Food Network: Duck and Wild Mushroom Gumbo

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Duck and Wild Mushroom Gumbo
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2006

Ingredients
1 (4 to 5-pound) duck
4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 pounds wild and exotic mushrooms (chanterelles, wood ear, shiitake, oyster),
cleaned, stemmed and diced
1 1/2 cups small diced onion
3/4 cup small diced celery
3/4 cup small diced green, red and/or yellow bell peppers
2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 (12-ounce) bottle stout beer( recommended: Abita Turbo Dog)
6 cups dark chicken stock, or chicken stock or water
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
4 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Steamed white rice, for serving
1 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped parsley leaves

Instructions
Rinse the duck under cold running water both inside
and out. Remove any excess fat at the cavity opening and at the neck. Use a sharp
boning or butcher's knife to cut the back on either side of the spine. Remove the

spine and reserve for stock. Cut through the breastbone of the duck to give you 2
halves. Cut the legs from each half as well as the first two digits of the wings.
Set the legs aside, and cut the breasts in half horizontally.

Season the duck with 1 teaspoon of salt and the black pepper. Place a large Dutch
oven over medium heat for 2 minutes, or until hot. Place the seasoned duck, skin
side down in the pan and sear until golden brown, about 7 to 8 minutes. Turn the
duck over and sear on the second side as well for an additional 7 to 8 minutes.
Remove the duck from the pan and place on a platter while you make the roux.

Add the vegetable oil to the pan as well as the flour. Using a wooden spoon, stir
the roux continuously over medium heat until the color of dark chocolate, about 20
to 25 minutes. Add the mushrooms, onions, celery and peppers and garlic to the
roux and stir, gently until the mushrooms and vegetables are slightly wilted,

about 4 to 5 minutes. Pour the beer over the vegetables and stir to incorporate.
Add the stock/water to the pan with the thyme, bay leaves, Essence, cayenne pepper
and the remaining 3 teaspoons of salt. Stir the pot well to ensure that the roux
and the stock are well blended. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the gumbo
to a boil; then lower to a simmer. Return the seared duck pieces to the pan and
cook (skimming any foam that may rise to the surface), for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
After an hour and a half, remove the duck pieces from the gumbo and place on a
platter to cool. Once the duck is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and meat
from the bones and add the meat to the gumbo. Discard the skin and bones and
re-season the gumbo, if necessary.

To serve the gumbo, ladle 1 cup into a heated soup bowl with 1/4 cup white rice.
Garnish with the green onions and chopped parsley.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as
Bayou Blast):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch,
published by William Morrow, 1993.