Duck.. How to make?

Amarante

Thu, Sep 29 2016, 1:02 pm

The trick to cooking duck successfully is that you need to render all the fat under the skin so that the skin gets crisp but you don't want to overcook the bird so that it gets dry and tough.

The easiest way is to make sure you prick the skin thoroughly so that the fat can render.

This is a recipe that is a bit more complicated but the results are worth it. The steaming and then roasting effectively renders out the fat, keeps the meat moist and gets a crisp skin.

I like Asian flavors but if you don't, you can modify the seasonings and just follow the technique. Garlic is a natural flavor for duck.

Chinatown Steamed and Roasted Duck
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Recipe By: Tyler Florence

Ingredients:

1 whole (4 to 5 pound) duck
1 tablespoon Chinese five-spice powder
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
5 slices big fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic
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.

MagentaYenta

Fri, Sep 30 2016, 4:37 pm

Cooking domestic duck is tricky. Most folks cook it too long and it gets dried out. Ducks also don't have as much meat on them as chickens so sometimes they are not worth the effort. I enjoy seared duck breast and sometimes it's best to part out the duck so that you don't over cook it but cook it in stages leaving the slices of seared breast as the center of your presentation.

A Vietnamese friend taught me how to cook a whole duck so that it will remain juicy. It requires a par boil of about 20 minutes. Then drain and dry the duck. Use your hands and fingers to release the duck skin from meat taking care not to pierce the skin. Stuff the cavity with lemongrass and garlic. Rub the outer skin with a bit of five spice powder and some salt. Roast the duck for 15 minutes at 450, reduce heat to 350 for 15 minutes. Let the duck rest before slicing. The breast will remain pink and tender and the legs done but not dry. The skin will be crispy.

Amarante

Sun, Oct 02 2016, 9:08 am

In a completely different direction, if one wanted to make an extra special cholent.

DUCK AND WHITE BEAN CHOLENT

Source: Jayne Cohen - Around the Shabbat Table

Notes are those of the cookbook author

YIELD: 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

This spoon-tender duck and creamy bean casserole is reminiscent of a fine cassoulet, to which it is no doubt related. European Jews wealthy enough to enrich their cholents—the stew that for many was the taste of Sabbath itself—with duck and goose found the lush flesh would remain succulent and tender even after the prolonged cooking from Friday afternoon to midday Saturday. Today, kosher confit d’oie (long-simmered preserved goose) is still sold in Jewish delicatessens in France for creating lavish Alsatian-style cholents.

But the lengthy, gentle braising that renders such incomparably supple meat and enchants the house with a heavenly perfume will also fade the pungent seasonings. They will need some brightening up. So just before serving, I send in a fresh infusion of flavors: brisk minced garlic, rosemary, and snappy lemon zest.

1 1⁄2 cups dried white beans (about 12 ounces) such as cannellini or great Northern, washed, picked over, soaked overnight in cold water to cover by at least 2 inches, and drained
One 41⁄2- to 51⁄2-pound fresh duck (or, if unavailable, thawed frozen), cut into eighths, wingtips, tailbone, and neck removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chopped shallots
8 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 cup dry red wine
10 to 12 pitted prunes, quartered
4 large waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters, or 6 medium, halved
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
About 6 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade, or good-quality, low-sodium purchased

FOR THE LEMON-GARLIC GARNISH

2 to 3 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons minced or pressed garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley, preferably flat-leaf
1⁄2 teaspoon salt

PLACE the beans in a very large (7- to 8-quart) Dutch oven or heavy flameproof casserole in which you will be cooking the cholent.

RESERVE the duck liver and giblets for another use. Pull off and discard as much excess fat as possible (or save for rendering—see Poultry Schmaltz). Rinse the duck pieces and thoroughly dry with paper towels.

HEAT the oil in a 10- to 12-inch heavy skillet (cast-iron is ideal), until very hot but not smoking. Working in batches, add the duck and brown on both sides over medium-high heat, beginning skin side down. Transfer the duck as it is browned to the Dutch oven or casserole. Let the browned duck rest until cool enough to handle, then remove the skin from each piece. If your cholesterol permits, return the skin to the skillet and fry over moderately high heat until crisp on both sides, to render out as crisp on both sides, to render out as much fat as possible (it will be a delicious flavoring for the cholent). Cut the skin into small bits and add to the Dutch oven or casserole. Sprinkle the skin and the duck pieces all over with salt and pepper. (If you choose not to crisp the skin, simply discard it.)

REMOVE all but 1 tablespoon of the fat remaining in the skillet and discard or reserve it for another use. Add the shallots and sauté over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking for 3 minutes, or until golden. Transfer the mixture to the Dutch oven.

ADD the wine and prunes to the skillet and turn the heat up to high, scraping up all the browned bits with a wooden spoon. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half, then transfer the mixture to the Dutch oven.

PREHEAT the oven to 200°F. Add the potatoes to the Dutch oven, sprinkle the herbs, orange zest, and salt and pepper to taste over all, and combine well. Add 6 cups broth—it should just cover all of the ingredients; if necessary, add a bit more. Bring to a gentle boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. Cover very tightly with foil and the lid. Transfer to the oven and bake undisturbed for at least 8 hours, or overnight.