The Great American Slow Cooker Book (76 page)

1
Spread the flour on a large plate. Warm a skillet over medium heat for a few minutes, then swirl in the oil. Dredge several of the duck quarters in the flour, coating all sides, then slip them into the hot oil. Cook, turning once, until well browned, about 5 minutes. Continue browning more duck quarters as necessary to get the job done. (If you’ve got several batches, divide the oil among them.)

2
Add the shallots to the skillet, still set over the heat. Stir until softened, about 2 minutes.

3
Pour the brandy into the skillet. (Take care: the alcohol may ignite. If so, cover the skillet and set it off the heat for several minutes—then uncover and return to low heat.) Stir until the browned bits are scraped up from the bottom of the skillet, just a few seconds.

4
Pour everything from the skillet into the slow cooker. Add the cherries, honey, herbes de Provence, salt, and pepper. Stir well, then pour the broth over everything.

5
Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6 hours, or until the legs are tender at the pliable joint. Dish the quarters and sauce into bowls to serve.

TESTERS’ NOTES

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We might as well start our slow cooker duck recipes with a cherry-laced classic—one well worth a reinterpretation for the slow cooker.

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Although some subsequent recipes use skin-on duck quarters, a few (like this one) work best without that protective coating—here, so those cherry flavors can lacquer the meat.

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Make sure you have a skillet lid at the ready in case that brandy ignites.

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Look for dried cherries without any added sugar. If you want more of a sweet-sour finish to the dish, used dried sour cherries, sometimes called Montmorency cherries.

INGREDIENTS EXPLAINED
Duck leg quarters are the leg and thigh portion of the duck; the quarters are often sold individually shrink-wrapped. Moulard duck leg quarters are larger than those of other duck breeds—eight Moulard quarters may overflow even the largest slow cooker, so cut down the amount by one or two quarters.

ALL-AMERICAN KNOW-HOW
You’ll most likely need to skin the duck quarters yourself. Peel off both the skin and the substantial layer of subcutaneous fat over the meat. Don’t worry—there’s plenty of interstitial fat to keep those duck quarters moist and juicy.

1
Set a large skillet over medium heat, then slip in several of the duck leg quarters skin side down. Cook until well browned, until much of the fat has begun to render out, about 5 minutes. Turn over the leg quarters, brown a few minutes on the other side, and transfer to the slow cooker. Continue browning more duck leg quarters in the same way.

2
Add the squash, figs, onion, garlic, thyme sprigs, and star anise. Toss well so that the vegetables are under, around, and on top of the duck. Pour the broth and vinegar evenly over everything.

3
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or until the squash is tender and the meat is tender at the bone.

4
Use a slotted spoon to transfer the meat, vegetables, and figs to a serving platter or individual bowls. Discard the thyme and star anise. Use a flatware spoon to skim the sauce of surface fat or pour it in a fat separator and let it settle for a couple of minutes. Serve the sauce on the side with the duck and veggies.

TESTERS’ NOTE

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The skin on acorn squash is perfectly edible—and will soften beautifully in the slow cooker.

1
Set a large skillet over medium heat for a few minutes, then add several of the duck leg quarters skin side down. Cook until browned enough to pop off the hot surface without tearing, about 4 minutes. Turn, then lightly brown on the nonskin side, perhaps 2 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and continue browning more in the rendered duck fat, eventually getting all those quarters stacked on that cutting board.

2
Pour off the (very!) hot fat, then set the skillet back over the heat and pour in the port. Stir quickly until the blackened bits in the skillet melt. Pour into the cooker. Stir in the cabbage, onion, raisins, thyme, salt, and pepper. Toss well to combine.

3
Nestle the browned duck quarters into the cabbage mixture. (You may have to tuck them this way and that to get them evenly distributed throughout the vegetables, in as many layers as necessary with vegetables still covering the meat.) Pour the broth over the top.

4
Cover and cook on low for 7 hours, or until the meat is falling-off-the-bone tender. Serve by transferring the quarters to serving bowls and topping with the vegetables and sauce.

TESTERS’ NOTES

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Here’s a surprisingly complex dish, despite the rather simple ingredients. golden raisins are slightly less sweet than standard black raisins and so offer a brighter pop.

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The cooking time is a little longer here so that the meat can quite literally fall off the bone.

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It can take up to 15 minutes to render the fat from those leg quarters. No, you don’t have to get every speck. But patience will pay off in a better, less oily meal. That said, don’t waste the rendered duck fat in the skillet. Pour it into a glass container, seal, and freeze for up to 3 months; it’s great for the next time you want to make roasted potatoes or even fried eggs.

1
Spread the flour on a large plate. Set a large skillet over medium heat, then pour in the olive oil. Dredge a few of the duck leg quarters in the flour to coat, shake off any excess flour, and slip them into the skillet. Cook until browned on both sides, about 6 minutes, turning once. Remove them from the skillet and continue browning more. (If you’re working with a large batch, divide the oil among the batches.)

2
Pour the pearl onions into the skillet, still set over medium heat. Cook until lightly brown, between 4 and 7 minutes, stirring often.

3
Pour the wine into the skillet; bring to a full simmer, stirring constantly to lift any browned bits off the skillet’s hot surface. Pour and scrape the contents of the skillet into the slow cooker.

4
Stir in the dried fruit, thyme, allspice, salt, and pepper; toss well. Pour enough broth into the slow cooker so that the duck leg quarters are covered by about a third.

5
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or until the meat is tender at the bone, particularly in the joint of the quarters.

TESTERS’ NOTES

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This traditional braise shouldn’t be too soupy so the dried fruit stays moist and flavorful, not watery and thus overshadowed.

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You can use any combination of dried fruit you like: red plums, pluots, nectarines, peaches, or figs. We’d suggest avoiding raisins, currants, and prunes, merely because you might want to experiment with other dried fruits that offer brighter flavors. But steer clear of dried tropical fruits (bananas, pineapple, papaya, or mango), as well as dried berries.

ALL-AMERICAN KNOW-HOW
Dredging meat in flour is a fairly simple process—so long as you remember to shake off any excess flour that can gum up the sauce. Rather than passing the meat through the flour, set it into it, press gently, turn it over, press again, and push a little flour against the sides. Then lift the piece up and tap it to knock that excess flour back onto the plate. The meat should be coated in white, no bald spots anywhere, but with a thin enough coating that the meat’s color shows through.