Recipe: Gourmet Duck Poppers offer a delectable mix of hot honey, brie, apple, thyme and bacon

RECIPE & PHOTO BY CAMERON TAIT

Simple yet sophisticated, this wild duck recipe features the rich flavours of creamy brie, crispy bacon, sweet-and-tart apple and a glaze of spiced honey—perfect for duck hunters wanting to savour their bounty in a new and memorable way. The poppers can be served as delicious appetizers or as a main course, together with wild rice and garlic-roasted fall root vegetables. Serves 4

SAUCE

• ¼ cup hot honey
• 1/8 tsp smoked paprika

 

• 4 duck breasts
• Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
• 3 sprigs thyme, chopped
• ½ Red Delicious apple, cut into 8 thin wedges
• ½ small wheel of brie (approximately 90 grams), cut in 8 pieces
• 4 slices bacon, cut in half
• 8 4-inch bamboo skewers
• 1 orange, sectioned
• 8 thin jalapeno slices

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine the hot honey and paprika to make the sauce, and set aside. Remove the skin, silverskin and sinew from the duck breasts, then slice them in half horizantally.
2. Place the 8 duck pieces on a sheet of plastic wrap, with another sheet on top. Using a meat mallet, pound the pieces until they’re 1/8 of an inch thick. Remove the plastic wrap, season the meat with salt, pepper and thyme, then roll each piece around one apple wedge and one slice of brie.
3. Roll a slice of bacon around each duck roll, then insert the skewers to hold everything in place. Season the resulting poppers with pepper and place them on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
4. Bake the poppers for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, then spoon half of the reserved sauce on top and return to the oven for another 5 to 7 minutes (or until the poppers are lightly brown and caramelized).
5. Garnish with the remaining sauce, apple and fresh thyme, along with the orange sections and jalapeno slices, then serve immediately.

FOR THE GLASS

With its fresh aroma of green apple, citrus, white peach and mineral, Thirty Bench Winemaker’s Blend Riesling from Ontario’s Niagara region complements this recipe’s flavourful combination of rich duck, smoky bacon, thyme, brie and hot honey.