Crispy Duck Crown With Bigarade Sauce Food

CRISPY DUCK CROWN WITH BIGARADE SAUCE

Steps:

• Pare the zest from the lemon and two of the oranges and set aside. Squeeze the juice from the lemon and all the oranges and set aside.
• Place the sugar and wine vinegar into a fairly deep frying pan and allow to dissolve over a low heat. Turn up the heat a little and continue to cook until you have a deep golden caramel.
• Heat another frying pan, add a splash of rapeseed oil and quickly brown the duck wings. As soon as the vinegar syrup has formed a caramel, add the citrus juice together with the browned duck wings. Continue to cook for a few minutes giving the pan a good shake before pouring into the stock. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer gently for 45 minutes - skimming the surface as necessary to remove any scum.
• Meanwhile, cut the citrus zests into fine julienne, add to a pan of boiling water and blanch for one minute before draining thoroughly.
• Pass the sauce through a fine sieve into a clean pan and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the zests and the sauce is ready to serve.
• Place the honey and a pinch of salt into a saucepan with four tbsp of water. Bring to the boil and then turn off the heat (don't reduce the liquid otherwise the glaze will become too syrupy and might burn).
• Paint the glaze over the duck crowns and set aside for 20 minutes.
• When ready to cook, pre-heat the oven to 200°C/Gas mark 6. Place the duck crowns breast side up on a rack in a roasting tin and roast in the pre-heated oven for 10 minutes before lowering the temperature to 180°C /Gas mark 4. Continue to roast for a further 30 minutes until the skin is crisp and deep golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes before carving.

CRISPY DUCK

Steps:

• To make the marinade: Place the star anise, grated ginger, rice wine, peppercorns, salt, dark soy sauce, and light soy sauce, into a bowl, and stir to combine.
• Add the duck breasts to the marinade, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and leave to marinate for 20 minutes.
• Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F.
• Heat a wok or pan over a high heat, and add the groundnut oil. Remove the duck from the marinade and place the duck into the hot wok or pan, skin-side down, and fry until the skin is brown and crisp, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the duck to a sheet pan, skin-side up, and roast in the oven for 3 to 4 minutes, depending on how well done you would like your duck to be. While the duck is in the oven, prepare the apricot and plum sauce
• To make the sauce: Pour the water into a small saucepan, and bring to a boil. Add the plums, apricots, sugar, honey, cinnamon, star anise, and cook until the mixture has reduced to a sticky sauce. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the lime juice.
• To serve, place a duck breast onto a plate, pour over the sauce and serve with a salad.

CRISP-TENDER ROAST DUCK WITH CHERRY-ROSEMARY SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Rinse the duck inside and out and pat dry. Trim any excess fat from the neck and cavity, snip off wingtips and discard. Mix 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl, and sprinkle the bird inside and out. Using a paring knife, make dozens of slits through the skin and fat (taking care not to pierce the meat) all over both sides and all parts of the bird.
• Put the duck breast-side up on a rack in a roasting pan and roast for 1 hour. Take the bird out of the oven, transfer to a platter and carefully drain the fat from the pan into a measuring cup (you'll end up getting 2 to 3 cups). Return the duck to the pan, prick with the knife again, turn it breast-side down and roast another hour. Repeat each hour, roasting the duck for a total of 4 1/2 hours.
• While the duck cooks, make the sauce: In a small saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon duck fat over medium heat and cook the shallots until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add the cherries, stock, preserves, honey and rosemary, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the lemon juice, swirl in the butter and taste for salt and pepper. Set aside until the duck is finished.
• After 4 1/2 hours of roasting, turn the oven temperature up to 350 degrees F, prick the duck skin one last time, salt the skin again and return bird to the oven, breast-side up. Roast for 30 minutes until the skin is nicely browned.
• Remove from the oven, tent with foil and let rest for 20 minutes. Gently reheat the sauce over low heat. Carve the duck, put the pieces on a serving platter and serve with sauce.