Grilled Duck with Jalapeno Cream Sauce and Jalapeno Parmesan Creamed Spinach

My hubby went on a duck and goose hunt at the beginning of January. The day the weather was sooo cold and raining. Apparently that’s the best weather for this kind of hunt, but they where crazy in my eyes. I stayed home in my warm blanket watching movies haha. I did wake up at 4am to make my hubby waffles then headed back to bed. Here’s what their view looked like and what they came home with:

They divided up the ducks, we took 2 and I marinated them then grilled them while the others went off to our neighbor who was going to smoke them. (More on how that turned out later.)

Duck is a very lean meat, the wild is better then the fatty ones you get in the store. Since there was no fat on these you have to be vary careful when cooking them. Medium rare is best then pull it off the grill as it will continue to cook a little as it rest. If you overcook them, they will be very chewy. I would LOVE to cook it the same way so I hope they come home with much more next season.

Grilled Wild Duck Filets
(Created by Finding Inspiration In Food)

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4 duck breast filets
½ tablespoon minced garlic
½ tablespoon thyme
1 tablespoon rosemary

Soak the duck in enough buttermilk to cover them, overnight in the fridge.

Remove breasts from buttermilk, rinse then season with salt and pepper. Combine garlic, thyme and rosemary.

Rub the minced spices thoroughly on breasts and let the duck in in the refrigerator at least an hour.

Grill duck over medium heat to desired doneness.

Let rest a few minutes then cut in thin strips.

The sauce I used with the duck went really well. Don’t be scared of the jalapeno making it too spicy it had a nice sweetness to it as well. I cooked mine a little too long so the sauce was thick, but overall I really like it.

Jalapeno Cream Sauce
(Adapted from Fine Texas Cuisine by Jon Bonnell)

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1 chopped jalapeno
1 clove garlic, chopped
½ teaspoon butter
2 tablespoons dry white wine
¼ cup heavy cream
pinch of josher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sauté the jalapenos and garlic in butter in a small sauté pan just until the garlic bubbles, but do not brown.

De-glaze the pan with wine and reduce until the pan is almost dry.

Add the cream and season with salt and pepper.

Reduce the sauce until it thickens to a nice rich coating sauce consistency and serve in a bowl.

As a side dish I made a Jalapeno Parmesan Creamed Spinach from the same book as the sauce. I like it, but it seemed like there was too much cream in there so I would cut back on that next time.

Jalapeno Parmesan Creamed Spinach
(Adapted from Fine Texas Cuisine by Jon Bonnell)

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2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 pound baby spinach , washed
1 cup cream
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Sauté the jalapenos and garlic in olive oil until the garlic begins to sizzle. Do not let it brown or the dish will take on a bitter flavor.

Add the baby spinach to the pan in one large heap.

As it begins to wilt, add the cream and turn the spinach often.

As soon as the cream begins to simmer, the spinach will wilt quickly. As it wilts, season with salt and add the cheese.

Once the spinach is fully wilted, it’s ready to serve.

Now you wanna see how my neighbors duck turned out? He started off by marinating it in the buttermilk which removes the game taste. He seasoned it and wrapped it in bacon before smoking it for 2 hours. At the end of the 2 hours he wanted to crisp up the bacon so he put it on the grill with some sausage and hot dogs he was cooking. The door bell rings and when he returns to the grill he gets this….

So sad that all that work turned into a pile of ash. Needless to say he was a little jealous of how our duck turned out!