Ànec amb Peres

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide heavy flameproof casserole with lid, 30 to 32cm
• •Heavy saucepan, about 3 litres
• •Mortar and pestle or small food processor
• •Fine skewer or paring knife
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Season the duck

   Pat the duck pieces dry and trim away loose flaps of fat, leaving the skin itself in place. Season all over with 12g salt and the black pepper, then leave the pieces for 30 minutes while you prepare the onions, tomatoes, and pears. Keep the leg, wing, and breast pieces separated because they won't enter the braise at the same time.

   Ask the butcher to cut the duck into eight pieces through the joints. A cleanly jointed bird cooks evenly and leaves fewer small bones in the sauce.
2. 2

   Render and brown

   Set a wide heavy casserole over medium-low heat. Lay in as many duck pieces as will fit without crowding, skin-side down, and cook for 10 to 12 minutes until plenty of fat has rendered and the skin is a deep burnished gold. Turn and brown the flesh side for 3 minutes. Repeat with the remaining pieces, adding the olive oil only if the casserole is dry. Transfer the duck to a tray, keeping the breast pieces apart.

   Pour the excess rendered fat through a fine sieve and refrigerate it. Leave about 30ml in the casserole for the sofregit; the rest is excellent for potatoes.
3. 3

   Build the sofregit

   Lower the heat and add the onions to the duck fat. Cook for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring often, until dark gold, soft, and jammy. Add 2 sliced garlic cloves and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the grated tomato and cook for another 12 to 15 minutes, until it has reduced to a thick rust-colored paste and the fat shows around its edges. Pour in the vi ranci, scrape the casserole clean, and let the liquid reduce by half.

4. 4

   Braise the legs

   Return the legs and wings to the casserole, leaving the breast pieces on the tray. Add the bay leaf, thyme, cinnamon, and 600ml of the hot stock. The liquid should reach about halfway up the duck, not cover it. Bring it to a quiet simmer, cover with the lid slightly ajar, and cook for 50 minutes. Turn the pieces once without stirring the sofregit up from the bottom.

5. 5

   Poach the pears

   While the legs braise, put the peeled pears in a saucepan with the water and lemon juice. Bring just to a simmer and poach gently for 12 to 18 minutes, turning them once. Test at 12 minutes: a fine skewer should enter the outer flesh but meet clear resistance near the center. Lift the pears out carefully and let them drain upright. They must still be firm because they finish in the duck sauce.

   Conference and Bosc pears usually need closer to 18 minutes. A small Blanquilla may need only 10 to 12. Test the fruit, not the clock.
6. 6

   Pound the picada

   Pound the toasted almonds, toasted bread, remaining 2 garlic cloves, and parsley in a mortar until you have a close, slightly coarse paste. Work in about 75ml of hot liquid from the casserole to loosen it. A small food processor works too, but stop before the almonds become oily and smooth; the picada should retain a little grain.

7. 7

   Finish the braise

   After the legs have braised for 50 minutes, add the browned breast pieces skin-side up and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Stir the loosened picada into the sauce around the duck, then nestle in the poached pears. Cook uncovered for another 15 to 20 minutes, spooning sauce over the pears twice. The sauce should cling lightly to a spoon, the breast pieces must reach at least 74°C near the bone, and a leg joint should move easily when pressed.

   If the legs remain tight after the breast is cooked, lift out the breast pieces and pears, cover them, and give the legs another 10 to 15 minutes. Duck follows tenderness, not pride.
8. 8

   Rest and serve

   Remove the bay leaf, thyme stems, and cinnamon. Let the casserole rest for 15 minutes, then skim away any large pools of fat. Stir the remaining 2g salt into the sauce and loosen it with a little of the reserved hot stock only if it has become too thick. Serve one pear with each portion of duck and spoon the glossy picada-bound sauce over both.

Chef Tips

• •Choose pears that smell ripe but remain firm at the neck. Blanquilla is traditional and delicate; Conference or Bosc holds together better and is easier to find abroad. A fully ripe Bartlett will turn to purée before the duck reaches the table.
• •Vi ranci gives the sauce a dry, oxidative warmth. Dry oloroso sherry is the nearest Spanish substitute: use 75ml with 25ml water. It brings a nuttier taste, so don't use a sweet cream sherry.
• •If a whole duck isn't practical, use 6 large duck legs weighing 1.8 to 2kg in total. Braise them for about 75 minutes before adding the picada and pears, then finish for 15 to 20 minutes. The result is richer and darker, with no lean breast meat.
• •Use unsalted stock. Duck, reduction, and picada concentrate the sauce considerably, and salty stock leaves you nowhere sensible to go at the end. Pésalo, no lo adivines.
• •Serve this with pa de pagès, Catalan country bread, for the sauce. A medium-bodied Garnatxa or Garnatxa-Samsó red from the Empordà has enough freshness for the pear and enough depth for the duck.

Advance Preparation

• •Toast the almonds and bread up to two days ahead. Cool them completely and keep them airtight, but don't make the picada until the day of cooking because raw garlic grows harsh as it sits.
• •The duck and sauce can be cooked one day ahead without the pears. Cool them promptly, refrigerate covered, and lift away the firm fat the next day. Reheat at a bare simmer, prepare the picada and pears separately, then add both for the final 15 minutes.
• •The finished dish keeps for up to three days in the refrigerator. Reheat it gently and turn the pears as little as possible; they soften further each time the casserole is warmed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 440g)