How to cook duck? | Imamother

busydev

Wed, Sep 07 2011, 4:01 pm

Dh decided that he wants to have duck for rosh hashana.

I dunno how to cook it and neither does he. He thinks that since its generally a fatty bird, he can just stuck it in the oven on 350 for a few hours in a roasting pan/rack and that it should be fine. No spices etc needed since it will have flavor from the fat and it shouldnt really dry out again due to its natural juices and fat.

I say maybe... but better safe then sorry. (that would be great- spend the money and then not even like it...)

Does anyone have any tried and true recipes for duck? nothing complicated- or in any case not a very complicated recipe.

TIA! we hope to enjoy it!!

morah

Wed, Sep 07 2011, 4:32 pm

Kosher By Design Entertains has a duck recipe (never tried it). I have never roasted a whole duck, but I have seared duck in a pan. The key is to score it (but not too deeply) and then sear it fat-side first to render out the fat, then do the other side in the rendered fat (nice crispy skin- yum!) Yes, it's very flavorful, but you will still want a sauce to go with it. Anything citrus-y should be good.
One of the nice things about duck is that the fat makes it all 'dark meat', even the white meat parts.

Mrs Bissli

Wed, Sep 07 2011, 4:58 pm

The most important part is how to drain off all the fat under the skin so that the skin comes out nicely browned and crispy. I've done the whole Donald (or was it Daisy) only once, but you basically wash the bird inside and out well, pat dry well with paper towel, rub salt on the skin (not inside), AND PRICK THE SKIN WITH SKEWERS OR FORKS REALLY THOROUGH all over the place.

Agree you'll need a bit more robust flavouring than the chicken. I think I used some kind of soysauce glaze with a bit of honey, orange juice and grated ginger. Most book advise you do the above prep the night before and let it marinate, but didn't, let it rest in marinade for about an hour.

Another thing--you'll be amazed how much fat it yield during the cooking. Roast uncovered, the same temp as roast chicken. Check then pan after 40min or so and if necessary drain off fat. I think some people may keep fat for cooking potatoes or other things, but I don't keep it. Just pour into container or let it absorb in old newspaper/rag/paper towels so it doesn't get messy afterwards. Baste with additional marinade as needed.

As in other whole roast, let it rest after done for half an hour before carving

ally

Wed, Sep 07 2011, 5:13 pm

The kosher palette (I think) has a raspberry duck which is awesome.
Its a little bit of a pain.

There they recommend boiling the duck for a little bit and then letting it drip overnight to get rid of some of the fat

nylon

Thu, Sep 08 2011, 8:41 am

I love duck. If it were easier to get we'd have it more often.

I've tried multiple roasting methods and if you have an oven free for this, it's the best method. Prick the duck all over and put it on a rack. Season with salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to 300. Roast for 4 hours, draining the fat periodically. Turn up to 350 and roast another hour. This renders all the fat and makes the meat tender and the skin crisp. The Chinese method of boiling or steaming, then roasting, works but it makes a mess. (I've also seen a method using a hair dryer, which I have never tried!)

I prefer to serve a sauce on the side for a whole duck because glazing gets messy. If you like sweeter sauces, any fruit with some acid goes with duck--orange and cherry are classics.

culinaryk

Thu, Sep 08 2011, 9:38 am

I love duck (and so does my family). Here is my all time favorite recipes. Just remember that if presentation is important to you, it is hard to carve nicely and you also dont get so much out of one duck.

1 Frozen Duck
10 Garlic Cloves
10 Shallots
1/2 Orange
1/2 Apple
1/2 Jar Duck Sauce
1/2 cup/s Orange Juice

Preparation
Peel shallots and garlic and put on the bottom of a large roasting pan (can use more if you want). Put a tray with holes on top of the shallots and garlic (not touching it, just on the sides of the pan). Put the duck on the tray (it should not touch the bottom of the roaster pan). Put the 1/2 apple and 1/2 orange inside the duck and spice according to taste ( lots of garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and little salt). Put the cover on top of the duck and bake at 350F for about 1 hour. Pour the duck sauce on top and th orange juice and bake for another 45 minutes uncovered. Discard the apple and orange from inside the duck and cut and serve as desired.

Mrs Bissli

Thu, Sep 08 2011, 11:24 am

Agree roasted duck doesn't carve as beautifully as roasted chicken or turkey.
The best way is to HACK the whole bird into more manageable pieces with a cleaver.

Even if it gets a bit messy, save all the bits of meat and crispy skin--you can make Peking-duck style wrap. Also save the carcases and bony bits--they make great broth, just like that turkey frame soup post Thanksiving.

nylon, do you save the fat? What do you do with it?

nylon

Thu, Sep 08 2011, 3:51 pm

I save the fat and use it for roasting potatoes (the English way--parboiled and then toss them in the tray with the preheated fat). They come out really crispy and delicious. You get quite a lot of fat off one duck and it keeps for a while.

I also just joint the duck. As people say--you don't get as much off a duck as you'd think from a 5-6 lb bird. It will feed usually 2-3 people unless you stretch the meat.

Now, if I ever saw a kosher goose... (my in-laws do not keep kosher and my MIL makes roast goose, which my DH would love to eat again)

busydev

Mon, Sep 12 2011, 2:57 pm

Thanks so much e/o for your tips and recipes.

we figure that the duck should last us a couple meals since its just dh and myself for all but one meal and with all the other side dishes and courses that we make for yom tov- we generally dont eat THAT much of the main LOL

(like a 3 lb roast usually lasts us 3-4 meals)

if anyone else has any ideas/tips/recipes I would appreciate them!! TIA