Salad of Confit Duck, Watermelon and Roasted Cashew Nuts

Serves 4
 
Ingredients:

2 confit duck legs
½ oak leaf or red leaf lettuce, washed and cut into large bite-size pieces
½ bunch watercress, washed and tough stems removed
2 cups/300 g cubed seedless watermelon (1-inch/2-cm dice)
1 cup/150 g cashew nuts, roasted
1/4 cup/50 ml tarragon vinegar
1/3 cup/60 ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon/12 ml cold water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Remove the meat from the duck legs, discarding any bones, fat and skin.  Place a heavy medium sauté pan over a medium-high heat.  Add the duck to the hot pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the meat is crisp.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the lettuce, watercress, watermelon and cashew nuts, and toss to combine.

Place the tarragon vinegar in a medium bowl. Slowly add the oil, while whisking to emulsify.  Add the water while still whisking. Season the vinaigrette to taste with salt and pepper.

Toss the salad with enough of the vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad to taste with salt and pepper. Divide the salad among 4 serving plates.  Garnish with the crisp duck confit and serve.

Oven Roasted Monkfish with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Pinot Noir Reduction

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the potatoes:

2 large (about 2 pounds/925 g total) potatoes, peeled
6 large garlic cloves
2/3 cup/150 ml whole milk
1/4 cup/50 ml heavy whipping cream
5 tablespoons/70 g butter
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce and monkfish:

One 750-ml bottle pinot noir
5 tablespoons/70 g butter
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tablespoon/15 ml olive oil
Four 6- to 7-ounce filets monkfish (preferably the thick end of the filets)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

To prepare the potatoes:

Cut the potatoes into large even-size chunks (about 2-inch chunks).  Add the potatoes to a large saucepan of salted water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes or until tender.  Drain well, then return the potatoes to the pan and cook over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes to dry the potatoes of any excess water.

Mash the potatoes in the pan or press the potatoes through a potato ricer and into another pan.  While the potatoes are cooking, blanch the garlic in a small saucepan of boiling water for 1 minute, then drain and refresh in cold water. Repeat this blanching process two more times.

Peel off the garlic skins and mash the garlic into a puree using the bottom of a saucer. Mix the mashed garlic into the potato puree.  Bring the milk to a simmer over medium-high heat then slowly stir it into the potato puree.  Then slowly stir the cream into the potatoes to make a nice, velvety smooth puree.

Cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, then gradually beat in the butter.  Season the potatoes to taste with salt and pepper.

To prepare the sauce and monkfish:

Meanwhile, simmer the wine in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat for 40 minutes or until reduced to 1/3 cup/80 ml and slightly thick.  Melt the butter in another small saucepan for about 4 minutes.  Add the lemon juice and toss well until piping hot. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

Heat the oil in a heavy-based large frying pan over medium-high heat.  Sprinkle the monkfish with salt and pepper. Place the monkfish in the frying pan and cook for about 8 minutes or until just firm to the touch and almost cooked through. 

Turn the fish over. Add the lemon-butter to the frying pan and cook the monkfish briefly on the second side for about 4 minutes, spooning the lemon-butter over the fish as it cooks (most of the cooking time should be done on the first side).

To serve:

Place the potato puree in the middle of four dinner plates and set the monkfish on top of the potatoes. Drizzle the wine reduction around the potatoes and over the fish, and serve.