Provencal Duck Stew with Winter Fruits
François de Mélogue · Main Course · Poultry · Provencal Recipes · TasteThis duck stew recipe is completely adaptable to any season of the year. However, as the prunes, walnuts, cinnamon and a touch of orange slow-cook with the duck meat your home will smell a little like Christmas. Provencal Duck Stew with Winter Fruits is a make-ahead main course for a meal with friends.
Provencal Duck Stew with Dried Fruits
This duck stew is a great dish for dinner parties (or long lunches) because it is best prepared ahead of time and reheated. It will allow you to enjoy the meal as much as your friends.
Ingredients
- 1 4-5 lb duck 1.8-2.2 kg
- 1 carrot thinly sliced
- 1 onion thinly sliced
- 1 stalk celery thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves mashed
- 10 black peppercorns
- 10 Juniper Berries
- 1 piece star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 Orange Peel and juice
- 1 bottle Pinot Noir
- 12 prunes
- 12 walnuts
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 quart (1100ml) chicken stock
- 1 apple peeled and diced
Instructions
- Cut your duck into eight pieces, like you would breakdown a whole chicken, and put in a large bowl with room for more ingredients.
- Add the carrot, onion, celery, garlic, black peppercorns, juniper berries, star anise, cinnamon orange and pinot noir. Let marinate for 10 to 12 hours sitting out in your kitchen.
- Strain the marinade, separating the vegetables and liquid.
- Simmer the prunes and walnuts in the liquid for 20 minutes.
- Melt the butter in a large saute pan and brown the duck on both sides. When browned, remove the duck and saute the vegetables leftover from the marinade.
- Sprinkle flour over the vegetables, mixing well.
- Strain marinade into vegetables and add the browned duck pieces back to your pan.
- Keep the prunes and walnuts to add back to the sauce later.
- Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer for one hour.
- As you cook your duck you may need to add chicken stock to keep it moist and stew-like. I ended up using about one quart.
- At the end of the cooking time, remove the duck pieces and strain out and discard the vegetables.
- Return the duck meat, prunes and walnuts, and apple then simmer for ten minutes.
- Adjust seasonings and serve.
Notes
I used an Alina duck from LaBelle Farms in New York. They are a special French breed renowned for their ultra rich, almost squab like flavor, that are raised in arena style hoops and fed only corn grown on the same farm.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Legal
All rights reserved. Perfectly Provence articles and other content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translations into other languages) or redistributed without written permission. For usage information, please contact us.
Syndication InformationAffiliate Information
As an Amazon Associate, this website earns from qualifying purchases. Some recipes, posts and pages may have affiliate links. If you purchase via these links, we receive a small commission that does not impact your price. Thank you in advance for supporting our work to maintain Perfectly Provence.
Previous Post
Many Reasons to Visit Le Castellet and Bandol AOCNext Post
Fig Buttermilk Tart Made EasyRelated Provence Articles
Tasty Duck, Roasted Pear and Spinach Salad Recipe
January 25, 2017
salad with the rich, sweet flavours of roasted duck breast and juicy pear comes in handy and let’s not forget the extra dose of green, much needed vitamins from the young spinach leaves and some fried red cabbage. …
A Wintery Daube Provençale
February 4, 2016
Now that winter has truly arrived in Provence, we all enjoy warmer and richer food than we do most year-round. Contrary to popular belief, it gets incredibly cold here (though not for very long), and a delicious warm stew makes everyone in the family happy. Continue reading here for the original Maison Mirabeau post for …
Delicious Dinner Chicken Fricassée à la Provencal
October 11, 2021
Fricassée is a traditional French stew made with meat browned in butter, served in a delicate sauce made from stock. You can alternate the meat in this recipe with rabbit, veal, or duck for a dish easily mistaken for a gourmet meal. The sauce is bright and full of flavour. Serve this dish with some …
Recipe for Daube a Provencale Beef Stew
January 18, 2016
recipe for daube (beef stew) is similar to beef Bourguignon, but with a Provencal twist, and of course made with wine from Provence. This hearty stew can be made ahead of time, perfect for aprés-ski or other winter activities.…
No Comment