Duck--pls share your favourite recipe

Mrs Bissli

Mon, Dec 21 2015, 4:49 am

I very much prefer working if fresh (not frozen) ducks, which tend to appear around Chanuka time and Pesach time, though I'm sure I can request from a number of butchers here. I usually ask them to cut/separate it into breast pieces and leg pieces. I would love to get hold of liver (kashered) but no success, not sure where it goes.

The best part is breast fillet, score the skin side, salt & pepper, pan-fry with skin side down till the skin gets crispy and all fats come out, keep it while it's still a bit rose in the middle. Let rest for 10-15min, slice and serve.

As for the rest of including the leggs, I find this bit sinewey. The only way I know is to salt and pepper, marinate overnight with a tablespoon of cognac or sherry, slow cook in an oven in its own fat for several hours with a quartered onion and sage, let cool and shred or make into rillette or pate.

I don't like to keep fats, think it's rather unhealthy but know some people use it for roasting potatoes. I save skins and make cracklings (which you can use as salad or mashed potato toppings).

I save bones (with some bits still sticking) and use it to make stock. It's very rich flavour and comes out clean. You can serve with noodles or add to chicken soup.

Overall it's not cheap but I think you get a lot of delish items out of a single bird.

On a side note, we had friends visiting from Israel who LOVED duck dishes--they said they never saw duck except for chinese restaurant. Are ducks not available in Israel (which I find it hard to believe, maybe they don't know where to look for)?

MiracleMama

Mon, Dec 21 2015, 7:04 am

Mrs Bissli wrote:

On a side note, we had friends visiting from Israel who LOVED duck dishes--they said they never saw duck except for chinese restaurant. Are ducks not available in Israel (which I find it hard to believe, maybe they don't know where to look for)?

Ducks are hardly available here in FL. All the butchers have a couple in the freezer, always whole birds and always look like they've been in there for months, covered in frost.

I order boneless breasts online and have shipped and prepare as you do. I have saved the rendered fat and used it for potatoes. Honestly, didn't find it to be any better than when I use coconut oil, but might as well save and use rather than toss.

I haven't made the legs - other than the couple times I made a whole bird - because I think it would be too gamey for my kids. When I did the whole bird I marinated in red miso paste mixed with freshly ground ginger and garlic, a bit of honey and a bit of apple cider vinegar.

By the way, growing up my mother never made duck and I had no clue what to do with it. Youtube is an amazing source for this sort of thing, where reading a recipe alone just isn't as helpful as seeing the techniques done.

Amarante

Mon, Dec 21 2015, 8:52 am

My Bubbe made the most delicious duck prepared simply with scored skin so fat was rendered and lots of garlic.

I never had luck with duck until I discovered Tyler Florence's recipe. The method is also recommended by Alton Brown. You marinate the duck and then steam on the stove which means tenting under tin foil with lots of liquid at the bottom. You then finish it in the oven to roast so the skin crisps up. This produces a fabulous result since the steaming enables the duck to be cooked long enough without drying out.

Tyler's recipe is made with an Asian flavors as it is meant to replicate the kind of ducks you see in Chinese delis which are hung by their necks. Those ducks are blown up and left to dry before cooking which is a difficult technique for a home cook.

I love Asian flavors and I absolutely love this dish. I could probably eat the whole thing although I was polite and so two people ate with enough left over for duck fried rice. Lol. If you don't like Asian flavors, you could adopt the technique to your own taste by subbing your spices for the rub and putting in your own choice of aromatics in the cavity and then creating your own basting liquid for the basting part but I LOVE Chinese food so this is absolutely perfect taste for me.

Chinatown Steamed and Roasted Duck

Yield:2 to 4 servings

Ingredients

1 whole (4 to 5 pound) duck
1 tablespoon Chinese five-spice powder
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
5 big slices fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves
1/2 bunch green onions
1 tangerine,peel cut in big strips
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce

Directions

Duck is notoriously a fatty bird, to diminish the fat and produce a crispy skin, begin by trimming the excess fat from the neck and body. Rinse the duck, inside and out, and pat dry thoroughly with paper towels. Combine the Chinese five-spice, sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the duck, inside and out. Salt and five-spice powder makes a fragrant dry marinade, which draws some of the moisture from the duck so that the spices penetrate. Stuff the duck cavity with the aromatics: the ginger, garlic, green onions, and tangerine peel. Fold the wing tips back under the duck and tie the legs together with kitchen string. Poke the duck breast a few times, piercing the skin.

Place a roasting pan on the stovetop over 2 burners and fill with 2-inches of water, turn the heat to medium. Set a V-rack insert inside the pan and lay the duck on the rack, breast-side up. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Steam the duck for 45 minutes, checking the water level periodically. Steaming the duck first melts away some of the fat and shrinks the skin.

In a small saucepan combine the vinegar, honey, and soy sauce over low heat. Cook and stir for 5 minutes until thick. The duck will be lacquered with the sweet glaze, which caramelizes during roasting, making the skin crisp and brown.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Take the foil off the duck, remove the rack with the duck, and pour out the water and all the fat that has rendered out (this is great to use in other dishes like fried rice.) Put the rack with the duck back inside the roasting pan. Baste the duck with the vinegar mixture, until all the skin is completely coated in the glaze. Stick the whole thing in the oven. Roast the duck for 1 hour, basting periodically with any remaining glaze to set in a deep mahogany color. Tent the breast with some foil if it gets too dark. The legs will wiggle easily when it's done. Carve and serve.

Amarante

Mon, Dec 21 2015, 2:16 pm

Mrs Bissli wrote:

Thanks for sharing the recipes. I'm interested in trying the Asian flavour steam-roast method. Whould duck come out with much fat or would it drip during the steaming? What do you do with the fat, not sure star-anise/honey ginger flavoured fat would go well with roasted potato?

It loses the fat during steaming and then additionally when roasting when the skin crisps and absorbs the basting. Which is why the method is so genius. The fat leaves the duck but the long cooking with steam and then roasting doesn't toughen the meat but creates succulent but not fatty result and then you crisp up by roasting. With traditional method of just roasting, it's hard to get rid of fa and not wi d up with a dry tough result.

I never tried using the fat from the pan but the favors are good. I just never wanted to deal with separating and skimming.

Rice is more traditional than potatoes. One could also get the little pancakes that are used for Peking Duck if one wanted to be traditional.

There is a recipe that goes along with it for the leftovers to use in Duck Fried Rice.

ETA If you needed to use the fat, it would work well with any other Asian food or stir fry. Why not Chinese mashed potatoes for the ultimate fusion cuisine. Or Asian Yorkshire Pudding. :-)

Last edited by Amarante on Mon, Dec 21 2015, 2:33 pm; edited 3 times in total

Amarante

Mon, Dec 21 2015, 2:24 pm

I actually managed to show restraint and have some left over duck and made this. It was excellent. Like all fried rice, you need to use cold rice so make rice a day ahead which is a great way to use leftover rice. Frozen rice works well of course.

Duck Fried Rice with Napa Cabbage
Recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence

Yield:4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

5 tablespoons peanut oil
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 -inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 small head Napa cabbage, cored and chopped
1 (8-ounce) can straw mushrooms, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup frozen peas, run under cool water for 2 minutes to thaw
1 generous pinch kosher salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 pint cooked long-grain white rice
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 cup cooked duck meat, cut in pieces
Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions

Heat 3 tablespoons of the peanut oil in a wok or large non-stick skillet over medium-high flame. Give the oil a minute to heat up, then add the shallots, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes; stir-fry for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the cabbage, mushrooms, and peas, stir-fry until the cabbage is wilted and soft, about 8 minutes; season with a nice pinch of salt. Remove the vegetables to a side platter and wipe out the wok.

Put the pan back on the heat and coat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. When the oil is hot, pour the eggs into the center of the pan. Scramble the egg lightly, then let it set without stirring so it stays in big pieces. Fold in the rice and toss with the egg to combined well, breaking up the rice clumps with the back of a spatula. Return the sauteed vegetables to the pan and moisten with the soy sauce. Toss everything together to heat through and season again with salt. Spoon the fried rice out onto a serving platter, lay the pieces of duck on top and garnish with cilantro.

MagentaYenta

Mon, Dec 21 2015, 2:31 pm

Mrs Bissli wrote:

Oh my, I think duck and goose fat are much better tasting than chicken fat. A ginger anise honey imbued fat is perfect for roasted sweet potatoes or just with tiny roast fingerlings. I once had a Danish potato dish that was pan fried whole new potatoes with caramelized sugar. They were served with a salt crusted brisket and the flavor was astounding. Ya never know until you try something.