Da, da!!

Yeah, yeah obvious title for the #abcmeals 'D' post, but oh well!  D turned out to be a bit of a challenge.  Of course there is always duck, and I did contemplate getting another batch of the delicious steamed duck buns from XO, but somehow restrained myself.  My key components ended up being dukkah, duck and dark chocolate.

The duck recipe below is really simple and you can find it or a variation on any number of websites.  I managed to complicate it by buying a whole duck and breaking it down.  I found at my local farmer's markets I could get a fresh, free-range, local duck (from only 30kms away) for only $15.  They have bigger ones for $20 too.  I've mentioned in other posts how much cheaper it is to buy a whole duck and break it down.  It's not that difficult, just think of it as a chicken and away you go.  I've got the marylands in the freezer for another day, when it gets colder and it's time for some duck ragu.  You'll get quite a bit of duck fat from the skin when it's cooking.  This can be strained, cooled and saved for another day when you have a hankering for crispy roasted duck fat potatoes.
 
Duck with Dukkah Couscous
300g pumpkin
2 duck breasts
200mL chicken or vegetable stock
100g couscous
1 pomegranate - seeds only
50g pistachios, toasted
1/4 cup coriander leaves, roughly torn
2 tbsp pistachio dukkah (or dukkah of your choice)
1 lemon, cut into wedges
Greek or Natural yoghurt

1. Peel pumpkin and cut into small pieces.  Place on a lined roasting tray.  Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil.  Roast for about 20 minutes at 200C, until golden and tender.
2. Heat a frypan over medium-high heat.  Cook duck skin-side down for 4 - 5 minutes.  Then turn over and cook for further 4 - 5 minutes, or to your liking.  Transfer to a plate, cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile in a small saucepan bring the stock to the boil.  Add couscous.  Stir, cover and turn off heat.  In about 5 minutes lift the lid and check that the liquid has been absorbed.  Then fluff it up with a fork and cover until required.
4. Get the seeds out of the pomegranate, by cutting it in half, then firmly tapping it with the back of a spoon (over a bowl).  You may have to cut away some of the flesh to get all the seeds out.
5. Add pumpkin, pomegranate seeds, pistachios and coriander to cous cous and gently combine.
6. Slice duck into slices and place on top of coriander. 
7. Sprinkle dukkah on top of the duck and serve with lemon wedges and Greek or Natural yoghurt.

I'd had a bit of a disaster of a day (well week, really) and so the Dark Chocolate Pots for dessert didn't quite have enough time to set and were a little runny underneath - who doesn't love dark chocolate soup?!?!? I really should have made them the night before.  The one spare chocolate pot, that stayed in the fridge overnight, set beautifully and was just as delicious the next day.

Dark Chocolate Pots
180g dark chocolate
100g unsalted butter
80mL water
2 eggs, separated
75g caster sugar
2 tablespoons Tia Maria (or Kahlua or Baileys)
Thickened cream

1. Place chocolate, butter and water in a heatproof bowl, over a slowly simmering pot of water. Do not let the water touch the bowl.  Stir until melted, then remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
2. Once chocolate is cooled, whip egg whites to soft peaks. 
3. In a separate bowl beat egg yolks and sugar until pale and thick.  Fold chocolate mixture and liqueur into egg yolk mixture.
4. Gently fold in one-third of the egg whites, then the remaining egg whites, until just combined.
5. Pour into 4 glasses and chill for 2 - 3 hours (or overnight) until set.
6. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and fresh raspberries or ferro rocher or rafaello or shaved chocolate or whatever you like really!

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