Duck Legs Braised in Red Wine and Cocoa
GFF Magazine
GFF Magazine, a quarterly magazine for food lovers, celebrates uncompromisingly Good Food (Forever), drinks, and destinations, and the joy of creating and sharing them with others. And, oh yes: it’s Gluten-Free (Forever), too, although you’ll never taste the difference. Each issue features recipes from top chefs, cookbook authors, and bloggers; tutorials for mastering gluten-free cooking; trends, products, people, and places worth knowing about; deliciously indulgent travel; lifestyle extras that’ll elevate your everyday; and a whole lot of fun and stunning photography along the way.
Ingredients
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4 duck legs
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2 teaspoons salt
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½ teaspoon black pepper
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1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
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2 cups sliced onion
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½ cup sliced celery
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1 carrot
Tools
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tongs
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strainer
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whisk
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wooden spoon
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measuring cups
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measuring spoons
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large bowl
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knife
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small bowl
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liquid measuring cup
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spoon
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foil
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Dutch oven
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fat separator
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June Oven
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Preferences
Preheat the June Oven
With the shelf in the bottom position, preheat the June Oven to 325°F on the Bake cook mode using the button below.
June Oven
Season the duck legs
Sprinkle the duck legs with salt and pepper if they haven’t been seasoned already.
4 duck legs
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
measuring spoons
Score the duck legs
With a very sharp knife, cut all around the ankle of one duck leg, down to the bone (about 1½” from the drumstick tip). Repeat with the remaining duck legs.
knife
Brown the duck legs
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large ovenproof pot with a lid over medium-high heat. Place 2 duck legs skin-side down in the pot. Slowly brown the legs, moving and flipping them occasionally to encourage all-over browning, about 15 minutes total. Reserve the browned duck legs on a plate and drain the pan of all but one tablespoon of fat before repeating with the remaining 2 duck legs. Set the browned duck legs aside.
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Dutch oven
tongs
spoon
Start sauteing the vegetables
Carefully spoon off all but 3 tablespoons of fat from the pot. Add the onion, celery, carrot, parsley, thyme and bay leaf to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
2 cups sliced onion
½ cup sliced celery
1 carrot
4 parsley sprigs
2 thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
wooden spoon
measuring cups
Reduce heat and continue to cook
Lower the heat to medium-low. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened and browned in some places, 5-7 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients
Add the wine to the pot, stirring up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add the chicken broth, tomatoes in their juice, cocoa, juniper berries, allspice and peppercorns. Stir well to incorporate the cocoa.
liquid measuring cup
2 cups red wine
1 cup whole peeled tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 teaspoon juniper berries
1 teaspoon whole allspice berries
½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
Add the duck legs and cover
Add the reserved duck legs to the pot, skin side up. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Remove the pot from the heat and cover.
Braise the duck legs
Transfer the covered pot to the bottom shelf of the June Oven. Braise the duck legs for 1 hour 45 minutes, until the meat is quite tender. June will notify you when the duck legs are ready. If necessary, follow on-screen instructions to continue braising the duck legs.
Remove the duck legs
Remove the duck legs from the June Oven. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer the duck legs to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
foil
Strain and skim the cooking liquid
Set a fine-mesh sieve over a large bowl and pour the braising liquid through it. Discard the solids. Pour the braising liquid into a fat separator, or leave the liquid in the bowl to skim the fat with a spoon.
strainer
fat separator
large bowl
Boil the liquid and add the starch
Return the strained and separated liquid to the pot. Set the pot over high heat and bring the braising liquid to a boil. Remove ½ cup of the liquid from the pot and transfer it to a small bowl. Add the potato starch to the bowl with the liquid and whisk until well combined.
1 tablespoon potato starch
small bowl
Thicken the sauce
Return the mixture to the pot, stir well, and simmer until thickened, 2-3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if needed.
Rewarm the duck
Briefly return the duck to the cooking liquid to rewarm, about 3 minutes.
Broil the duck legs
Transfer the pot to the bottom shelf of the June Oven. Crisp the duck skin under the broiler, watching closely to ensure the skin doesn’t get too browned. Follow on-screen instructions to keep cooking if needed.
Garnish and serve
Remove the pot from the June Oven. Transfer the duck legs and braising liquid to serving dishes and sprinkle with parsley before serving.
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
