duck burger with pickled onions and tomato compote

Pickled Onions:
Slice onion into julienne pieces. Add onion to a metal bowl, reserve for later.

In a small sauce pot combine vinegar, water, salt, and sugar. Bring mixture to a boil.

Pour boiling hot pickling liquid over onion, cover with a clean towel or clean paper towel to keep onions submerged under the pickling liquid. Allow pickled onions to cool and store sealed in the pickling liquid.

Tomato Compote:
In a small sauce pot combine tomatoes, tomato paste, honey, lemon juice, cinnamon, and salt over medium heat.

Simmer until softened, about 12 minutes and flavors have mellowed, allow to cool and store.

Duck Burger:
Skin and defat duck legs and breast meat, cube cleaned meat into ½” pieces. Cut duck fat into ½’ sized chunks. Place cubed duck meat across a parchment lined sheet tray. Allow to partially freeze prior to grinding. Place cubed duck fat across an additional parchment lined sheet tray allowing duck fat to fully freeze.

Grind duck meat and fat through your meat grinder to a medium grind. Portion into 6-8 oz burger patties.

Salt & Pepper the outside, searing and basting in a saute pan on medium high heat. Or until the interior of the burger reaches 165ºF/74ºC (the USDA recommends cooking duck legs to a minimum temperature of 165ºF/74ºC to avoid salmonella poisoning.) If medium is desired 137ºF/58ºC will be uniformly pink throughout the patty. If desired, top with Ossau Iraty Sheep’s Milk Cheese and allow to melt, prior to assembly.