First, I must thank my high school tennis partner for inspiring this dish. After reading my duck panini post, she told me she recently had duck pot pie. What an ingenious concept, I thought.

I’d been wanting to come up with an elegant single-serving recipe for the holidays, and this really fit the bill. It’s festive and elegant and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. It’s a little more intensive than most of my recipes, but trust me; it’s worth it.

Tip: If you can’t find duck in the grocery story or if you don’t know someone who hunts, substitute chicken, turkey, or portabella mushrooms.

Recipe: Duck pot pie
Serves one

1 duck breast
1 recipe ginger-orange marinade (below)
1/4 recipe for pie crust (below)
1 small carrot, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 shallot or 1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 Tbsp dried cranberries
1 1/2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp + 1 tsp whole milk or cream
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
Dash pepper

First, make the marinade.

Combine:

Juice from one clementine or half an orange
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 cup canola oil

Whisk all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Adjust salt to taste.

Put duck breast in a small, plastic, zip-top bag. Pour marinade into bag, and seal. Place in a small dish, and refrigerate while you continuing preparing.

Second, make the pie crust. (This is one recipe I don’t want to mess with, so instead of trying to quarter it, I always make the entire recipe and simply freeze the leftover pie crusts.)

2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
2/3 cup shortening
5 - 7 Tbsp cold water

Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Cut in 1/2 of the shortening with a pastry blender or fork and knife. Cut in remaining shortening until fine, pea-sized crumbs. Add 1 Tbsp cold water at a time, stirring with a fork just until dough is no longer crumbly. Split dough in half, then split one half in to a quarter. Take a quarter of the dough, and shape it into ball. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin to about 1 inch larger in diameter than your miniature baking dish.

Third, cook the duck. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Once it is hot, add the duck, skin side down. Reserve the marinade liquid. Brown one side, about 1 minute, then flip for a minute. Lower heat to medium-low, and allow duck breast to cook about 10 - 12 minutes on each side. Keep flipping it every 5 minutes to avoid burning one side. Pierce duck with a knife to see that it is light pink, not bright pink or red. If it’s done, allow to rest, then cut it into bite-sized pieces.

Meanwhile, make the rue. Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a sauce pan. Add flour and whisk together. Heat for 1 minute. Remove from heat, and add 2 Tbsp of the reserved marinade liquid and the milk or cream. Whisk together leaving no clumps. Return to heat for one minute. Add salt, lemon juice, and pepper. Whisk and set aside.

Next, saute the vegetables. Heat 1 Tbsp oil or butter over medium heat. Add chopped carrot, celery, and onion. Saute until onion is translucent. Add dried cranberries and heat for one more minute.

Finally, combine duck, rue, and vegetables. Pour into a buttered miniature baking dish or ramekin. Top with pie crust, and pinch edges of crust to seal. Brush with egg, and cut a slit in the middle to allow hot air out. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Enjoy with a glass of red wine; I suggest a malbec. And be careful when you first dig in — it’s hot

Happy holidays, everyone!