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MOCK DUCK

The Scandinavian Kitchen
by Camilla Plum
We have a lot of mock animal dishes in Scandinavia, made from cheaper ingredients than the original. The recipe is simple, children love it, and I do not feel the least sorry for the mock duck—a pork tenderloin filled with prunes in winter, parsley in summer. As with all extremely simple dishes, the ingredients have to be perfect: juicy Agen prunes, organic pork, and a really good hard cider. You can substitute the hard cider with beer and have a more grown-up, less sweet sauce. Serve the "duck" with potatoes and a celery and apple salad in winter, new potatoes and rhubarb compote in summer.
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 12 Agen prunes (pits in) or 1 large bunch of parsley
• 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons hard cider
• 1 large apple (suitable cooking variety)
• 1 large pork tenderloin, or 2 smaller ones
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• Coarse sea salt and black pepper
• 1/2 stick butter, for frying
• 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons tamari (Japanese soy sauce)
• 3 tablespoons chopped parsley, to serve
 

DIRECTIONS

Soak the prunes in the hard cider for 6-8 hours, then remove the pits. Cut the apple up, remove the core, then slice with the peel on.

Make a deep incision lengthwise along the tenderloin, and flatten the meat on a board, with the inside up. Arrange the prunes (or parsley), apple pieces, and thyme along the middle, and reserve the cider. Season, then tie up the meat with cotton string to form a fat sausage. Rub the meat with black pepper on the outside as well.

Melt the butter in a skillet and brown the meat on all sides, before turning down the heat to a simmer. After 15 minutes, pour in the hard cider and cream and reduce for the next 5 minutes. Season with the tamari and the "duck" is ready. Serve it sliced, scattered with the parsley.

TIP: You can rub the meat with garlic as well as black pepper if you wish.