Apple-Fennel Duck Rillettes

1. Preparing the Apple-Fennel Duck Rillettes

• Stretch out the duck legs and thighs, feel for the joints, and cut them apart at the joint. Rub meat with sea salt and sugar. Layer pieces tightly in a bowl, cover with cling film and refrigerate for 24 hours. Turn once after 12 hours.
• Remove duck from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Heat duck fat in a pan with just enough room to hold the duck. Add meat to the fat and bring to a boil. Simmer duck pieces over low heat for about 3 hours.
• In the meantime, peel and slice garlic cloves. Clean fennel and cut them into quarters. Peel apple (optional), cut into quarters and remove seeds. Using the MaxxiMUM Continuous Shredder, coarsely grate garlic, apple and fennel and add to the pan when the duck is halfway done. Crush dried spices in a mortar and add them to the rillettes. When done cooking, the vegetables must be tender, the duck meat practically falling of the bones and the fat completely transparent.
• Rinse thyme and shake it dry, then strip the leaves from the stems and chop. Remove the duck from its fat and let it cool. Pour the fat through a strainer and set it aside. Debone the duck. With or without the skin (as you prefer), chop coarsely and mix with thyme, drained vegetables and about 500 ml duck fat. Season to taste with a little salt and pepper. Place duck rillettes in a container, cover and refrigerate for several hours until the mixture solidifies. Pour remaining fat into a screw-top jar and store in the refrigerator.
• Slice rye bread and spread duck rillettes on top. Clean spring onions, remove roots and wilted leaves, then chop them into fine rings. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper.

2. Preparing the Whole Meal Rye Bread with Three-Stage Sourdough

• Prepare the starter: Get sourdough starter from baker. In a 400 ml jar, stir together starter, one heaping tablespoon rye flour and 2 tablespoons lukewarm water and let rest in a warm place for 6 to 10 hours. As soon as the mixture begins to foam, add more rye flour and water; if the jar is full, first remove part of the mixture. (If the starter has been in the refrigerator for a long time, i.e. several weeks, it will take closer to 10 hours.)
• Prepare the soaker: In a bowl, combine 350 g coarsely-ground rye flour, 150 g sunflower seeds, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and 500 ml water and cover.
• Prepare the basic sour: In the MaxxiMUM Kitchen Machine’s mixing bowl, mix 80 g starter, 200 ml lukewarm water and 200 g whole rye flour using the dough hook attachment (transfer remaining starter to a screw-top jar and refrigerate). A water temperature of approx. 35°C is best so that the finished pre-dough temperature will be around 30°C. Cover the basic sourdough with a lid or cling film. Let it rise in the oven with the oven light on for 8 to 10 hours.
• Prepare the full sour: In the MaxxiMUM Kitchen Machine’s mixing bowl, briefly knead 500 ml lukewarm water, 500 g whole rye flour and the basic sourdough using the dough hook attachment. Let it rise in the oven for about 4 hours until the dough doubles in size.
• Knead dough:
  • Remove 1 heaping tablespoon full of sour dough, mix with 1 tablespoon rye flour and 2 tablespoons water in a clean screwtop jar and refrigerate – that will be your starter next time.
  • In the MaxxiMUM Kitchen Machine’s mixing bowl, knead together full sour dough, soaker, 250 ml lukewarm water, 36 g salt, 400 g whole rye flour and the remaining "old" starter for 10 minutes at a low setting using the dough hook attachment. Let the dough rest at room temperature (heated or summer temperature, or in a warm place at about 30°C) for 30 minutes.
  • Line two loaf tins with baking parchment paper and transfer the dough to the tins. The dough will be very moist and sticky as the bread is meant to be super moist.
  • Sprinkle with oatmeal and cover with a cloth. Loosely cover with a plastic bag and let it rise at room temperature for around 90 minutes.
• Bake bread:
  • In the meantime, preheat oven to 280°C Convection. Place a deep baking sheet directly on the oven floor and a baking stone on the bottom rack.
  • Place a second baking stone or baking sheet on the top rack. Place bread tins on the baking stone, reduce temperature to 250°C (without Convection) and pour about 200 ml water into the lower baking sheet.
  • Bake for 15 minutes, then open the oven door briefly to allow moisture to escape. Bake loaves for 40 minutes. Use the baking parchment to remove the loaves from the tins.
  • Return the loaves to the baking stone without the baking parchment, then bake for another 20 minutes until it is done. Let them cool on a wire rack.