Welcome in Fascinating Sagers,
A big warm welcome to
Marbellys and Lindsay Frost thank you for joining me. If you are new here, 👋welcome! I do hope you will join me for podcasts, recipes and live interviews to help you sage with sass and grace in every day life. Hit this button below and get everything easily into your inbox and thank you.
Speaking of lives, we are live every Wednesday if you would like to join us
Label to Table is a live, 30 minute weekly decode of ingredients. Holistic Nutritionist Danni Macfarland and I read the fine print on what goes on your plate, your skin, and in your space, translate the science, and help you choose with confidence so you can sage with sass and grace in every day life.
Live every Wednesday at
9 am Pacific
10 am Mountain
11 am Central
12 pm Eastern
Log into Substack, on your home page you will see us live. Or click on the email you will get right as we go live.
Are you curious?
If you have a product or ingredient for us to yay or nay? Leave a voicemail at (656) 222-0848 or message me in the show notes. We would love to hear from you.
Let’s get in our time machine….
We are going way back to 2022, when fuel prices went through the roof and every mile in the coach felt like liquid gold. When diesel went to $7.99 a gallon we were feeling quite blessed when our friends invited us to stay with them. That summer we were tucked away on our good friend’s property in Nevada City, California. Our motorcoach was parked on their land among the acorn trees overlooking Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park. And if this was not serene enough, we were able to slip away to their chalet in Lake Tahoe, California.
It felt wonderfully decadent. One day we were in our rolling home under the pines, the next we were waking up in a cozy chalet, looking out over that beautiful blue water, sipping coffee as the morning light danced on the lake. The restaurants in Lake Tahoe were out of this world, and for a while it felt like we were living inside a luxury travel magazine. Until the fires rolled in and turned the sky into a smoky, surreal filter and rained ash over our summer.
On one of those clear evenings before the smoke, we went to a restaurant that overlooked the lake. Duck was on the menu, and of course I was going for that. It was a roasted duck leg on top of a white bean purée with a cherry salad on the side. It looked divine. My mouth was already watering as I lifted the first forkful, fully expecting to be rocked right out of my chair.
Instead, the salt hit me so hard it drowned out everything else. All I could taste was salt. I felt completely cheated out of a beautiful meal.
Right then I decided I could make the same kind of dish for fraction of the price and without all that salt. When we use good quality ingredients, we do not need to bury them in salt to bring out the flavour. So I went to work reverse engineering the dish. I chose duck breast instead of legs, but you can use either. I paired it with a creamy white bean purée, a bright cherry salad, honey candied pecans, and a warm bacon vinaigrette.
It did not disappoint, and I hope it becomes one of your new favourites too. The best part is that duck is surprisingly easy to make, especially when you let the HOTLOGIC do the slow, gentle cooking for you while you go off and live your fascinating saging life. I have made this dish so many times and my friends have all raved how good it is.
A special thank you Laura and Dan for opening up your homes and your awesome Kitchen.
Slow Roasted Duck Breast, White Bean Purée, Cherry Pecan Salad
Total prep time 25–30 minutes
HOTLOGIC hands-off cooking time: 4 hours (or more, you decide on how long)
You will need: 1 HOTLOGIC MAX oven or 2 small personal mini size
Serves 2
This recipe has two parts: the duck and the white beans cook together in the HOTLOGIC for at least 4 hours (or longer). While they cook, you can prep the salad ingredients and candied pecans ahead of time and keep the components separate. The bacon can also be cooked ahead; you will just need to reheat the bacon oil before whisking the dressing together. If you want to skip a step, grab some store bought candied pecans. I am including the recipe if you love to create from scratch like I do.
PART ONE
Duck Ingredients
2 duck breast
1–2 tsp ground pepper
1–2 tsp Celtic sea salt
1 glass rectangle food storage container (7x5x1.5 inch) with lid
Non bleached parchment paper
Add the two pieces of duck breast to the glass rectangle food storage container. Sprinkle the Celtic salt and pepper on top. Place the non bleached parchment paper over the container, leaving about an inch on each side. Place the lid on top of the paper and add to the HOTLOGIC MAX oven. Plug it in-but don’t zip up just yet. Once the beans have been added, cook both for at least 4 hours.
White Bean Purée Ingredients
1 cup cannellini beans (from can), drained and rinsed, preserve the liquid*
1 packet .55 oz (16 g) powdered chicken broth or bone broth (I used LONOLIFE Sipping Bone Broth Savory Chicken)
2 thyme sprigs, stem removed
¼ cup onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
Celtic salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 medium sized glass container with lid
Non bleached parchment paper
(*You can use the whole can of beans if you like.)
Open the can of beans and strain the liquid into a bowl; set aside. Add the beans to a medium sized glass container. Add the ¼ cup diced onion and the minced garlic. Strip the thyme leaves and add to the beans. Stir. Add the powdered chicken broth and stir again. Add about 1 Tb of the bean liquid. If the beans look a little dry, add another tablespoon of liquid.
Place the non bleached parchment paper over the container, leaving about an inch on each side. Place the lid on top of the paper. Add to the HOTLOGIC MAX oven with the duck and cook for at least 4 hours.
After cooking, purée the bean mixture in a blender. If the beans are a little dry use the left over bean liquid to thin while blending. Season the purée with Celtic salt and pepper. Add the purée back to the HOTLOGIC to keep it warm until ready to serve.
Honey Candied Pecans
You can make these ahead of time or skip this step if you decide to purchase a bag of candied pecans. Either way, I am including the recipe if you love to create.
Ingredients
1 tsp ghee or coconut oil
1/2 cup raw pecans
1 tb liquid honey
A plate and non bleached parchment paper
Line the plate with non bleached parchment paper and set aside.
Add the teaspoon of ghee or oil to a cold fry pan and coat the pan to prevent sticking. You can also coat the measuring spoon you will be using. Gently heat the pan over medium low heat to melt the ghee. Add the pecans and stir to coat in the ghee. Add the 1 tablespoon of honey and stir to coat the pecans. When the honey starts bubbling, reduce heat to simmer.
Keep stirring the pecans as the honey thickens and coats them further. Cook until the honey evaporates and the pecans look glossy.
Place the candied pecans on the parchment paper lined plate and spread them apart so they are not touching. Let sit 5–7 minutes to cool, then transfer to a small glass dish with a lid for later use.
The Salad
You can wait until the HOTLOGIC has cooked the beans and duck or prepare it at the same time and refrigerate it. Keep all ingredients separate until ready to eat.
Ingredients
3–4 pieces lettuce leaves (your choice; I used red and green leaf lettuce)
½ cup fresh cherries, pitted or frozen thawed
¼ cup onions, thinly sliced
In a small or medium sized bowl, add the lettuce, cherries, and onion; set aside.
Bacon Vinaigrette
The bacon vinaigrette should be prepared just before serving, as you want the bacon oil thin and warm, not thickened from cooling. If the bacon is cooked ahead of time, simply reheat the oil and finish the dressing. It only takes about 2 minutes once the bacon is cooked.
Ingredients
3–4 bacon strips
¼ cup diced onion
1-2 tb balsamic vinegar (I used white)
Place the bacon and onions in a cold sauté pan. Heat over low. The idea is to cook low and slow to produce plenty of bacon oil. Cook until almost crispy.
Once cooked, strain just the bacon oil into a small bowl using a strainer. Keep the bacon and set aside.
Slowly drizzle in 1 tablespoon of vinegar into the bacon oil while stirring with a fork or whisk until it emulsifies or thickens. Do not add any more vinegar once it has thickened. Add the warm bacon dressing to the salad. Toss to coat the lettuce and onions. Crumble a strip of bacon into the salad if you like, toss again, add the cherries, then top with the pecans and it is ready to serve.
Part 2: HOTLOGIC Contents to Prepare
Once the contents are cooked, take the beans from the HOTLOGIC and purée using either a blender or a hand held blender. You want the consistency of paste. If it is a little thick, thin with the reserved bean liquid.
To Plate
To each plate, add a couple tablespoons to ¼ cup bean purée to one side of the plate. Place one duck breast on top of the purée. Add half the cherry salad on the other side of the dish. Add the pecans if you have not already and serve.
Oh am I ever excited for you to try. Enjoy!
The duck and bean purée freeze and reheat really well. What a wonderful leftover on a cold busy hectic day. Now think about fueling your body with healthy food.
Thank you for watching.
~Karen
*The HOTLOGIC code HEALTHYGUT is an affiliate link. I do make a small commission when you purchase. I have been using this for almost 10 years and life is so easy because of it.
If you want to share this recipe with someone else, please do and thank you.
Have a great week,
~Karen
