Harvest Salad with Peking Duck

Happy Harvest 2021!  Watch “The Art of Pairing” (video below) with Winemaker Melissa Burr and myself. Then pour yourself a glass of Dundee Hills Pinot Noir and enjoy the bounty of beautiful veggies fall has to offer in this Autumn Harvest Salad. Great for lunch, as a light dinner, or at your next family gathering!  Executive Chef Becca Richards, Stoller Wine Group

INGREDIENTS

To make this autumn salad, you will need:

Peking Duck

• 3-4 lbs. whole duck, or 2 lbs. boneless roasted, steamed, or store-bought confit
• 2 Tbsp Chinese Five-Spice
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp Salt, heaping
• ½ Tbsp fresh Tarragon, chopped
• ½ Tbsp fresh Cilantro, chopped
• ½ Tbsp fresh Italian parsley, chopped

Salad

• 1 lb. Brussels Sprouts, root end trimmed, outer leaves removed, slice 1/8-inch thick
• 3-4 Peaches, preferably freestone because they are ideal for baking since they’re typically a bit larger and less juicy
• 4-6 Tbsp Pomegranate seeds, roughly 2 – 4 whole Pomegranates
• 1 lbs. whole raw Hazelnuts, or purchase toasted
• 2 lbs. Patty Pan Squash, stems trimmed
• 3 medium Delicata Squash, brushed clean
• 1 lb. Wild Foraged Lobster Mushrooms
• 2 Blood Oranges
• ½ Tbsp fresh Tarragon, chopped
• ½ Tbsp fresh Cilantro, chopped
• ½ Tbsp fresh Italian parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

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DIRECTIONS

Peking Scented Duck

If you are cooking the duck, after seasoning you will want to let it rest uncovered in your fridge for at least one night.

Step 1 (Skip this step if you’re using precooked duck)
Season Duck: Dry duck carefully with paper towels and place on wire rack set in foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Carefully separate skin from breast meat by inserting fingers through bottom of breasts and slowly working your way up. Be careful not to tear skin. Combine, Chinese Five-Spice, salt, and brown sugar to make a rub. Season the duck inside and out, and refrigerate it, uncovered, for at least 12 and up to 36 hours until surface is completely dry with a leathery appearance.
Cook Duck: Roast for 60 minutes at 375’ F, or until internal temp is 167’ F. Rest for 30 minutes and then shred the meat.

Step 2
Sauté Cooked Duck: Heat shredded, cooked duck over medium high heat for with a generous pinch of Chinese Five-Spice and salt. Finish with herb mix for color and balance.

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Harvest Salad

Step 1
Toast Hazelnuts: Preheat oven to 350’ F. On a baking pan, toast hazelnuts in one layer in middle of oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until lightly colored and the skins are blistered. Wrap the nuts in a kitchen towel and let steam 1 minute. Rub the nuts in the towel to remove the loose skins (don’t worry about the skins that don’t come off) and cool completely. Toss with a pinch of ground pink peppercorn and chop roughly.

Step 2
Roast Squash: Trim the stems and brush the squash clean; you do not need to peel the squash.
Patty Pan – Slice the squash into wedges.  Slice the wedges in half and then continue to cut into ½” thick at the thickest spine of the wedge. Discard the seedy center.
Delicata Squash – Cut down the center, the long way and scoop out the seeds. Cut into ¼ thick half-moon slices.

Toss squash with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast in the oven at 425’ F for 7-8 minutes.

Step 3
Roasted or sautéed wild lobster mushrooms: Cut the mushrooms into ½” wedges. In a large frying pan over medium heat, add a few tablespoons of olive oil and the mushrooms. Cook until golden brown and crisp without losing the meatiness, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 4
Sautéed shaved Brussel Sprouts: Sauté over high heat with olive oil, salt, and pepper for 4 minutes or until they begin to crisp but no more than 7 minutes. you don’t want to overcook. No one likes overcooked Brussel sprouts!

Step 5
Grilled Peaches: Heat your outdoor or stovetop grill to medium heat. Cut the peaches along their seams, all the way around, and twist their halves off the pit. Slice peaches into ¼ “ thick wedges and brush with olive oil. Grill for 2 minutes per side, until the fruit has developed grill marks and softened.

Step 6
Pomegranate seeds: Crack the fruit then tap seeds out with the back of a wooden spoon, or buy the seeds, whatever you prefer.

Step 7
Vinaigrette: Combine ½ C olive oil, herbs, a pinch of pink pepper coupled with the zest and juice of both blood oranges. This will serve as an extremely loose vinaigrette tying the dish together.

Step 8
Assemble Salad: Per Plate

• 1/3 C Peking Duck
• ½-1 C Shaved Brussel Sprouts
• 2 Tbsp toasted hazelnuts
• 7 wedges, Patty Pan Squash
• 5 half-moon slices, Delicata Squash
• ¼ C wild Mushrooms
• 3 slices grilled Peaches
• 1 Tbsp Pomegranate seeds

Layer the salad showing the plays in feature and color – It’s a medley of Oregon’s fall fare, showing each item in a different state of flavor. Drizzle vinaigrette over salad. Cheers!