Asian Noodles With Barbecued Duck Confit Food

ASIAN DUCK CONFIT WITH CITRUS PEA SPROUT SALAD

Steps:

• Duck Confit:
• Duck Confit: In a large bowl, mix everything together but the duck and fat. In a tall pan, line the bottom with a layer of the mixture. Place duck legs on top, then cover with another layer. Place in refrigerator overnight (24 hours). In a tall casserole or rondo, melt the duck fat. Set oven at 300 degrees. Wipe off all the mixture and place in fat. Watch carefully, you never want the fat to boil. Cook in the oven for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours, or until meat is falling off the bone. Pull from fat and serve immediately or when stored overnight, pan sear at medium heat until brown and crispy on both sides.
• Citrus Pea Sprout Salad:
• For the Citrus Pea Sprout Salad: In a small bowl, combine the juices and whisk in the oils. Season and add the herbs. Check for flavor and toss with the sprouts.
• Plating: Place a small mound of the salad on a plate and top with two duck legs.

ASIAN NOODLES WITH BARBECUED DUCK CONFIT

Steps:

• Soak noodles in cold water to cover 30 minutes.
• While noodles soak, stir together all glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Stir together all sauce ingredients in another small bowl.
• Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle.
• Blanch carrots in a small saucepan of boiling water 30 seconds, then transfer to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Return water to a boil and cook beans until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl with carrots.
• Bring a pasta pot of water to a boil.
• Meanwhile, put duck legs, skin sides up, on rack of a broiler pan, then pour 1 cup water into bottom of pan. Brush or spoon about half of glaze over skin side of duck. Roast duck until well browned, about 20 minutes.
• Turn on broiler. Brush duck with remaining glaze, then broil 3 to 4 inches from heat until skin is bubbling and lightly charred around edges, about 2 minutes more. Keep warm, covered.
• Drain noodles, then cook in boiling water 30 seconds. Reserve 1 cup cooking water and drain noodles again.
• Add hot noodles, sauce, and scallions to carrots and beans and toss with tongs until well coated with sauce, adding some of reserved cooking liquid to moisten if necessary
• Add hot noodles, sauce, and scallions to carrots and beans and toss with tongs until well coated with sauce, adding some of reserved cooking liquid to moisten if necessary

CHINESE-STYLE MOCK DUCK WITH NOODLES

Steps:

• Prepare noodles according to package directions. (Note: My udon had fairly elaborate directions involving: three boilings, the addition of cold water, a 5 minute "rest" after boiling, and a final rinse in cold water. Though this seemed overly fussy, I followed the directions exactly and was rewarded with the best home-cooked dry noodles/pasta I've ever eaten. So follow the directions for best results :-).).
• Rinse "duck" thoroughly. Dry with a paper towel and slice into bite-size pieces.
• Heat oil and black beans (smashed slightly) in a large pan on medium-high heat. Add the eggplant, zucchini, and "duck". Stir-fry for about three minutes, until vegetables start to soften.
• Add ginger, garlic, scallions, and chili flakes. Continue to stir-fry until the vegetables are cooked.
• Meanwhile combine sauce ingredients in a 2 c measuring cup, adding enough water to make a total of 3/4 cups sauce. Stir very well to incorporate cornstarch.
• Add sauce mixture to stir fry, reduce heat to medium and cook for about 3 minutes until it bubbles and thickens.
• Add cooked noodles to the pan and stir to combine. Serve hot.

CHINESE-STYLE DUCK CONFIT

Steps:

• Combine the peppercorns and salt in a heavy skillet and toast over moderate heat, stirring, until the salt turns off-white, about 5 minutes.
• Adjust the heat so the peppercorns do not burn, but expect them to smoke.
• Let the mixture cool slightly, then run through a spice grinder or food processor until you get a very fine powder.
• Sieve to get rid of any husks from the peppercorns.
• Set aside.
• Sprinkle about 1/3 (about 1 tbl.) of the pepper-salt generously over the duck legs, massaging it well into the skin.
• Save the rest of the pepper-salt for another use.
• Put the legs in a zip-lock bag or a glass container covered tightly with plastic wrap and let marinate in the fridge overnight.
• Let come to room temperature before cooking.
• Heat a large heavy casserole over moderate heat until hot enough to evaporate a bead of water on contact.
• Add 2 tbl.
• of the duck fat and swirl to glaze the bottom of the pan.
• Add the duck legs in a single layer and brown on both sides.
• Adjust the heat so the skin browns without scorching and drizzle in a bit more fat if needed.
• Remove the pot from the heat and carefully drain off any burned fat.
• Return the pot and seared duck legs to moderate heat.
• Add the duck fat and the confit seasonings.
• Nudge the legs from the bottom while the mixture comes to a gentle simmer, then adjust the heat so that the fat does not boil.
• Simmer uncovered until the duck is very tender at it's thickest part and almost falling off the bone, about 40 minutes.
• Use tongs to carefully transfer the legs to a shallow container.
• Let the fat cool until tepid, about 30 minutes, then carefully strain over the duck legs.
• Discard the solids.
• Arrange the legs so they are completely submerged in the fat, and place, uncovered, in the refrigerator.
• Once the fat congeals, cover the container tightly.
• In this state, the confit can be stored for 1 day to 2 weeks before using.
• To serve, warm the container over low heat or in a slow oven until the fat turns liquid, then remove the legs.
• Strip the legs of skin, then pull the meat from the bone in shreds.
• Discard the skin, bones and any cartilage.
• The meat is best when just taken from the bone, but you can store it in the refrigerator in shreds, just warm to room temperature before using.
• You may have to adjust the seasonings with more pepper-salt.
• The seasoned duck fat can be frozen indefinitely.
• Strain through several layers of dry cheesecloth to trap excess pepper-salt, then seal and freeze for your next batch of confit.
• On the second go-round you won't need to season the duck fat, but you will need to add 2 cups of fresh duck fat to the pot in order to cover the same amount of legs.