Basic Duck Marinade Food

MIGHTY DUCK

Steps:

• Combine all brine ingredients in a plastic container with a lid. Place the lid on the container and shake to dissolve the salt.
• Remove the pop-up thermometer, liver, gizzards, and heart. Cut off the wings.
• Using kitchen shears, locate the spine at the base of the neck. Cut up the line of the backbone towards the neck cavity. Turn the duck and cut straight towards the rear cavity. Remove the backbone.
• Turn the duck over and cut straight down the middle of the breast bone, leaving 2 equal duck halves. To separate the legs from the breast, flip your halves over so the flesh side is facing up at you. Using a knife, make a crescent shape cut between the leg and the breast. Lay your knife flat against the skin and make 3 marks in one direction and then in the other, making an X. Make sure that you are cutting through the skin and not the meat.
• Line the inside of a plastic lexan or a pot with a zip-top bag. Place the duck quarters inside the bag, and pour the brine over the duck. Seal the bag, ensuring that all air is removed from the bag. Brine the duck for 2 to 2 1/2 hours in the refrigerator.
• Bring 1 1/2 inches to 2 inches of water to a boil in a large pot. Place a colander into the pot and line the sides of the colander with the duck. Do not stack the duck quarters on each other. Cover and turn the heat to medium low. Steam the duck for 45 minutes. Set oven to 475 degrees F. Place a large cast iron skillet into the oven.
• Remove duck pieces from steamer and place legs, skin side down, into the hot skillet. Place the skillet into the hot oven immediately and cook the leg quarters for 10 minutes. Add the breasts, skin side down, and cook for 7 more minutes or until the duck takes on a deep mahogany color and the skin is very crisp.
• Remove the duck from the skillet and rest under foil. Add the chard and the shallots to the skillet. Toss the chard in the fat until it barely wilts. Season with the sherry or balsamic vinegar.
• Serve the duck with the chard.

DUCK SAUCE

Steps:

• Place fruit in a stock pot over medium high heat. Add water, apple juice, soy sauce, apricot preserves, brown sugar, garlic powder, and dry mustard. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently to dissolve brown sugar. Reduce heat, and continue simmering for 40 minutes, or until fruit is completely soft. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
• Blend sauce in a food processor or blender until completely smooth, adjusting consistency with additional water, if desired. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.

WHOLE DUCK MARINATED IN SOY SAUCE-CILANTRO-GINGER-JALAPENO-GARLIC AND BROWN SUGAR

Steps:

• Mix together the soy sauce, ginger, sugar, garlic, jalapenos and cilantro in a large container. Submerge the ducks in the marinade and marinate in the refrigerator for 72 hours.
• Preheat charcoal embers in a gas grill, or prepare an electric grill for indirect/low heat. Remove the ducks from the marinade and spear with metal churrasco swords or large metal skewers. Cook over embers, turning frequently, for 4 hours.

BASIC DUCK MARINADE RECIPE - (4/5)

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a container with a tight fitting lid. Shake well and pour over game. Cover and refrigerate for 6 to 24 hours, turning occasionally. Before cooking, let game drain and pat dry with paper towels. This recipe yields about 1 quart.

MARINATED DUCK BREASTS

Steps:

• Place duck breasts in a glass dish with onion, carrot and thyme, "Essence", and garlic. Pour in the wine, mix, cover and marinate overnight in the fridge.
• Next day, remove meat from marinade, and drain them, preserving the marinade.
• Melt the pork fat and 2 tbsp butterover high heat and saute the breasts for five minutes each side.
• Remove and cover the breasts in a 250 degree oven, to keep them warm while you make the sauce.
• Pour off all the fat from the pan, and deglaze with Armagnac. Pour in the unstrained marinade and boil until reduced to one half its original volume.
• Strain the liquid, and bring to a boil a second time, whisking constantly and adding the butter chunks, a few at a time.
• As soon as the butter is incorporated to the sauce, pour over the breasts and serve immediately.

DUCK MARINATED IN RED WINE AND ORANGE

Steps:

• In a large freezer bag, combine wine, chili oil, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, orange juice and orange rind. Mix well and add duck breasts. Seal bag and mix again. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
• Remove duck from marinade and shake off excess liquid. Heat and lightly oil a grill, ridged skillet or heavy flat skillet. Cook duck breasts to taste, turning frequently, 10 to 15 minutes. If desired, cooked breasts may be wrapped in foil and held for 10 minutes until serving.
• To serve, thinly slice breasts diagonally and arrange on a serving plate. Pour any juices in pan or foil on top. Garnish with chives, and serve.

MARINATED PAN- ROASTED DUCK BREASTS

Steps:

• For marinade: Combine wine, soy sauce, garlic, tarragon and pepper in a shallow bowl large enough to contain both breasts side by side.
• Marinate the breasts overnight.
• Just before cooking, strain marinade liquid into saucepan.
• Heat a large saute pan without any oil.
• Score the fatty side of each breast several times.
• Pan-roast breasts, FAT-side down for about 2 minutes.
• Turn to flesh side, and cook another 10 minutes.
• Remove from saute pan to cutting board.
• At the same time as you are cooking the breasts, bring marinade to boil, adding butter and sherry.
• Boil vigorously 5 minutes or until slightly reduced and beginning to thicken.
• Slice breast thinly on the bias, away from the fat.
• Return the slices BRIEFLY to the hot saute pan to brown.
• By this I mean literally lay each slice in the pan, immediately turn it over, and remove.
• This will cook the duck medium rare.
• Serve with sauce.

BASIC ROAST DUCK BREAST

Steps:

• Score fat on duck breast in criss-cross pattern at one-inch intervals.
• Mix the five-spice powder, honey, soy sauce and lemon juice together in a dish, brush the mixture over both sides of the duck breasts and place the breasts in a dish. Cover and allow to marinate at least an hour at room temperature or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator, whichever is more convenient.
• Preheat oven to 175 degrees.
• Heat large, heavy skillet, preferably nonstick, to very hot. Remove duck breasts from marinade, reserving marinade for sauce, if desired. Place duck breasts in the skillet skin side down and sear for about two minutes, just until the skin is well browned. Remove the duck breasts from the skillet. Pour all the fat out of the skillet (reserve the fat for the sauce or other cooking, if you wish). Return the duck breasts to the skillet skin side up and cook for about a minute, just until the meat is seared.
• Transfer the duck breasts skin side up to a baking dish that will hold them in a single layer. Place in the oven for about an hour. By this time the duck breasts will be uniformly pink throughout. They can remain in the oven as long as two hours and can sit warming even longer if the oven is turned off after two hours. The recipe can also be expanded for as many duck breasts as you need.
• To serve, slice the duck breasts on an angle, into slices a quarter to a half-inch thick. Array on a platter and serve.