Reunion Island Vanilla Duck

     Bonzour! And Welcome back to the Reunion Islands. After Eat the World headed there I knew I was going back and I'm so excited that I did. I have been ordering tons and tons of vanilla beans from Indri Vanilla's co-op side and I am in love! I highly recommend you join. They order vanilla beans in bulk directly from the grower. YOu can course beans from all over the world to try all the unique flavor profiles, they are much cheaper than in stores AND all while ensuring they pay the growers a fair price for a liveable wage. I served this dish with a quick pickled cabbage salad and rice. 

4 duck breasts, cut into cubes

3 vanilla pods

2 large onions, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

5 tomatoes

1/2 tsp. thyme

1 tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. salt

3 Tbsp oil

Cooked rice, to serve

Cut the tomatoes into quarters and place in a food processor until chopped really well but not completely pureed. 

Slit the vanilla pods open and scrape the vanilla seeds from the inside of the pod. Cut the pods into 1-inch pieces and place the flecks and the pods in 1 cup of water and microwave for 3 minutes. Make sure the dish you use is big enough that when the water boils it doesn't boil over and you lose all the lovely vanilla water. I say lovely, which refers to taste, it will be kind of a greyish color at this point. That is normal. 

Heat the oil in the bottom of a large instant pot. Add the duck in batches, browning on both sides. remove from the pan and add more duck, until all of the pieces are cooked. Keep the removed duck warm. 

Add the onions. Cook, slowly, until caramelized, about 20 minutes. Add the garlic and turmeric and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, thyme, and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until the tomatoes are cooked and reduced by half, and thickened some. 

Add the duck to the pans and stir to coat. Cook for 30 seconds or so to make sure they are coated and add the vanilla water along with the pods. 

Add the lid to the instant pot and set it to high pressure for 40 minutes. Quick-release and check the duck for tenderness, it should be fall-apart tender by that point. Serve with rice.