Duck rillette recipe – with maple and beer mustard.

This rich, creamy duck rillette (think paté) pairs perfectly with sweet, homemade maple and beer mustard.

I love to make my own condiments, whether it’s homemade ketchup, relish, or mustard. But you could easily substitute a good store-bought mustard.

Ingredients

• 4 wild duck legs, or 2 legs from a domestic duck

• 1 cup coarse salt

• 11⁄2 tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped

• 4 garlic cloves, whole

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 tsp. whole black peppercorns

• ½ cup port wine

• 3 cups chicken broth

• 3 tbsp. Grand Marnier

• ½ tsp. allspice

• ½ cup of melted butter mustard

For mustard

• ½ cup mustard seeds

• 1⁄3 cup cider vinegar

• 1⁄3 cup amber beer

• 3 tbsp. maple syrup

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1 tsp. cracked black pepper

Makes Two Mason jars of rillette and just over a cup of mustard.

Directions

1. Rub duck legs with salt and fresh thyme. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 300˚F. Rinse off duck legs with cold water and place in an ovenproof casserole dish.

3. Add garlic cloves, bay leaves, black peppercorns, and port wine. Cover with chicken broth.

4. Cover baking dish with tinfoil, and place in oven for 1½ hours, until meat falls from the bone. Remove from liquid and allow to cool.

5. Save 1/3 cup of braising liquid. Discard the skin and pull meat from the bone. Using two forks or your fingers, pull apart the meat until nicely shredded.

6. In a bowl, mix duck meat, braising liquid, Grand Marnier, allspice, and 2 tbsp. of melted butter. Season with salt and pepper if needed.

7. Pack duck rillettes into 8 oz. Mason jars, making sure no air is trapped inside. Melt butter in a small pan, and cover the top of the duck-filled jars with enough melted butter to be flush with the top. Affix lid and refrigerate for up to a month.

Mustard

1. Mix mustard seeds, beer, and vinegar in a bowl. Cover and let sit overnight (about 10 hours).

2. Place contents of bowl into a food processor. Add maple syrup, salt, and pepper.

3. Blend for 20 seconds, until ingredients are mixed well, but mustard seeds are not pureed. Spoon into a clean jar with tight-fitting lid. Store in refrigerator.

4. To serve, spread a small amount of rillette on a slice of baguette and top with a touch of grainy mustard.