Caneton Glacé aux Cerises

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Roasting pan with wire rack
• •Calibrated instant-read thermometer
• •3-quart heavy saucepan
• •Poultry shears and short flexible boning knife
• •Food processor
• •Fine-mesh sieve and cheesecloth
• •Pastry brush
• •Deep 9-inch (23 cm) square serving dish

Instructions

1. 1

   Roast the duckling

   Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Remove the neck, wing tips, heart, and gizzard for the essence, and keep the liver separate for the mousse. Pat the duckling dry, prick only the fatty skin around the flanks and tail, and season it inside and out with 2 teaspoons of the salt and 1 teaspoon of the pepper. Roast breast-side up for 20 minutes, lower the heat to 350°F (175°C), and continue for 40 to 60 minutes. The breast must reach 155°F (68°C) and remain there for at least 1 minute, while the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165°F (74°C). This is the safe home translation of underdone: rosy and succulent, never raw. If the breast reaches temperature first, shield it loosely with foil and keep the legs facing the hotter back of the oven.

   Do not judge the duck by skin color. The reconstructed bird will be served cold, so a calibrated thermometer carries the decision.
2. 2

   Cool it quickly

   Rest the duckling on a rack for 20 minutes, draining the rendered fat and saving the browned roasting-pan film. Transfer the rack to a shallow tray and refrigerate the bird uncovered until it is cold through and at or below 40°F (4°C), about 3 to 4 hours. Do not leave a whole cooked bird lingering on the counter. The surface must remain intact and dry because it will become the case for the mousse.

3. 3

   Build duck essence

   While the duckling cools, brown the neck, wing tips, heart, and gizzard in 1 tablespoon of the butter until mahogany at the edges. Pour a little of the chicken stock into the roasting pan, scrape up every trace of fond, and add it to the saucepan with the remaining stock. Hold the liquid at a bare simmer for 45 minutes, then strain it and reduce it gently to 4½ cups (1.05 L / about 1.05 kg). Skim the fat rather than stirring it back in. If the essence boils and turns cloudy, strain it twice through damp cheesecloth; the flavor is still sound. Divide the cold essence into 1½ cups for the chaud-froid, ¼ cup for the mousse, and 2¾ cups for the aspic.

4. 4

   Poach the cherries

   Bring the Bordeaux to a gentle simmer in a nonreactive saucepan and cook it for 5 minutes. Add the Morello cherries and poach them for 2 to 3 minutes, just until they absorb the wine without collapsing. Cool the cherries in the Bordeaux, then refrigerate them in the liquid for at least 2 hours. Keep them submerged until assembly, when they must be drained and blotted dry.

5. 5

   Form the carcass case

   Set the thoroughly chilled duckling breast-side down. Working through the cavity with poultry shears and a short boning knife, cut the ribs away from the backbone and lift out the rib cage and breastbone without piercing the breast skin. Ease each breast fillet whole from beneath that skin, then draw the meat from the thighs and legs through the cavity while leaving the outer skin, wings, and drumstick ends in place as an armature. Slice each breast fillet on a shallow diagonal into eight thin collops, giving you sixteen, and keep them cold between sheets of parchment. Reserve all dark meat and sound trimmings for the mousse. If the case develops a small tear, patch it from inside with a scrap of skin. Ça se rattrape.

6. 6

   Blend the mousse

   Cook the reserved duck liver in 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat until just firm and 160°F (71°C) at the center, then cool it completely. Sprinkle 1½ teaspoons (7.5 ml / about 5 g) of the gelatin over 2 tablespoons of the cold mousse essence and let it swell for 5 minutes. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of mousse essence, stir in the swollen gelatin until dissolved, and cool it until barely fluid. Process all the reserved duck meat, the liver, foie gras, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper until very fine. With the machine pulsing, add the gelatin mixture and cold cream gradually. The mousse should be smooth, cold, and able to hold a soft mound. Chill a spoonful for 15 minutes to test it. If it slumps, dissolve the reserved ½ teaspoon of corrective gelatin in 1 tablespoon of warm essence from the aspic portion, blend it into the mousse, and test again.

7. 7

   Fill and glaze

   Line a shallow bowl with plastic wrap and lay the duck case in it breast-side down, with the cavity facing you. Pack in the mousse, pressing out air pockets and shaping it beneath the breast skin into the bird's original convex form. Fold the cavity skin over the filling, invert the duckling breast-side up onto a small flat tray, refine the shape with cool hands, and refrigerate for 1 hour. For the aspic, sprinkle 6 teaspoons (30 ml / about 19 g) gelatin over ½ cup of the cold aspic essence and let it swell for 5 minutes. Heat the remaining essence until hot but not boiling, dissolve the swollen gelatin in it, strain, and cool until fluid and slightly syrupy. Brush two thin coats over the filled carcass, chilling each coat until set, then refrigerate the bird for another 2 hours. Reserve the remaining aspic. If it sets in the bowl, warm it gently only until it flows again.

8. 8

   Make brown chaud-froid

   Sprinkle 1 teaspoon (5 ml / about 3 g) gelatin over 2 tablespoons of the cold chaud-froid essence and leave it for 5 minutes. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, stir in the flour, and cook the roux over medium-low heat until it reaches a deep hazelnut brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Whisk in the remaining chaud-froid essence gradually, bring it to a quiet simmer, and cook until reduced to about 1 cup and nappant (coating the back of a spoon). Remove it from the heat, stir in the swollen gelatin until dissolved, strain, and season firmly with salt and pepper. Stir over an ice bath until it has the consistency of thick cream. If it becomes solid, warm it very gently; if it remains thin, chill it for another few minutes.

9. 9

   Coat the collops

   Blot the sixteen cold breast collops completely dry and place them on a rack over a tray. Dip or spoon the brown chaud-froid over each one so the top and sides carry an even chestnut coating, then lay a thin piece of black truffle on every collop while the surface remains tacky. Refrigerate until firm. If the sauce slides away, either the duck or the chaud-froid is too warm. Chill both for 10 minutes, blot the collops again, and recoat them. Ça se rattrape.

10. 10

    Set the final aspic

    Transfer the glazed, mousse-filled carcass to the center of a deep 9-inch (23 cm) square serving dish. Arrange the chaud-froid-coated collops over the convex breast in neat overlapping rows, preserving the truffle decoration. Drain and blot the cold Morello cherries, then arrange them closely around the bird. Warm the reserved aspic only until fluid and cool it until it begins to thicken. Pour a shallow layer around the cherries and chill for 15 minutes to anchor them, then add enough aspic to cover the fruit without flooding the collops. If the cherries float, let the first layer set more firmly before continuing. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

11. 11

    Portion and serve

    Take the dish from the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving. Dip a broad knife in hot water, dry it, and use it with a serving spoon to lift four collops per person with a portion of the foie gras mousse beneath. Add Bordeaux-poached cherries and a clear spoonful of duck aspic to each plate. Keep the remaining dish cold and do not leave it at room temperature for more than 2 hours. This is generous celebration food, not a timid first course. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose a young duckling rather than a heavy roasting duck. The smaller bird gives tender breast collops, enough dark meat for the mousse, and a carcass case that fits an ordinary square serving dish.
• •Jarred pitted Morello cherries are the honest choice outside their short season. Drain them well before poaching. Sweet black cherries lack the acidity needed to stand beside duck, foie gras, and aspic.
• •Use fully cooked foie gras terrine, not raw foie gras. It blends directly into the cold mousse and gives the intended richness without introducing uncooked liver into a chilled preparation.
• •A dry, moderately priced red Bordeaux is right for the cherries. Do not add their dark poaching wine to the aspic; the source keeps the wine-soaked fruit distinct from the clear duck essence.
• •Serve with the same style of dry red Bordeaux used for poaching. Bread and a plainly dressed bitter-leaf salad may follow alongside, but the reconstructed duckling itself needs no extra garnish.

Advance Preparation

• •Roast and chill the duckling, prepare the duck essence, and poach the cherries the evening before assembly. Keep each component covered and at or below 40°F (4°C).
• •The reconstructed dish should be completed at least 4 hours before serving and is better after an overnight set. The mousse firms, the collops adhere, and the aspic becomes cleanly spoonable.
• •Keep the finished dish refrigerated and serve within 2 days. Freezing damages both the aspic and the mousse, so this is a make-ahead dish for the refrigerator, not the freezer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 575g)