Food & Wine: recipes to pair with The Woodhouse Wine Estates wines

Did you know that each month The Woodhouse Wine Estates features a recipe to pair with one of their fabulous wines!  This month’s featured recipe is perfect for Spring and pairs beautifully with their 2008 MAGHEE MERLOT.

Duck Confit Salad by The Stumbling Goat  Chef Josh Theilen 
(makes 12 servings)

Ingredients
4 duck confit legs
3 cups Rockridge raspberry vinaigrette
1 pint fresh berries
2 cups toasted Holmquist hazelnuts
Fresh spinach

Vinaigrette:
1 cup Rockridge Raspberry Vinegar
2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot
Salt and pepper to taste

Quatre Epices French four spice blend:
1 heaping Tbsp black peppercorns
2 tsp whole cloves
2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger

Instructions
1) To Make vinaigrette: Blend vinegar and shallot in blender. Add olive oil in a steady stream to shallot and vinegar mixture, continue to blend until fully incorporated.
2) Grind the peppercorns and cloves together in a spice grinder or coffee mill. Remove to a bowl and add nutmeg and ginger. Mix thoroughly. Season duck leg with Quatre Epices mix and salt let stand refrigerated over night.
3) Heat duck fat, cover legs with fat and cook for 2 ½- 3 hours in 275 degree oven or until meat is easily pulled from the bone.
4) Remove all skin and bones from duck meat. Heat the duck meat in the vinaigrette over stove, when hot add berries, and remove from heat. Add greens and toss, plate immediately, topping with toasted hazelnuts.

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