Posted: 12/17/2016 11:35:05 AM EDT
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Hi,
It's been 15 years or so since I made duck... sad, I know. Anyway, was thinking about doing one for Christmas Dinner. The last one I did was an herb roasted one of sorts I don't really remember. Any recipes that are straight forward and more on the simple side? Tips too would be great. Other than chicken, my poultry experience is pretty shallow. Thanks |
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don't overcook it. i do a pan roasted duck breast that seems to be fairly popular. Â filet the whole breasts off the carcass, season w/ salt, pepper, maybe a little garlic, rosemary, thyme, whatever. using a very sharp knife, lay it flat on the skin side of a breast and make long shallow cuts into the fat just under the skin, several of them. the idea is to allow the rendered fat to escape as you are cooking the breasts, dry the breasts thoroughly, get a cast or carbon steel skillet pretty hot, throuw in a tsp of oil and cook the breasts skin side down until the fat renders and the skin browns. when this happens, flip them over, still over high heat and lightly brown the second side, remove from heat and place in a 350 deg. over to finish cooking. i shoot for 135 deg in the center, but i like my duck a little more toward rare. if you let it get to 150, you should be slapped. remove from oven, let rest, for a few minutes, slice on the bias and serve. if you've done it right, you shouldn't need a sauce.
save the rendered fat and use to season other dishes; drizzled over crisp fries is pretty good. you can make a pan sauce, if you want, but the duck fat is liquid gold. as for the thighs and legs, confit them and fry in duck fat. confit you can also use them in tacos, but by all means, be sure to crisp the skin.crispy duck skin is, i'm sure, one of the 7 deadlies, but it is worth it. we also use the carcass in stock, makes a fine demiglace. the above methods work equally well for mallards and other wild ducks. they don't usually have as much fat, but i think the meat is a little tastier and the confit is better |
pan-roasted duck with a pair of pan sauces, roast herbed taters, with one of the pan sauces, brussels sprouts with a chicken/veggie stock reduction, grated parm and a slight balsamic reduction drizzle and my first jello salad, which i'd forgot to take to my mothers the other day. duck breasts were filetted off the carcass earlier today. skin was slightly scored to allow for better rendering of the fat, seasoned, browned skin side down in a hot skillet until crisp, then flipped over and finished in 400 deg. oven until an internal temp of 140. didn't take long. remove, allow to rest, carve on the bias. use any drippings in your pan sauce. enjoy. the carcass was used to make stock, the wings and thighs/legs are going for confit, made pate with the innards. |
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Quoted:
http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/a533/rwilkins01/duck%20dinner_zpsofaa42iq.jpg pan-roasted duck with a pair of pan sauces, roast herbed taters, with one of the pan sauces, brussels sprouts with a chicken/veggie stock reduction, grated parm and a slight balsamic reduction drizzle and my first jello salad, which i'd forgot to take to my mothers the other day. duck breasts were filetted off the carcass earlier today. skin was slightly scored to allow for better rendering of the fat, seasoned, browned skin side down in a hot skillet until crisp, then flipped over and finished in 400 deg. oven until an internal temp of 140. didn't take long. remove, allow to rest, carve on the bias. use any drippings in your pan sauce. enjoy. the carcass was used to make stock, the wings and thighs/legs are going for confit, made pate with the innards. We need details on the pan sauces please. And Duck stock fucking rules! |
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Quoted:
We need details on the pan sauces please. And Duck stock fucking rules! i like using the microwave to wake up the dried peppers, much harder to scorch. ETA: I also added a little light chestnut roux to both pan sauces. Also, here is some photographic proof of tamale goodness: 
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There will be pics.
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The one time I ever cooked duck, it turned out amazing, but I'll be damned if I can tell you what I did because it was a whole string of fuck-ups.
Think I started out with a slow roasting...knew I wanted a crispy skin, so there was definitely some oil involved...I think at one point I quartered it an pan-fried it..at least 2 other steps in there before I said fuck it, it's ruined, and wrapped it in foil and threw it in the warming oven with some other stuff for a few hours. Forgot about it, and when we finally opened it, it was amazing...crispy, crackly skin, tender meat, great flavor. |