5 ways with everyday DUCK

Everday DUCK :

Every few weeks or so, if I’ve had the afternoon at home, I like to poach a duck for Sunday dinner. This is not a treat, it is everyday duck. And, from the poaching I get up to 5 meals or more (more than 20 portions) which certainly makes it economical. Here’s just some of the duck recipes and ideas to get you started.

#1 Poached Duck

• For poaching the whole duck, I have many variations depending on the season: bay leaves, mirepoix (2 parts onion, 1 part carrot, 1 part celery) peppercorns and/or … white wine, lemons, oranges, fresh ginger root, juniper berries, quatre epice … endless options – photographed here with today’s flavour combination of 1 star anise, 3 cinnamon sticks, a lemon cut in half, two onions (peel on) cut in half, bay leaves and white peppercorns. I like to simmer gently in a covered pot for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Skim the scum from the surface during the first part of cooking. Baste the stock and juices over the bird throughout the cooking time.
• To serve on the Sunday, I remove the duck from the stock, rest, and for 4 people remove the 2 breasts
• Slice the breasts to serve with a variety of vegetables ( a favourite is sweet potato / kumara mash or souffle) depending on the flavours of the stock base – or – sliced in a composed salad. Or try the peach, ginger and chilli chutney as an accompaniment.

To make Duck L’orange : add the duck to the pot with white wine, freshly squeezed orange juice and halves of 2 whole oranges, bay leaves and white peppercorns. Cover and simmer gently, skim the surface during the first part of cooking, spoon the liquid over the bird to baste throughout the rest of the cooking time. Remove the duck and rest. Strain and reduce the liquid and add a tablespoon of honey to serve as a sauce. I would just serve as is but you can also baste this mixture over the duck in a hot to moderate oven for half an hour or less to finish. (If you do this reduce the poaching time slightly).

#2 Stock
• After I’ve removed the duck, I strain the stock twice (don’t season until finished dish)
• Soups (of many varieties) are the obvious first choice for a second duck dish using the stock as a base
• Other uses for stock: sauces, reduce/enrich for demiglace, add to other dishes for flavour

#3 Duck Fat
• Treasure this prize: remove the fat from the top of the stock (easiest after refrigerating overnight) – rendering for its best – How to Render Duckfat!
• Duck fat makes the best @ home potato dishes, hand cut chips, roesti and more – I’ve even enriched my mash with a little
• Or use the duck fat with some remaining meat for confit

#4 Legs Thighs and Wings

• Here are a few options for the next cut of meat – try classic confit or add directly to cassoulet
• Make a ragu (with seasonal options – for winter try fennel and orange)
• My most constant companion is risotto use the meat and the stock with a good rice and anything else that’s seasonal and takes your fancy (with peas, with sweet potato, with onions, with mushrooms, with truffles …)

#5 Remove remaining meat from the bones
Add remaining shredded meat from the carcass, as well as any leg, thigh or wing meat that is left over to many dishes such as pasta sauce (add a vegetable or two, onions and zucchini/squash for example), pasta filling, dumplings, risotto (maybe add another earthy flavour like mushroom), layered in Potatoes Anna, upmarket quesadillas, duck and noodle salad, duck fried rice, add duck to lentils (cooked in duck stock), try duck in hash browns … limitless combinations limited only by your imagination.

#6 Repeat Stock

On the first, second or third day, remove all the meat from the bones, using fresh mirepoix, roast the vegetables and bones, and make additional stock with water (and/or some wine). Be easy on yourself with stock, no need to remove onion skins, or peel carrots – just rough chop. Tomato peelings are another stockpot addition which will enhance flavour. This second stock may need to be reduced and will be lighter in flavour.

Now I’m not proposing you eat duck every day for a week! Refrigerate, freeze, and otherwise (safely) preserve the duck meat, stock, and fat for later use. The duck fat will keep well for a long time in a sealed jar in the refrigerator. (I’ve always used it all up before too long though). My hint for stock is freeze the stock in icecube trays and then store the frozen stock cubes in a sealed airtight container in the freezer for portion size convenience.

This week’s everyday DUCK was supplied courtesy of the Game Farm.