Recipe: English: Warm Salad of Duck Sausage

Recipe:

Warm Salad of Duck Sausage, Braised Figs and Stilton with Hazelnut dressing
Created for Sandeman 20 Years Old Tawny Porto

by Chef Raymond Nelson, USA

Ingredients:

3/4 cup hazelnut oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 pound duck sausage (recipe follows)
6 cups "mesclun" salad mix
2 ripe pears, pealed core and sliced
3 oz. Stilton cheese, thinly sliced
4 oz. caramelised walnuts (recipe follows)
9 braised figs (recipe follows)

Preparation:

Whisk oil into vinegar until emulsified. Set aside. Freeze duck sausage until firm. Slice and sauté on a hot griddle until nicely browned. Keep warm.
Toss greens, pears, cheese and walnuts with hazelnut dressing, adding salt to taste (Stilton cheese is very salty). Arrange on six salad plates and top with warm duck sausage and braised figs. Serve immediately.
Serves 6 as a first course.

Note: Ready-made duck sausage, available from speciality meat markets can be substituted)

Duck Sausage:

2 pounds ground duck meat
4 ounces ground pork fat
2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
1 tablespoon coriander seed, toasted
1/2 teaspoon cumin seed, toasted
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup Sandeman 20 Years Old Tawny Porto
1/2 cup cracked ice

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients except Porto and ice. Chill thoroughly and put through grinder. Place 80% of mixture in food processor fitted with steel blade. While machine is running, slowly add Porto and ice. Mixture should be sticky and absolute mould. Fold in remaining sausage mixture. Place in a mould lined with plastic wrap and freeze. Cut frozen sausage into slices to sauté for salad.

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