Roast duck

Otto says

Pasta  without wine is like a ❤ hearth with out love 👪

2 Pan-Seared Duck Breast
with Blueberry Sauce

Makes 4

Ingredients

75 ml Pop's spices
10  ml salt
10 ml fresh-ground black pepper
20 ml dried thyme leaves
15 ml crushed dried rosemary
50 ml olive oil
4 potatoes, cubed
500 gr fresh or frozen blueberries
125 ml water
125 ml apple juice
125 gr white sugar
2 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
3 slices pancetta or bacon, cut into thin strips
6 shallots, thinly sliced
159 gr sliced shiitake mushrooms
1 kg bok choy, sliced
4 boneless duck breast halves
30 ml vegetable oil
15 gr butter
30 gr aged balsamic vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees C. In a small bowl mix together the salt, ground black pepper, thyme, and rosemary; set aside. This will be your spice blend for seasoning the roasted potatoes and the duck breasts.
2. Place cubed potatoes into a bits size baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle 30 ml  of your spice blend over the top of the potatoes. Toss the potatoes in the pan until they are evenly coated with oil and seasonings. Spread into a single layer across the bottom of the baking dish and bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven.

3. While the potatoes are roasting, stir together the blueberries, water, apple juice, sugar, and jalapeno in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low, and simmer until the mixture has reduced to the consistency of syrup, about 10 minutes.
4. Cook the pancetta in a large skillet over medium heat until crispy. Remove the pancetta to drain on a paper towel, leaving the drippings in the skillet. Add the shallots and the mushrooms to the hot skillet; stir and cook them until soft and just beginning to brown. Remove the shallots and mushrooms and set aside. Increase heat to medium-high and place the bok choy in the hot skillet. Stir and cook the bok choy until the leaves are wilted and the white stalk pieces are tender, about 5 minutes. Return the shallots, mushrooms, and pancetta to the skillet, turn off the heat and set aside.
5.Rinse the duck breast halves and pat dry. Rub the remaining spice blend onto both sides of the duck breasts. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat, when the pan is hot put in the vegetable oil and butter. Immediately place the duck breasts in the pan, skin and fat side down. Do not move the duck breasts until the skin is deep brown, about 5 minutes. Turn the breasts and cook until the internal temperature of the thickest part is 71 degrees C or well done. Remove the duck from the pan and place on a plate, covered with foil to rest for 5 minutes. While the duck is resting, place the skillet with the bok choy mixture onto a burner over medium heat to warm through.
Slice each duck breast diagonally into 3 cm trips. Divide the bok choy evenly among four plates and drizzle each serving with 5 ml of aged balsamic vinegar. Arrange the sliced duck breasts on top of the bok choy mixture; ladle on blueberry sauce. Serve with oven-roasted
Potatoes
SPRINKLE THE DISHES WITH  POP'S SPICES JUST BEFORE SERVING

Brined Turkey

THANKSGIVING TURKEY

Brined Roast Turkey and Gravy

INGREDIENTS

An insulated picnic cooler large enough to submerge the turkey

1 fresh turkey, 10 kg

250 gr POP''S SPICES

1 kg  sea salt

50 gr  brown sugar or honey

Lots of cold water

A few freezer packs

A large roasting pan

4 large carrots

4 stalks celery

4 onions

An accurate meat thermometer to gauge exactly when the turkey is done

750 ml water, chicken stock or cider for the gravy

250 ml  of whatever wine you have

59 gr corn stsrch

METHOD

1. Place the turkey in the cooler upside down. Dissolve the salt and sugar in one gallon of cold water. Pour over the turkey and add three more 6 to 8 lt of cold water. Turn the turkey a few times to thoroughly mix the salt and sugar. Place the cooler in a cold place for four hours for a smaller turkey and as much as six hours for a larger one, no more no less. To help keep the brine and turkey cold toss in a few freezer packs.

2. Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse well under cold running water. Thoroughly dry it with paper towels or clean kitchen towels. Remove any excess moisture and dry out the skin so that it will brown well.

3. Cut the onions in half and along with the carrots and celery fashion a bed in the roasting pan for the turkey to rest on.

4. Place the turkey in a preheated 210 C. oven. Roast one hour then, without opening the oven, turn the heat down to 160 C.and continue roasting for two to three hours longer, depending on the size of the turkey.

5. After 2 1/2 hours, open the oven and check the temperature every 15 minutes or so. Continue roasting until the breast and thigh meat both reach 65 you 70 C Let the turkey rest covered with foil for 20 to 30 minutes before carving then serve immediately.

6. Pour off most of any accumulated fat carefully reserving any juices. Add the liquid of your choice, the wine and the reserved juices then scrape the bottom of the pan to dissolve all of the browned bits. Dissolve the cornstarch in a splash of water and whisk it into the pan. to dissolve all of the browned bits. Dissolve the cornstarch in a splash of water and whisk it into the pan. Taste, season /taste

Labour day Burger

Labour day hamburger
Make 2

Ingredients
6 slices bacon
1 tablespoon bacon drippings
1 pound ground beef
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 pinch freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup shredded Colby-Jack cheese, or more to taste
cooking spray
2 slices Colby-Jack cheese (optional)
2 thin tomato slices
2 slices avocado
2 hamburger buns, split

Directions

Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned but not totally crisp, about 8 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Retain 1 tablespoon bacon drippings.
Mix ground beef, bread crumbs, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and retained bacon drippings in a bowl until thoroughly combined; divide meat mixture into 4 equal portions. Form each portion into a large patty, making them as thin as possible. Sprinkle shredded Colby-Jack cheese onto 2 of the patties, leaving an edge about 3/4 inch wide uncovered. Place second patty onto the cheese and press the edges of the patties together to create 2 cheese-stuffed burgers. Place stuffed patties into freezer to chill slightly, about 10 minutes.
Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat.
Spray the grill grate with cooking spray and place burgers onto grill; turn heat to low, place lid over grill, and cook until outsides of burgers are lightly charred and cheese has melted, about 10 minutes per side. Maintain grill temperature at about 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Use a spray bottle of water to control flames; flames should just lightly contact the bottoms of the burgers to create a slight char. After the first flip, place 3 partially-cooked bacon slices onto each burger.
About 2 minutes before burgers are done, place a Colby-Jack cheese slice onto each burger; top with tomato and avocado slices and transfer burgers to plate to rest for 1 or 2 minutes. Serve burgers on hamburger buns.