Four recipes for a more flavorful fall

Ale and Apple Duck Banderillas with Praline Bacon and Apple Hoisin Sauce

From: Chef/owner Andrea Spring, Sign of the Mermaid, Anna Maria, FL. This recipe earned Grand Prize honors in the 2012 Maple Leaf Farms Chef Recipe Contest.
Yield: 4 servings.

8 slices layout-style bacon

Marinade:
¼ cup dark ale
¼ cup apple butter
2 Tbsp. teriyaki
2 Tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. light brown sugar
½ tsp. seasoned salt (adobo, cachere, etc.)
½ tsp. ground black pepper
½ tsp. granulated garlic

2 Maple Leaf Farms Raw Duck Breasts (10 to 12 oz.)

Apple Hoisin Sauce:
½ cup orange marmalade
1/3 cup hoisin
½ cup apple butter
3 Tbsp. teriyaki
1 Tbsp. honey
2 tsp. seasoned rice vinegar
½ tsp. red pepper flakes

8 6” bamboo skewers
8 tsp. light brown sugar
3 Tbsp. pecans, finely chopped

To par cook bacon: Preheat oven to 400°F. Lay bacon out flat on half sheet pan. Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

For ale and apple marinade: Mix all ingredients. Set aside. Remove skin from duck breasts. Cut each breast into 8 equal cubes. Add breasts to marinade and marinate for 1½ hours.

For apple hoisin sauce: Mix all seven ingredients well and set aside.

To finish: Preheat oven to 324°F. Cut bacon strips in half. Remove duck pieces from marinade and wrap one piece with half piece of bacon. Skewer the piece and repeat with another piece. Each skewer should have two pieces. Repeat process with the rest of the pieces. Lay on half sheet pan. Rub 1 tsp. brown sugar onto one side of each skewer and sprinkle the nuts evenly over the sugar on each skewer. Bake at 325°F for 20 minutes. Bacon will crisp a bit as it cools. Serve the eight skewers, two per person, on a large plate with the sauce for dipping.

PHOTO: Maple Leaf Farms