Duck and Wild Rice Salad with Orange Shallot Dressing

This recipe is excerpted from the new cookbook, Dash: Inspired Kosher Recipes For The Seasoned Palette.

For a truly outstanding beginning to your meal, serve this wild rice salad topped with crisp duck pieces and wait for the compliments to pour in. It is elegant enough for the most formal occasion, yet simple enough for anyone to prepare.

Ingredients:

2 cups (10 ounces) wild rice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion (1 cup), finely chopped
4 cups water
3 cups chicken broth
2 (14-ounce) boneless duck breast halves with skin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 green pepper, diced
6 scallions, thinly sliced diagonally
3/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped
1 1/2 cups (4½ ounces) pecans, chopped and toasted
1 teaspoon salt

Orange Shallot Dressing (recipe below)

Garnish-
1/3 cup French fried onions, crushed

 

Directions:

1. Rice: Rinse rice well in a large sieve under cold water and drain. In a medium sauce pan, heat oil over medium heat. Sauté onion, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir in water and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until rice is tender, about 1-1¼ hours. (Grains will split open but not all liquid will be absorbed.) Drain well in a colander and cool.

2. Duck: Preheat oven to 375°. Pat duck breast halves dry and season with salt and pepper. Score skin in a crisscross pattern and place duck breast halves, skin sides up, in a lightly oiled shallow (1-inch-deep) baking pan. Roast in middle of oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted horizontally into center registers 120° (for medium-rare), about 25 minutes. Transfer duck breast halves to a cutting board, and when just cool enough to handle, remove skin. Cut duck breast halves in half horizontally (butterfly-style); then cut across the grain into thin slices.

3. Assemble: In a large bowl, combine rice, green pepper, scallions, dried cranberries, pecans and 1 teaspoon salt. Add dressing and toss gently. Using an ice cream scoop, place a mound of rice salad into martini glasses or onto individual serving plates. Arrange duck slices over rice and sprinkle with fried onions.

Plan ahead: Dressing can be prepared up to 2 days ahead and stored, covered, in refrigerator.

Simplify: Use pre-cooked duck breasts.

Orange Shallot Dressing-

Ingredients:

Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
2/3 cup fresh orange juice
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup shallot, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

Whisk together all ingredients in a large bowl and let stand at room temperature while making rice salad.

Prep time: 40 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Serves 6