finishing-quality olive oil around the lentils and scatter the fried herbs over the top. Serve with a lemon wedge on each plate.

4. suggested wine pairing

   Step 14

   Barbaresco (Piedmont)