Duck Breast with Figs

Attention! A good idea would be to do the first step already on the previous day
Remaining preparation time: 2 hours!

A variation would be sweet potatoes with, or instead of, figs.
Instead of the Parsley Nocken one could take mangold.

Ingredients (for 2 persons)

Preparation You'll need: A tajine or casserole dish with lid A medium-sized pot Several small pots A pan A flour sifter
For the figs (Step 1): 4 or 6 ripe figs I would recommend getting one more. I often find one over-ripe by the tme I am starting. 25g brown sugar 200 mL red wine 2 cloves 2 lemon slices 1 Tbsp starch
For the duck breast (Step 2): Ca. 500g breast of a Barbary duck 40 g Onion 25 g Carrot 30 g Fennel 1 clove of garlic 15 g Prosciutto (Parma ham) Olive oil (regular and extra-virgin) 10 g tomato purée (1 heaped tsp.) 100 mL red wine 30 mL balsamic vinegar 2 bay leaves ½ twig thyme ½ twig rosemary 350 to 400 mL calf or duck fond
For the Parsley Nocken (Step 3): 3 bunches of Italian parsley (around 75 g) 180 mL cream 15 g butter Nutmeg Salt Ground Pepper
The preparation in several steps
Step 1: Preparation of the figs (On the previous evening or in the morning) Caramelise 25 g sugar. Deglaze with 200 mL wine and cook until dissolved. Add the cloves and the lemon slices, boil up and pour into a bowl. Add the four figs and put it covered on the side until cool, than place it in the fridge.
Step 2: Preparation of the duck breast Dice 25 g carrot, 40 g onion and 30 g fennel finely. Press the clove of garlic. Cut 15 g parma ham into small pieces. Sear the duck in regular olive oil on both sides, only 20 to 30 seconds each. Place the breast into the tajine or casserole dish (skin side up), pour the oil away. Sauté veggies, garlic and ham in extra-virgin olive oil. Deglaze with 100 mL red wine and 30 mL balsamico vinegar. Add 10 g tomato purée, boil up again. Pour the fond from the pan into the Tajine, add vegetables, herbs (2 bay leaves, ½ twig of thyme and rosemary each ) and 350 to 400 mL calf or duck fond. Put covered into the oven at 180℃ for 35 minutes. You have to remove the Tajine after the 35 minutes immediately and set the duck in a plate on the side. In the mean-time continue with step 3!
Step 3: Preparation of the Parsley cream Pluck the leaves of the parsley and blanch the parsley for around 30 seconds in salt water. Refresh in cold water and dry carefully. Chop finely. Bring in a small pot 180 ml cream, 15 g butter and spicees (a bit of salt, pepper and nutmeg) to boil, and reduce. Add the parsley and reduce until it's not liquid anymore, but creamy. Put the pot on the side.
Step 4: The duck breast After 35 minutes immediately take the duck out of the oven. Remove the meat, pour the fond through a sieve into a small pot. Set the vegetables in a small dish on the side, remove the twigs of thyme and rosemary. Put the duck back into the casserole/Tajine (skin side up!), set aside. Reduce the fond to a quarter. In the mean-time continue with step 5!
Step 5: The figs Put the figs in a plate aside. Remove lemon slices and cloves. Pour the fig stock into a small pot, add 1 Tbsp of starch and reduce. Attention: The starch really has to be sifted, or you will get lumps; quickly stir with a fork, too. Reduce to a viscous consistency. Pour with a spoon over the figs.
Step 6: The Parsley Nocken Prepare with two table spoons two "Nocken" out of the parsley cream. This is done as seen in this video here. Just that it's not getting cooked anymore. Set each Nocke on one plate.
Step 7: Last step for the duck breast After reducing the duck fond, add the veggies and let it cook for one more minute. Season to taste with a bit of salt and pepper. Pour around the meat into the Tajine. Switch to top grill and wait until it's hot. Put the Tajine without lid into the oven (middle rack) and grill the duck for a few minutes until skin is crispy and brown.
The final steps Cut the breast in slices. Arrange together with the figs on the plates. Add a bit of the duck fond with the vegetables, put the rest in a bowl on the table.

Goes well with a full-bodied red wine, e. g. a Rioja.

Tagliatelle Alfredo with Shrimps

You can do that with any kind of pasta that you like (the original calls for Fettucine).

Preparation You'll need: A large pot A pan
Ingredients (for 2 persons) Pasta (160 to 180 g), I love Tagliatelle 350 g shrimps w/o shell, not too large ones 2-3 cloves of garlic ½ small onion 75 - 100 ml white wine, dry (e. g. Gavi di Gavi, Chablis, Aragosta from Sardinia) 350 ml cream 30 g Parmesan cheese 1 stem parsley Salt (ca. ¼ TL) Parika (ca. ¼ TL) Some pepper, olive oil, butter
First steps Very finely dice ½ small onion. Finely chop 2-3 cloves of garlic. Measure out 75 to 100 ml white wine. Finely grade 30 g Parmesan cheese. Pluck leaves of one parsley stem and roughly chop. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, in the meantime continue with the next step.
Preparation Pour some regular olive oil into pan, bring to high heat. Add ¼ tsp. salt and paprika and some ground black pepper. Mix and quick fry the shrimps (raw shrimps: 2 to 3 minutes on each side, precooked ones 1 minute per side. Remove from pan and set aside. Add some butter (around 1 Tbsp.) to the still hot pan and fry the onion on medium heat. Keep stiring, if needed add some good olive oil. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown. Add garlic and continue for another minute. Side quest: Throw pasta into boiling water (my tagliatelle need 6 minutes). Place pasta plates into oven at 80℃. Add 75 to 100 ml white wine and reduce to one quarter. Stir in 350 ml cream and let it simmer for 2 minutes. Add parmesan cheese (attention: the cream must not cook anymore!), mix well and let it simmer gently for 1 minute. Finally season to taste wtih salt, paprika and pepper, add pasta and shrimps, mix well. Let it simmer for another minute. To serve, place into the preheated pasta plates and sprinkle some parsley over it.