Ingredients

Preparation Instructions

1. Remove the duck legs first. Remove the breasts from the crown, and score the skin in a crosshatch pattern with a sharp knife. Do not cut down to the flesh. Let the breasts air dry in the fridge on a tray lined with paper towel up to overnight. Set the remaining duck parts aside for the jus.
2. Rip up the bay leaf, mix along with all dry ingredients, and rub over the duck legs on all sides. Cover, and let sit in the fridge for 8 to 12 hours. Remove from the fridge and rinse under cold water to remove rub. Pat dry on both sides and place on a tray with paper towel to absorb excess moisture.
3. Preheat the oven at 250 degrees.
4. Place the legs in a baking dish or shallow pot. Melt the duck fat and pour it over, making sure it covers the legs entirely to avoid drying. Cover the dish with a piece of parchment, then cover with foil.
5. Cook for 2.5 to 3 hours until very tender, and the meat starts falling off the bone. Let sit in the fat until cool enough to handle with gloved hands. Carefully shred the meat with your fingers, being careful not to leave any small bones. Coarsely chop the meat and set it aside.
6. Place the butter and oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Sweat the thyme, shallots, and garlic in the pan until soft. Add the chopped duck and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture starts to brown. Deglaze the pan with the chicken stock and cook until liquid has almost evaporated.
7. Place in a mixing bowl and discard the thyme sprigs. Allow the mixture to cool 5 to 10 minutes. While the mixture is still warm, add Parmigiano, parsley and lemon juice. Mix thoroughly. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.
8. Dump into a food processor, add the egg, and puree the mixture into a fine paste. The filling should be loose but not wet.
9. Transfer mixture to a piping bag (or spoon by hand) and set aside while you prepare pasta dough.
10. Mix the dry pasta ingredients in a bowl. Pour onto a flat, clean countertop, and form a well.
11. Whisk the eggs and olive oil with a fork. Add to the middle of the well, and start mixing in with the tips of the fingers in a circular motion until all liquids are combined. Knead the dough by hand for 5 to 10 minutes until it is completely homogeneous and soft.
12. Wrap tightly in plastic film and let rest for one hour. Pull dough out of fridge at least 30 minutes prior to using.
13. Divide the pasta dough into quarters. Work with one piece at a time and keep the other pieces covered. Run the dough through a pasta roller on progressively thinner settings until you have a sheet of paper-thin pasta.
14. Cut the sheet into rounds using a 2 to 2.5 inch round cutter, spacing the rounds as close together as possible. Gather the scraps into a ball and put them with the remaining pieces of dough to re-roll later.
15. Place 1/2 teaspoon of filling in the middle of each round of pasta. Dip your finger in a bowl of water and run it along the edge of the round to moisten. Fold the dough over to form a half moon, then draw the two corners together to form a rounded bonnet shape. Press tightly to seal. Set aside on well-floured or semolina-dusted baking sheet, and cover. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough, re-rolling the scraps.
16. Prepare the duck breast while you bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil for the tortellinis. Drop the tortellinis in the water and cook for 5 minutes, until the dough is tender at the seal.
17. Preheat a frying pan on low heat, then place the duck breasts, skin side down. Season the meat with salt. Slow cook, pressing down the breast so they lay flat. Sear slowly for 5 to 7 minutes, draining the fat from time to time. Have a look at the skin, making sure it’s colouring evenly and rotate if need be, keeping the breast skin side down.
18. When the duck skin is nice and crispy, flip the breasts and remove pan from the heat. Allow breasts to continue cooking from the heat of the pan for 3 minutes, then remove from pan.
19. Slice the duck breast thinly, and place on a tray lined with paper towel.
20. Preheat the oven to 380 degrees. Using a cleaver, cut the bones, wings, neck and carcasses into 2 inches pieces. Coat with a drizzle of canola oil. Place the bones in a roasting or frying pan, making sure not to overcrowd to achieve maximum caramelization.
21. Roast in the oven for approximately 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Place the bones in a colander to let the excess fat drain.
22. Heat up canola oil in a medium size, heavy bottom pot. Sweat the mushrooms, shallots, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf until soft for about 3 to 5 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Deglaze with red wine and port. Reduce until all alcohol is evaporated and syrupy.
23. Add the roasted bones. Cover with the stocks and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, pushing the bones down for maximum extraction.
24. Return to heat, and continue reducing to a nice glossy, thicker sauce consistency. Pit and add the cherries. Whisk in the cold butter at the very last minute.
25. Cut off the corn kernels, and set aside. Clean the mushrooms, and trim the stem. Pat dry with paper towel.
26. Using a heavy bottom pan, heat up the oil on medium-high. Add the chanterelles, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring from time to time for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium. Add the thyme, shallot, garlic and butter, and cook for 1 minute. Turn the heat back to high, deglaze with the white wine and reduce down until liquid has evaporated. Add the corn and cook for 1 minute. Adjust the seasoning, remove the thyme sprig, and set aside.