This duck dish is a fantastic winter dish that we came up with last year when the menu trend seemed to be to take one ingredient, in this case, duck, and present it a few different ways. It is kind of a high-end 'homey dish' that is great on a cold night in front of the fireplace with a great glass of wine.
DUCK THREE WAYS:
Sliced Breast with Pomegranate Syrup
Duck Leg Confit
Foie Gras-Chestnut Bread Pudding 
Yield: 4 servings
Duck breast, clean and skin scored - 4 each
Pomegranate syrup - 10 ozs.
Spinach, washed - 4 C
Duck leg confit (see recipe below) - 12 ozs.
Foie gras-Chestnut bread pudding (see below) - 4 ea.
Leeks, julienne - 1 stalk
Micro rock chives - as needed
Pomegranate seeds - from half of pomegranate
1. Place duck breast in cold Teflon coated pan, skin side down
2. Turn burner onto low and slowly render duck fat until nicely browned, approximately 8-10 minutes
3. Remove some of rendered fat from pan and reserve; turn breast over and finish cooking in 400 degree until medium rare, approximately 5- 7 minutes
4. Remove breast from oven and allow to rest
5. While duck breast is cooking, reheat foie gras-chestnut bread pudding in same oven for approximately 7-10 minutes until heated through
6. While duck breast is cooking, reheat duck confit in Teflon coated pan with 2 ozs. of pomegranate glaze
7. While duck breast is cooking, fry leek in 300 degree oil until crispy and lightly browned
8. Lastly, sauté spinach in reserved duck fat until just wilted
Presentation:
1. Split foie gras bread pudding in half horizontally
2. With aide of ring mold, portion spinach in bottom; top with bottom slice of bread pudding, then with duck confit, and top off with top half of bread pudding
3. Place ring mold at top of plate and unmold
4. Slice breast on an angle and fan in front of bread pudding
5. Drizzle pomegranate syrup over duck breast
6. Garnish top of bread pudding with crispy leeks and micro rock chives
7. Sprinkle duck with pomegranate seeds
Pomegranate Glaze
Pomegranate juice - 1C
Red wine vinegar - ½ C
Brown sugar - ½ C
Pomegranate molasses - 1T
1. Combine all ingredients and reduce over medium flame until consistency of light syrup
DUCK CONFIT
Duck legs - 12 each
Rock salt - 4 ozs.
Peppercorns, crushed - 3T
Garlic cloves, sliced - 10 ea.
Bay leaf, sliced - 6 ea.
Thyme sprigs, chopped - 10 ea.
Duck fat, melted - 5-6 lbs.
1. Lay duck leg flesh side up and coat with seasonings; cover and cure overnight
2. Rinse off duck legs, pat dry, and place in pot with melted fat
3. Bring fat to simmer (190) and transfer to 140 oven and cook for about 2.5 hours
4. Leave to cool in fat in fridge for 2-3 days as this improves flavor
FOIE GRAS-CHESTNUT BREAD PUDDING
Foie gras B - 1 lobe
Chestnuts, cleaned - 1 lb. approximately
Onion, julienne - 1 ea.
Garlic - 1 tsp.
Eggs - 5 ea.
Heavy cream - 2 C
Tabasco - ¼ tsp.
Worcestershire - 1 tsp.
Sour dough bread, cubed - 4C
1. Sear foie gras in foie gras butter for 30 seconds and remove from pan
2. Add onion to pan sweat and then cool
3. Add garlic; season with s&p, cayenne; cool
4. Whisk eggs for 30 seconds and add 2C heavy cream; season; add Tabasco and Worcestershire
5. Add onion mix
6. Add bread
7. Fold in chestnuts; fold in foie gras
8. Bake at 350 for approximately 55 minutes
Note: Experiment with substituting Buttermilk for a portion of the Cream and also with adding some Truffle Butter when sautéing the Foie Gras.
And now for Christopher's Perfect Wine Pairings:
Considering duck is one of those dishes that has such intense flavors, its wine pairings are usually on the lighter side. Reds from the Rhone and whites and reds from Burgundy tend to complement the fatty-gamey qualities of the bird. Additionally, the off-dry whites from Germany tend to be a good pairing. Try to stay away from too jammy, hot and alcoholic wines that could possibly overpower the elegance of your dish, like those from Down Under. Terroir emphasis is crucial. If you like the Southern Rhone (blend of Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah and some other indigenous varietals) and a fine Burgundy (Pinot Noir), you won't be disappointed. Here are a few recommendations.
2008 JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett $37.95
"Fresh acidity and a touch of sugar and nice earthy mineral notes balance the hint of sweetness. A touch of fresh herbs adds depth and the finish is long and smoky." 92 WS
2008 Etienne Sauzet Puligny Montrachet $54.99
"This has flesh, with lemon drop, apple, grapefruit and light pastry notes, all backed by lively acidity. An elegant profile showing great balance and harmony with excellent length." 91WS
2006 Faiveley Chambertin Clos De Beze $225.00
"A completely backward but superbly complex nose displays layered aromas that run to game and underbrush as well as ripe red and dark berry fruit trimmed in a bit of wood toast that give way to rich, sweet and mouth coating big-bodied flavors that possess plenty of muscle and real volume on the explosive, textured and sappy finish that is impressively concentrated and wonderfully long. There is ample structure here as well though it's largely buffered by all of the mid-palate extract and I particularly like the depth. A serious wine that will live for decades." 92-95 BH