Pato Con Peras Catalan

Total Time: 2 hrs Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 40 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 duck breasts
• 2 red onions, finely diced
• 1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 ripe tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and diced
• 4 green pears, firm
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 ounces blanched almonds, toasted and chopped
• 1 garlic clove
• 3 ounces brandy

Recipe

• 1 heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan and cook the duck, skin side down first, over medium heat until brown all over. remove and set aside, reserving 4 tbsp of the cooking fat.
• 2 return 2 tbsp of the fat to the pan. add the onion, carrot and thyme and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes or until onions are soft.
• 3 add the stock and tomato and bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes, with the lid slightly askew, until the sauce has thickened and reduced.
• 4 cool slightly, then puree in a food processor until smooth. return to the pan with the duck and simmer gently over low heat for 30-40 minutes or until the duck is tender.
• 5 while the duck is cooking, peel the pears, halve them and core them, leaving the stem intact. place the pears in a saucepan with the cinnamon and just cover with cold water. bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes our until the pears are tender but still firm to the bite. remove the pears, cover to keep warm and add 1/2 cup of the pear poaching liquid to the tomato sauce.
• 6 remove the duck from the sauce and keep warm.
• 7 grind the almonds, garlic and brandy in a mortar and pestle or small blender to make a smooth paste. add to the tomato sauce, season to taste and cook for another 10 minutes.
• 8 arrange the duck pieces on a serving platter and pour the sauce over the top. arrange the warm pears around the duck and serve.