Duck: The Topic

[SobaAddict70]

Not that 's there is anything wrong with Cantonese roast duck, but I think you can do better. Sichuan roast duck is great too. (I won't even bother you with Peking/Beijing. duck Done well, it is wonderful. Usually it isn't done well, especially in Beijing. Too many tourist clip joints.).

 

But I think China's best duck dishes aren't the roasts. Braised in a hundred ways. Hunan braised duck is to die for. I regularly ate Hunan duck hotpot when I lived there in the 1990s.I still wake up at night craving it.

 

Round here beer duck is a favourite. Its what it says on the label. Duck cooked in beer - with the usual Chinese aromatics, garlic ginger and chill peppers.

 

Duck of choice round here is the Pekin duck (note; that is a species of duck, not the famous duck dish, although the Pekin duck is used for Peking/Beijing Duck.Confused yet? A little 'g' can make a huge difference in Chinese. That's one reason why they don't use an alphabet)

I could probably get Sichuan roast duck if I knew which restaurants had them in NYC's (Manhattan) Chinatown. I put Manhattan in parentheses because the City has two other Chinatowns, one in Queens and a less well-known nabe in Brooklyn.

The one I'm referring to is predominantly (or maybe "was" is the operative word now) Cantonese, but seems to be majority Fuzhounese these days with a Cantonese minority.

Most of the restaurants I'm familiar with are Cantonese though, and so those are the ones I go to.

[Shalmanese]

I just made duck last night and it was great. I think I've discovered my favorite way of making duck legs.

 

The bones were made into a stock with ginger, garlic, leek greens and spring onions. The legs were briefly blanched in the stock, chilled in ice water, pricked all over the skin with a fork and then marinated in soy, honey, star anise and coriander. Legs went into a low oven (250F), covered for a few hours while the stock was cooking.

 

After taking out and cooling the legs, the juice that was rendered out was defatted, combined with more soy and honey and reduced down into a glaze while the stock was fortified with some salt and soy. The legs were then put under the broiler and periodically glazed until the outside was sticky and well browned.

 

Into the soup went bok choy, rice noodles and cilantro. Put some soup in a bowl, top with chopped up pieces of glazed duck and it was heaven.

 

The breasts, I made a pasta sauce from kale & leeks sauteed in duck fat, some white wine, reduced duck stock, garlic, cream, a bit of lemon juice, pureed until smooth. Mixed with fettuccine & duck cracklings with pan seared duck breasts on top was also fabulous.

[heidih]

Not where I am. Never heard of them.

 

 It is the same duck - the Pekin flock imported from China began in Long Island New York - the big white ones.

[Smithy]

Oh, I'm going to search hard for duck around here; there are too many tempting treatments all of a sudden.

Shelby, do you make stock from the rest?

[Smithy]

It is the same duck - the Pekin flock imported from China began in Long Island New York - the big white ones.

Muscovy ducks also have multiple names, don't they? I seem to have read that, but don't know the synonyms.

[huiray]

I don't cook duck as often as I should.  For one, it is more expensive here in the USA, and secondly it's harder to find fresh ducks than fresh chickens.  No, I don't go shooting for wild game.

 

I frequently eat Cantonese roast duck, nevertheless.  I don't really cook it myself, I get it from the Chinese grocery store or from Chinese restaurants or from Chinese "charcuterie shops" (certainly almost always when I swing through Chicago I would do so).  Haven't had Peking Duck in a while.  I don't subscribe to the notion that roast duck MUST have crispy skin with all fat rendered out.**

 

A couple examples of my recent use of duck (parts):

http://forums.egullet.org/topic/147265-dinner-2014-part-2/page-16#entry1962535

http://forums.egullet.org/topic/147265-dinner-2014-part-2/page-19#entry1967706

which is a classic combination and, I guess, variations on Itek Tim as it would be called in Nyonya cuisine.

 

**  That Cantonese roast duck, for example, will not have crispy skin.  Ditto other styles like Tea-smoked Duck.  They may have some crispy-like texture in some cases, but not the "shatteringly-crisp" skin that some folks in other traditions might seek.  They will also have a layer of fat between the skin and the flesh, varying from slight to significant.  Peking Duck should have crispy skin, of course.  Braised duck dishes will, by default, have non-crispy skin. ;-) ) 

 

ETA: Many folks here on eG have described duck dishes using duck breasts and other duck parts, and some have also done so on this thread.  I don't see a restriction here on this thread to discussing *only* whole ducks - is there?

Edited June 16, 2014 by huiray (log)

[Shalmanese]

 

ETA: Many folks here on eG have described duck dishes using duck breasts and other duck parts, and some have also done so on this thread.  I don't see a restriction here on this thread to discussing *only* whole ducks - is there?

 

After a lot of trying, I've come to the ultimate conclusion that cooking whole duck is a fools errand. Even classic whole duck preparations like Peking Duck leave the breast overcooked and dried out.

[SobaAddict70]

And cassoulet and duck confit.

If the OP won't save duck fat, I propose he send us both some.

In fact, I could probably come up with a handful of ideas w/r/t duck fat given enough time.

For instance, I love the thought of using duck fat instead of butter when making scrambled eggs.    

Edited June 16, 2014 by SobaAddict70 (log)

[Anna N]

I would cook duck much more often if it wasn't so pricey. James Peterson has a book devoted to duck and called appropriately The Duck Cookbook! It is well worth a look. Two legs and two breasts cost me about the same as a whole duck so I will buy a whole one and cut it up myself to get the fat and stock from the carcass. For a minimal amount of work I get value for my dollar.

[Hassouni]

By coincidence, I have a duck in my freezer. Wondering whether to attempt to roast it whole (consensus seems to be "don't bother") or break it down into constituent parts....and if pursuing the latter, confit the legs, or braise them?

 

ETA, I have roasted a duck before, per Fuchsia Dunlop's recipe, which got all lacquered and nice, and not overcooked, but then hardly any fat rendered:

 

Edited June 16, 2014 by Hassouni (log)

[Smithy]

The last time I did duck - years ago - I was cooking from one of Paula Wolfert's books.  She recommended breaking it down: breasts one way, leg quarters another (I think I braised them) and wings and back for soup.  Those treatments seemed to make the best use of each constituent part, and I was happy with the results, but it didn't have the pizazz of a whole roasted duck.

[FrogPrincesse]

By coincidence, I have a duck in my freezer. Wondering whether to attempt to roast it whole (consensus seems to be "don't bother") or break it down into constituent parts....and if pursuing the latter, confit the legs, or braise them?

 

Duck might be my favorite meat. I would break it down. I like to grill the breasts (this recipe from Lucques is a favorite of mine) or cure them to make prosciutto.

The legs are great braised. I haven't tried my hand at confit yet but that's a great option if you have enough fat or if you have a sous-vide unit - I am anxiously waiting for mine, which was primarily bought with the intention of making confit!

Edited June 16, 2014 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[heidih]

I dug out my old recipe cards from duck dishes I cooked in the 80's when I first started playing with it. Two favorites:

 

- Steamed & roasted: Pricked all over. Orange slices and green onion in the cavity and salt, pepper, Szechuan peppercorns and soy sauce rubbed over exterior. Steam about hour and a half. Set on rack, pat dry and brush with mix of honey, soy & Sabra http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabra_liqueur.%C2'> at 500 and then let rest if joints not loose - in the hot oven. Skin was lovely crispy as I recall.  Served with plum sauce - I know it was not bottled and think perhaps I mixed plum jelly, soy sauce and whole grain mustard - hey I was experimenting. 

 

- Duck feast of several courses:  rich broth from the trimmings/bones with some delicate egg noodles; breast boned and marinated in cognac and madeira, peppercorns & bay overnight - then pounded and stuffed with a dry ricotta/cranberry mix and sauteed in rendered fat from the trimming & served with a simple cucumber salad; legs and thighs prepared like coq au vin - dark & gelatinous and served with rice and peas; light green simple salad to finish.

 

All odd but we liked it at the time.

[Anna N]

This "open braise" is a favourite of the Nielsen family:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Red-Wine-Braised-Duck-Legs-14324

[liuzhou]

 

For instance, I love the thought of using duck fat instead of butter when making scrambled eggs.

 

I've done it. With duck eggs. It works, although I prefer butter.

 

 I have more happily fried duck eggs in duck fat.

[Hassouni]

 I haven't tried my hand at confit yet but that's a great option if you have enough fat or if you have a sous-vide unit - I am anxiously waiting for mine, which was primarily bought with the intention of making confit!

 

Mine was bought entirely on impulse, but as I anxiously await it, I'm thinking of confit possibilities too...That said, it's been said elsewhere that a typical Long Island duck will have enough fat on it to confit the legs (what's the right French verb there, confiser?)

[huiray]

...using duck fat instead of butter when making scrambled eggs...

 

I've done it, with chicken eggs, but I do it the "quick scramble" way, not the French slow-cooked way.  I like it.

 

Or with fried rice (so the eggs are scrambled in situ) like here.  :-)

Edited June 17, 2014 by huiray (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

Mine was bought entirely on impulse, but as I anxiously await it, I'm thinking of confit possibilities too...That said, it's been said elsewhere that a typical Long Island duck will have enough fat on it to confit the legs (what's the right French verb there, confiser?)

My ears! It's confire :-)

I have a stock of duck fat that I've been collecting for a while in the freezer all ready to go for confit.

Edited June 17, 2014 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[huiray]

I have a stock of duck fat that I've been collecting for a while in the freezer all ready to go for confit.

 

I've recently started buying rendered duck fat.  In small amounts (like a ~1lb small tub-let I got, for ~$10, from my local butcher) it's relatively more expensive but in bulk it can be much cheaper.  Not the "imported from France" fancy stuff, that is.  This place is one of the lowest-priced places I've found and there are of course other places too.  (Shipping, of course, bumps up the effective cost)  Is there a place in San Diego where you can buy it in semi-bulk?

[FrogPrincesse]

It's just rendered fat that I've been collecting every time I cook duck.

[MikeMac]

I eat a lot of duck. Because I like it. It is also widely available and cheap here in China; cheaper than chicken.

 

95% of what I buy is farmed duck which I usually get directly from the farm near my country home. If I'm in the city, the local farmer's market does just as good birds.

 

Very occasionally, I will get my hands on a wild duck. They are great when they are great and miserable when they are not. The meat is very favoursome when you get a good, relatively young one, but often they are old, tired and stringy. The lack of fat doesn't help and the end result can be dry as .... No matter what one  you do to counteract the dryness.

 

Farmed duck are a lot more consistent and have enough flavour. Plus you get all that lovely fat.

This is so cool !!  I am a Canadian posting on an American web site learning from someone in CHINA!!

I consider Chinese cuisine one of the "mother cuisine's"  3.000 plus years of history in every dish.

Its a privilege to learn from you.

[liuzhou]

This is so cool !! I am a Canadian posting on an American web site learning from someone in CHINA!!

 

It's more complicated than that. You are a Canadian posting on an American web site learning from someone from the UK who has lived for 20 years in CHINA!!

 

I'm not sure it is really an American website though. Sure it is based in the US, but you'll find it is very international.

 

 

I consider Chinese cuisine one of the "mother cuisine's" 3.000 plus years of history in every dish.

 

Actually many dishes and cuisines are relatively new. Sichuan and Hunan cuisine, for example, relies heavily on the use of chilli peppers which were unknown in China until introduced from the Americas by the Portuguese about 200 years ago. So dependent are they on them today, it is all but impossible to imagine what they ate before that.

 

Similarly, corn (sweetcorn, maize whatever you call it) is massively popular but was unknown 200 years ago.

 

Ditto, pumpkin and the other squashes.

 

Of course, the traffic hasn't been all one way, as I discovered today with Long Island ducks turning out to be just a variety of Pekin duck introduced to the US from China. There are many other examples. 

Edited June 17, 2014 by liuzhou (log)

[Rico]

 

Shelby, on 13 Jun 2014 - 9:48 PM, said:

Um, the "wild stuff with no fat that has spent it's life flying" is what we eat.  

How do you find the farmed duck varies from the wild?

 

Right there with you, Shelby, though I'll occasionally buy the farmed stuff if I want the fat or am dry curing them. Seems like down here they've all already used up their fat stores by the time they arrive. I'm lucky to get any at all on them. They do make great pastrami. Each has its place; they are almost completely different different ingredients. Like beef to venison.

 

As for SV prep of the wild ones, gfweb, I've done it a few times with a decent amount of success. My favorite prep is to take them whole (each breast is maybe two ounces), dip in a little batter and throw them in the frying pan for a couple minutes.

[torolover]

I just bought a whole duck which has a label from Crescent farms.  It's labeled fresh duck, but is it really fresh or do supermarkets previously freeze these?

 

Has anyone tasted the difference between fresh duck and previously frozen duck?

 

Inside the duck comes a packet of duck heart and liver.  If it was previously frozen, is it OK to eat the heart and liver medium rare?

 

 

Thanks!

Edited November 22, 2014 by torolover (log)

[gfweb]

I bought a duck last week labeled "always fresh" that was frozen solid.  So...