Braised Duck With Green Beans Thai Style Food

BRAISED DUCK WITH GREEN OLIVES AND KUMQUATS

Steps:

• Season the duck with salt and pepper. Lightly coat the base of a large braising pan with olive oil. Lay the duck skin side down in the pan, place over medium-low heat and cook for 30 minutes. Strain off the fat and continue to cook over medium heat until the skin is dark and crisp, another 30 minutes. Transfer the duck to a plate.
• Drain all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan; add the onion and garlic. Sauté until the onion wilts. Add the wine and reduce over high heat until syrupy; add the bay leaves. Return the duck to the pan, skin side up, then pour in enough broth to cover it by two-thirds. Tuck the kumquats and olives into the broth, cover and simmer until tender, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Let the duck cool in the broth, then remove the duck, kumquats, olives, onions and bay leaves and set aside. Skim the fat from the broth, then reheat the broth, reducing by half. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Return the duck and its accompaniments to the pan to warm through. Place a piece of duck on a plate, topped with olives, kumquats, onions and sauce.

BRAISED DUCK WITH GREEN BEANS, THAI STYLE

Steps:

• Remove excess fat from duck or duck legs. Season with salt and pepper, and put in a skillet that will fit it comfortably; turn heat to medium, and cover. Check once you hear sizzling: duck should be simmering in its own fat and exuding liquid. Adjust heat to create a steady simmer.
• Once bottom browns, turn. Eventually liquid will evaporate and duck will cook in fat only; at this point, lower heat and continue to cook duck, turning once in a while, until it becomes tender, about an hour.
• Transfer duck to a plate. Pour off all but a couple of tablespoons of fat. Turn heat to medium high, and add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until it softens, about 5 minutes. Add ginger, garlic and chilies and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add beans and sugar and turn heat to high; cook, stirring occasionally, until beans begin to brown, about 5 minutes.
• Add 2 tablespoons water and nam pla or soy sauce. Put duck on top of bean mixture and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook until both beans and duck are very tender, 15 to 30 more minutes, adding a little more water if necessary to keep mixture moist. (You can prepare dish in advance up to this point; cover and set aside until ready to eat, then reheat.) Uncover and stir in lime juice; taste and adjust seasoning, then sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

'SHEPHERD'S PIE' WITH ASIAN BRAISED DUCK

Steps:

• Season the duck legs with salt and pepper. Heat a small stock pot to high. Sear the duck legs (no added oil) on both sides until brown. Remove legs and leave the rendered fat. Add the black beans, garlic and ginger and saute until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the onions and caramelize, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, shiitakes and season. Deglaze with shaoxing and reduce by 20 percent. Add the soy, sugar, thyme and duck legs and cover with water. Check for seasoning. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 1/2 hours until soft. Strain duck legs and liquid and set aside. Bring liquid back to a boil and reduce by 50 percent. Skim if necessary. When legs are cool enough to touch, remove the meat and fat. Roughly chop up this mixture and mix in the strained vegetables/aromatics. In 4 individual oval flameproof baking dishes, place duck mixture in each. Ladle a little of the reduced liquid on top and top that with the mashers. All this can be done in advance. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 30 minutes until bubbling. Change over to broiler and toast the top until brown. May serve with side salad.
• PLATING: Place baking dish on a plate with a side salad (optional). Otherwise, you can make 8 small dishes and serve as an appetizer.

THAI BRAISED DUCK WITH GREEN BEANS

Steps:

• Remove excess fat from duck or duck legs.
• Season with salt and pepper, and put in a skillet that will fit it comfortably; turn heat to medium, and cover.
• Check once you hear sizzling: duck should be simmering in its own fat and exuding liquid.
• Adjust heat to create a steady simmer.
• Once bottom browns, turn.
• Eventually liquid will evaporate and duck will cook in fat only; at this point, lower heat and continue to cook duck, turning once in a while, until it becomes tender, about an hour.
• Transfer duck to a plate.
• Pour off all but a couple of tablespoons of fat.
• Turn heat to medium high, and add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until it softens, about 5 minutes.
• Add ginger, garlic and chilies and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
• Add beans and sugar and turn heat to high; cook, stirring occasionally, until beans begin to brown, about 5 minutes.
• Add 2 tablespoons water and nam pla or soy sauce.
• Put duck on top of bean mixture and bring to a simmer.
• Cover and cook until both beans and duck are very tender, 15 to 30 more minutes, adding a little more water if necessary to keep mixture moist.
• (You can prepare dish in advance up to this point; cover and set aside until ready to eat, then reheat.) Uncover and stir in lime juice; taste and adjust seasoning, then sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

BRAISED DUCK LEGS WITH LEEKS AND GREEN OLIVES

Steps:

• Trim the excess fat from duck legs. Several hours ahead or the night before, season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate.
• Preheat the oven to 425°F.
• In an ovenproof skillet just large enough to hold the duck legs comfortably, heat the olive oil. Add the leeks and carrot. Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes. Stir in additional salt, thyme, parsley sprigs, bay leaf, and olives. Cook for 3 more minutes. Place the duck legs in the skillet, skin side down. Add to the skillet white wine and chicken broth with lemon zest.
• The liquid should be about 1 inch deep; add more liquid if needed. Raise the heat, bring to a simmer, and immediately put the skillet in the oven. After 30 minutes, take the pan from the oven and turn the legs skin side up. If necessary, pour off and reserve some of the liquid so that all the duck skin is exposed. Turn the oven down to 325°F and continue cooking for 1 to 1 1/2 hours more. The duck is done when the skin is browned and the tip of a knife slips easily in and out of the meat.
• Set the duck legs aside and pour the braising juices and vegetables into a small bowl. Allow the liquid to settle, then skim off and discard the fat. The duck legs will render a surprising amount of fat. Taste for salt and correct the seasoning if needed. If it's too thin, reduce the braising liquid to concentrate it. Pour the liquid and vegetables back into the skillet with the duck legs on top. Just before serving, return to a simmer and reheat for a few minutes.
• Variations
• · Pitted olives can be substituted, but use fewer, about 1/2 cup, and don't add them to the braise until the last 15 minutes of cooking.
• · Substitute dry sherry for half the wine.
• · Substitute dried fruit such as prunes or figs for the olives. Use red wine instead of white and add a piece of bacon or pancetta to the braise. Omit the lemon zest.
• · Substitute chicken legs for the duck legs. Reduce the cooking time by 30 minutes.

THAI-STYLE GREEN BEANS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, peanut butter and red pepper flakes; set aside. , In a small skillet, saute shallot and ginger in oil over medium heat for 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add green beans; cook and stir for 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add sauce; toss to coat. Sprinkle with cilantro and peanuts if desired.

FRENCH BEAN & DUCK THAI CURRY

Steps:

• Place a sauté pan over a low heat and add the duck breasts, skin-side down, to the dry pan. Slowly fry until the skin is brown and a lot of the fat has rendered off - this can take about 20 mins. Flip them over to seal the other side for 1 min, then remove to a board until cool enough to handle. Pour all but 2 tbsp of the fat from the pan.
• While the meat is resting, return the pan to the heat, then fry the curry paste and sugar for 1-2 mins until it becomes fragrant. Tip in the coconut milk, then fill the can with water and add this, too. Add the fish sauce, half the lime juice and the whole lime leaves, then bring to a simmer. Slice the duck breasts, then tip into the curry. Cover the pan, then simmer everything on the lowest heat for 1 hr until the duck is tender. Add the beans to the curry, then continue to cook, covered, for 10 mins until the beans are tender with a slight crunch. Taste and add more lime juice, fish sauce or sugar to season.
• Stir in the bean sprouts, cook for 1 min more, then serve with coriander, shredded lime leaves and sliced chilli, if you like, and boiled jasmine rice.

BRAISED DUCK WITH RED CURRY

Steps:

• Bone ducks and remove the skin. (You can ask a butcher to do this).
• Cut breasts in half, then into about 3 pieces across the width.
• Chop legs and thighs into about 4 pieces each.
• (Remember: You want to start with generous pieces of meat, since they will shrink when cooked. Don't worry about cleaning the tendons, since they will soften with long cooking.) Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper.
• Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over high heat.
• Brown duck on all sides, then transfer meat to a platter.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and cook shallots until well browned, about 15 minutes.
• Add garlic and ginger, increase heat to medium-high and cook about a minute, then add Thai Red Curry Paste.
• Cook, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes.
• Return duck meat to pot along with duck stock or chicken stock and cook at a slow simmer, uncovered, until meat is tender, about 40 minutes.
• With a slotted spoon, transfer meat to a platter and reserve in a warm place.
• Puree sauce in a blender and strain back into pot.
• Cook over high heat until liquid is reduced by one third.
• Stir in fish sauce, coconut milk, sugar, and lime juice, and remove from heat.
• Stir duck back into warm sauce.
• Ladle stew over Jasmine Rice.
• Garnish with remaining ingredients and serve immediately.

BRAISED DUCK WITH ONION

Steps:

• Rub duck with salt, soy sauce, brandy and garlic and marinate for 30 minutes.
• Heat oil and fry sliced onions until soft but not brown, remove. Add duck and brown all over.
• Put back onion, add water, cover and simmer for 1 hour, add marinade and simmer for 20 minutes more or until duck is tender.
• Dissolve cornstarch with a little water and add to gravy.
• Boil until gravy thickens and serve duck whole with gravy in sauce boat.

BRAISED DUCK

Steps:

• Salt and pepper the duck liberally on both sides.
• Place each half, skin side down, in a large, heavy-bottomed (preferably cast-iron) pan.
• Wedge the thyme and garlic under the skin.
• Cover the pan with its lid or with foil, and place it over low heat.
• Braise for one hour (duck should crackle and sizzle gently; skin should be golden and crisp; most fat should be rendered).
• Turn duck.
• Cover pan.
• Braise for another hour, until duck bottom is well browned and meat is quite tender.
• Remove duck to a cutting board; with a poultry shear, halve the halves.
• Place two tablespoons of the reserved fat from the pan into a clean saute pan, and heat the pan to medium high.
• Place duck pieces skin side down, and saute for 3 to 5 minutes, just until skin turns crisp and dark.
• Transfer to a dish.