cooking a whole duck

Penelope_Penguin

Want2BMoneySavvy wrote: »

Bargain!!!

ow, what do I do with it? Was just going to roast it, serve with roast tats etc.

But, maybe I should do peking style with pancakes? Or Slow cooked and pulled?

If anyone has any suggestions for cooking it, or for how to use the leftovers well, or can suggest any recipes for my ideas above, I'd be really grateful.

Well done :T I'd roast it How many are you serving, because unless it's just you, there may not be much by way of leftovers (not nearly so much meat on a duck as a chook).

As this has fallen from the front page of OS, I'll add it to the exisitng thread to give you more ideas.

ETA - don;t forget to save the fat; it;s the second best thing for roast potatoes.

ragz_2

Apart from stick them together to make a whole one! lol
In my recent excitement at having a chest freezer I took to filling it with random reduced things... just done an inventory as it was getting rather full and I have NO idea what to do with 2X half a duck, I have roasted duck at Christmas once, it was nice but a bit fatty and I DON'T like those pancakes you get from the Chinese though i could possibly eat crispy duck with something else if I knew how to cook it...
Any suggestions very welcome!

quintwins

we get whole duck alot, they are fatty but if your stab them with a fork and pop them in hot water before you roast them it all melts and ozzes out, saying taht i like crispy duck pancakes, i don't like the sauce tho, theres not alot of meat on duck mind, we really need 2 whole ones to feed all of us, or 1 for me and oh so it might be worth having both, for cripsy duck we just shred the roasted duck and give it a quick dry fry if we want it crispy

and well done you for buying something you wouldn't normally buy

Stephen_Leak

Personally. I'd remove the skin, and then put it and the meat in a frying pan. Then fry the meat in the fat which will come out of the skin.

Then make up some orange sauce.

babyshoes

If I am doing duck breasts (I don't see why you couldn't do the same with a half duck), I dry fry them skin side down so most of the fat comes out and crisps up the skin. Brown the other side then put in oven till cooked - it is nice a bit pink. I use some of the juices to make up a sweet and acidy sauce to cut through the fatty flavour of the meat. Last time, I used some very sour damsons from the freezer, brandy, a dash of soy sauce and brown sugar. It was a bit sickly on it's own, but worked well with the duck and the cous cous on the side.

You could use a fruity jam and a dash of balsamic if you like, or even dried fruit that has been soaked in booze. The trick is just to taste the sauce as you go along and adjust it accordingly. You want it sharp and sweet at the same time.

Alternative, an orange sauce is the traditional accompaniment for duck - again the acid of the oranges plus sweetness will cut through the fattiness nicely. No doubt a quick google will throw up lots of recipes!

If you want really crispy dry skin on a duck, pat it dry, sprinkle with a little salt and rub in, (plus a bit of ground cinnamon if you fancy - subtle but luxurious flavour!) then leave to air dry for a few hours if you can, at least a few mins if not, then if there is any more moisture on the skin pat it dry again, and roast on a grid in a fairly hot oven so the hot air can circulate underneath - alternatively (for a whole duck) tie the legs together over a rack at the top of the oven and put a tray underneath at the bottom to catch the drips of fat. (so it is basically hanging neck end down.) Turn the hot oven down to medium temp after half an hour - you don't want to burn it and dry out the meat! (I use a similar technique for pork crackling, but don't add cinnamon...)

zippychick

there are a few threads to help you

Cooking a whole duck

Duck breasts

Leftover duck

Hope those help and one of us will merge this later on

Zip

Green_eyes_3

Always do in my slow cooker. They come out perfectly.

ragz_2

Thanks everyone for all the tips, don't feel so scared of them now! Looks like I'll be needing to cook both of them at the same time if they don't have a lot of meat on. DH wanted to BBQ them but I think they are too big!

lostinrates

I roast them on a rack in a roasting dish, for the fat to go into (and keep the fat for roasting potatos etc).

I LOVE roast duck, it migh be my favourite meat. I love i cold in a salad with watercress and grapefruit, I love it hot with a real sour cherry sauce, or even kitchly, with orange. Most of all I love it simply roast and served with continental style cubed roast potatos, or chunky chips and a light jus/

sb88_2

I have a duck crown in the fridge, and I have no idea what to cook with it! Does anyone have any idea what I might put with it ?


Thanks alot

Sarah