DIRECTIONS
INGREDIENTS
11/2 to 2 pounds duck
breasts
Kosher salt and freshly
ground black pepper
8 to 12 ounces fresh
morel mushrooms, or
1 ounce dried morel
mushrooms
2 cups hot water, if using
dried morels
4 cups duck stock or
chicken stock
1 cup farro, barley or
wheat berries
4 ounces ramp bulbs or
pearl onions, halved
lengthwise
1/2 cup Madeira, Marsala,
or dry sherry
1 cup fresh or thawed
shelled peas
1. Remove the duck breasts from the refrigerator,
salt them well, and set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes.
2. If using dried morels, put them in a small bowl and pour in the hot water.
Place a second bowl or small plate on the mushrooms to keep them submerged, and set the mushrooms aside.
3. In a saucepan, bring the stock to a boil over high heat. Add the farro and
a pinch of salt, adjust the heat to a simmer, and cook uncovered for 25 to
30 minutes, until tender. Drain the farro, reserving 1/2 cup of the stock. Set
the farro and stock aside separately.
4. Pat the duck breasts dry and pan sear them. Put some duck fat or oil
in the pan and turn the heat to medium-high. Lay the breasts skin side
down and cook until the skin is nice and brown, about 6 to 8 minutes. Flip
the breasts and cook another minute to 4 minutes, depending on how
thick the breasts are; teal need only a minute, while canvasback or mallard
breasts will need 3 or 4. When the breasts are cooked, set them aside on
a cutting board skin side up and let them rest, tented with aluminum foil,
while you cook the morels and ramps.
5. If you are using dried morels, remove them from the water, squeeze them
dry with your hands, and chop them coarsely. Pour off all but about 2
tablespoons of the fat from the pan in which you seared the breasts into
a small heatproof bowl and reserve. Return the pan to medium-high heat
and lay the ramps, cut side down, in the pan. As the edges of their layers
caramelize, the ramps (or pearl onions) will start to lift up.
6. Press them down a bit with a spatula as they cook. Once the cut side of
the ramps has nicely browned, after about 90 seconds, mix in the morels
and turn the heat to high. Fresh morels will begin to give up their water in
a minute or two. Let most of the liquid boil away. If you are using reconstituted dried morels, no liquid will be released. Add the Madeira and F