Pangang Curry with Roast Duck Legs

You know what is delicious? This is! My husband was at a Thai restaurant in Vegas with some friends and apparently had some Pangang Curry with Roasted Duck Breast. He told his friend that he bet I could recreate it. Apparently I did...successfully. (It would seem that me having an obscure, undiscovered food blog makes my husband proud... My ability to recreate foods from restaurants is one of his favorite things about me. It is not my submissive nature. If you knew me at all you would know that is because I don't have one.) I'm not going to be so bold as to label it authentic Thai... I had to make a few substitutions but it was incredibly close to the real deal, and equally delicious. If you're nervous about using duck, or just don't want to eat Mother Goose, you could just as easily use sliced chicken breast or prawns. The rich and delicious flavor of the sauce, lends itself perfectly to both of those animal proteins. Ah, tofu, I forgot about tofu! If you go the tofu route, I would suggest extra firm since the sauce is quite rich and you need the tofu to stand up texturally. Serves 4-6 (The sauce serves 5-6, but you could be extra saucy when serving fewer people, or freeze what you don't use.)

And one more for the road...

Ingredients: 4-6 Duck Legs (Or chicken, seafood or tofu) salt and cayenne to taste 2 14 oz cans coconut milk 4 oz Pangang curry paste (or red curry paste if you can't find it) 3 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp fish sauce 2 tbsp red chili paste 1 1/2 tbsp fresh grated ginger 6-8 garlic cloves 1 lime, juiced 2-3 kefir limes leaves (can substitute bay leaves if you can't find them) 1 cup minced Thai basil, extra for garnish 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, extra for garnish 3 red bell peppers 1 cup cashews Coconut Rice (So I was LAZY and purchased 2 8.8 oz steam-in-bag packages from Target, don't judge.)

Instructions: (I oven roasted 4 duck legs. If you bake 6, your cooking times may need to increase.) 1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. 2. Lightly sprinkle the duck on both sides with salt and cayenne. (I chose cayenne instead of pepper, since pepper can burn. The duck gives off fat which could burn the pepper and affect the taste.) 3. Place the duck, skin side down, into a baking pan that loosely fits all the meat. 4. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the skin browns. (Also, carefully drain and save your duck fat at this point in time. Save it so some other cooking project. Duck fat is LIQUID GOLD.) 5. Flip the duck legs so that they are skin side up. Bake for an additional 25 minutes. 6. Check the internal temperature at this point to make sure that it reads anywhere from 135-170. We cooked ours to 150-160. Duck can be served medium rare. If you are looking to cook a medium rare duck, consider altering your cooking times from what I have instructed.) 7. If the duck is almost where you want it temperature wise, move your oven rack to the top and switch to broil. Broil with duck for 3-6 minutes to crisp that beautiful duck skin. 8. While your duck is cooking, prepare the sauce. 9. Add the fresh grated ginger, the minced garlic and the curry paste to your pan. Cook on a medium low temperature until the curry paste begins to seep an oil like substance (2-4 minutes). Have an open can of coconut milk ready, since you don't want to burn the curry paste.) 10. Add the cans of coconut milk to the pan and stir. 11. Add your fish sauce, soy sauce, chili paste, kefir lime leaves, lime juice and stir again. 12. While those flavors are cooking together, julienne your peppers, and mince your basil, and tear your cilantro leaves. Add them to the pan as well. 13. Allow the sauce to simmer on a low setting for 15-20 minutes. Add the cashews towards the end. 14. Steam your bags of rice in the microwave. Haha, Sorry. 15. Plate with the rice on the bottom, followed by the pangang curry sauce, and then the duck. (If you're using a different meat, you can cook it in the sauce. Obviously, make sure it is cooked before serving.) Enjoy!