Honey, Roasted Garlic & Blue Cheese Duck Wings
Are duck wings the new chicken wings?
You love chicken wings. Now it’s time to shake it up with duck wings. They’re rich in flavour. They’re bigger, giving you more crispy skin to love. They’re also great for summer parties.
You can start with this recipe (on their summer menu) from 360 The Restaurant at the CN Tower chef de cuisine Simon Samad. In this reimagining of the classic Honey Garlic wing, the slight gaminess of the duck pairs well with sweet maple syrup and savoury garlic, while the blue cheese you toss the hot wings with conjures up the classic wing sidekick.
Prep time for home cooks is minimal, and the recipe is changeable. If you’d prefer to barbeque, the grill will provide a nice smoky finish. This recipe mixes comfort food with a bit of French technique, and best of all is made with local Canadian products. According to chef Samad, “I hope that home cooks look to try this recipe and put their spin on it using home-fermenting hot sauces or any other cooking hobbies you’ve picked up during the pandemic. Enjoy!”
Honey, Roasted Garlic & Blue Cheese Duck Wings
Ingredients
Brine:
- 250ml maple syrup
- 1/2 cup kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorn
- 2 bay leaves
- 100ml cider vinegar
- 500ml water
- 2lbs King Cole duck wings
Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons Bleu Benedictine (crumbled)
- 1/2 cup amber honey
- 1 garlic (roasted whole)
- salt to taste
Confit:
- King Cole duck fat – enough to submerge wings (canola oil can be substituted)
- 3 sprigs thyme
Directions
Mix the ingredients of the brine minus the duck wings together in a pot and bring to a boil
Once at a boil, remove from heat to cool and add in 250ml of ice
Once cooled, submerge duck wings
Leave overnight
Remove wings from brine and dry off well
Place wings in a deep oven tray along with thyme and warmed duck fat (enough to submerge wings)
Cook on bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour covered with aluminum foil
While the wings are cooking cut the end off the top side of the garlic, season with a pinch of salt, and place in the oven alongside the wings and cook for half an hour
Remove garlic and press, this should allow the bulbs to pop out easily
Carefully remove the wings from the oil and cool
While cooling the wings, transfer the confit oil and pass it through a fine strainer or coffee filter into a pot
Set the pot with oil on medium heat, and wait till the oil is heated (usually using the water drop test)
Place wings in hot oil, be careful not to overcrowd the pot, but should only take a minute or 2 at most until golden brown colour
Remove wings from oil using either tongs or a spider strainer then place in mixing bowl, gently season with salt, add in honey and blue cheese and toss.
Ready to serve
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