Maple Leaf Farms Archives - Taste With The Eyes

Pomegranate Recipes Two Ways: Salad and Duck

Pomegranate Recipes Two Ways
Vibrant Winter Salad and Crispy-Skin Roast Duck

We’re coming up on the tail end of pomegranate season in the U.S., which runs from September through January, making now the perfect time to take advantage of this beautiful fruit. With their jewel-like arils, pomegranates bring a bright pop of color, a refreshing balance of sweet and tart, and plenty of natural antioxidants.

In today’s recipes, pomegranates appear in two very different dishes: a composed butter lettuce salad and a roast duck with mashed potatoes. Both use pomegranate arils and pomegranate molasses, yet the fruit plays a distinct role in each—bringing brightness and contrast to the salad, and cutting through the richness of the duck with sweet-tart depth.

Pomegranate Recipes

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Roast Duck, Lemon Tarragon Sauce with Roquefort

Roast Duck, Lemon Tarragon Sauce with Roquefort
Fresh Peas, Asparagus, Leeks

Bonjour, mes amis! Happy Bastille Day! July 14th marks the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille prison in 1789 — a dramatic turning point that lit the spark for the French Revolution and the birth of the Republic’s rallying cry: liberté, égalité, fraternité.

Known across France as la Fête Nationale, it’s a day of parades, fireworks, music, and good cheer from Paris to Provence — and we’re joining the festivities in delicious style by serving Canard rôti, paired with a bright lemon-tarragon sauce, fresh peas and asparagus, and a generous flourish of bold, creamy Roquefort. Vive la France!

Roast Duck, Lemon Tarragon Sauce Recipe

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New Mexico Style Roast Duck with Salsa Verde

New Mexico Style Roast Duck
With Salsa Verde

“The goal of my so-called mission is to show people a way to create satisfying meals with a minimum of effort and time…I think there’s a level of satisfaction and pride that comes from preparing a meal for yourself and your family and friends – even if it is helped along by pre-made ingredients,” Chef Nancy Silverton.

I’ve been a fan of her book “A Twist of the Wrist – Quick Flavorful Meals with Ingredients from Jars, Cans, Bags, and Boxes” since it came out in 2007. Of course we enjoy and cherish all our recipes made from scratch, but sometimes a quick, easy, and flavorful meal is in order.

This New Mexico Style Roast Duck recipe is an example of the Chef’s philosophy: I roast a precooked half-duck to crispy skin perfection in 25 minutes, and pair it with a Hatch New Mexico Salsa Verde from a jar.

The richness of duck meat can stand up to bold flavors, and the contrast between the savory duck and the heat of a spicy sauce creates a delicious harmony. Salsa verde complements the natural flavors of the duck while adding an extra layer of complexity. It’s fast, and effortless, and fabulous… I’m confident Chef Nancy Silverton would agree.

New Mexico Style Roast Duck with Salsa Verde

Roast Duck with Salsa Verde Recipe

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Crispy Duck Panang

We recently had an extraordinary dinner at their newly opened location in the Red Rock Casino…at what is widely agreed to be the best Thai restaurant in Las Vegas, Lotus of Siam.

Since 1999, Chef Saipin Chutima and her family have owned and operated this world-renowned restaurant. Chef Saipin’s cooking revolves around the Northern Thai recipes passed down from generations of her family. She received the coveted James Beard award for Southwest Region Chef in 2011.

Lotus of Siam’s 3rd location at Red Rock Casino Resort opened in November 2022, with Saipin’s daughter, Penny, at the helm. The design of the restaurant is casual yet breathtaking, and everything one would expect from a new Red Rock concept. Eater Vegas chose their Chiang Mai-inspired style as the Best Design of the Year.

The elevated food is obviously not your local hole-in-the-wall Thai menu (although there is nothing wrong with that!). And the award-winning wine list and service are impeccable. We enjoyed a bottle of the lovely HeavenSake with our meal.

We shared several dishes – all excellent – some highlights included Chilean Sea Bass with Sweet & Sour Sauce, Penny’s Ceviche, Garlic Prawns, and of course the Crispy Duck Panang.

By the way, their base sauce recipes are a secret. Only three people know the recipes according to Chef Saipin in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Craving the exotic flavors of Lotus’s stellar dish, I set out to create my own version of Crispy Duck Panang.

Lotus of Siam, Red Rock Casino

Crispy Duck Panang Recipe

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Fast & Fabulous Duck à l’Orange

Fast & Easy Duck à l'Orange

Fast & Fabulous Duck à l’Orange
Over Braised Carrots and Leeks

White Pekin duck has a delicate flavor that is not at all gamey. Maple Leaf Farms White Pekin ducks hail from the original Long Island Pekin ducks brought over to the US from China in the 1800s.

They are now raised humanely and sustainably in Northern Indiana on family farms by mostly Amish farmers. The ducks eat a healthy balance of grains and veggies and are free to roam in cage-free barns.

I was thrilled to discover Maple Leaf Farms fully cooked Roast Half Duck at Costco. The delicious half ducks can be prepared in less than 20 minutes and paired with a myriad of sauces and sides. Here, the lean, succulent roast duck is served over savory carrots and leeks where the colors and flavors harmonize perfectly with the French inspired Duck à l’Orange recipe.

My orange sauce is citrusy, sweet, and tangy where soy sauce adds depth and umami notes while cider vinegar adds a brightness. Fast & fabulous, the sauce takes about 5 minutes to prepare.

Fast & Easy Duck à l'Orange

Fast & Fabulous Duck à l’Orange Recipe

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Pomegranate Recipes Two Ways Vibrant Winter Salad and Crispy-Skin Roast Duck