Crispy Duck With Clementines Food

ROAST DUCK WITH CLEMENTINES

Steps:

• Cut off the end section or tips of the duck wings. Prick the duck skin all over with a sharp-tined fork to allow the fat to escape during roasting.
• In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the Sichuan and black peppercorns, the star anise, cloves, and salt until fragrant, stirring and shaking the skillet to prevent burning. Tip everything onto a plate and let cool. Pour everything into a spice grinder along with the Chinese five-spice powder and process to a fine powder.
• In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, 3 tablespoons (44 ml) fresh clementine juice (reserve the squeezed clementines halves), soy sauce, and sesame oil and stir until smooth. Place 2 tablespoons in a covered bowl and refrigerate.
• Brush the rest of the clementine and cornstarch slurry all over the skin of the duck, then rub the duck inside and outside with the spice mixture, massaging it in well and making sure it's evenly dispersed.
• Nestle the duck in a flameproof baking dish, preferably on a wire rack, that will comfortably hold the duck with some space around it, breast side up, and refrigerate, uncovered, until the skin and its coating are completely dry, about 48 hours. Check the duck after 24 hours, and if any liquid has accumulated in the bottom of the dish, drain it off and discard it, and then return the duck to the fridge.
• Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200°C).
• Stuff the ginger, scallions, lemongrass, and the 4 reserved juiced clementine halves into the duck cavity. Roast for 45 minutes.
• Pour off all the rendered fat from the duck and reserve it for another use. (There could be as much as 2/3 cup rendered fat-don't throw it away! You can toss it with some potatoes and roast them or strain it and stash it in the freezer for a future use.)
• Place the whole and halved clementines and the kumquats, if using, around the duck. Return to the oven and roast for another 45 to 60 minutes, until the duck is dark brown and crisp and a thermometer inserted into the meatiest part of the thigh registers 165°F (75°C). During roasting, spoon some pan juices over the clementines, but not over the duck, which must be kept dry to ensure crisp skin.
• Lift the duck onto a cutting board and place the fruit on a platter. Place the baking dish over medium-high heat and add the Chinese rice wine. As it bubbles, scrape the bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the reserved cornstarch mixture. Add the clementine juice, stir, and simmer until glossy, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Using kitchen shears or a very sharp knife, cut the duck in half through the backbone, discard the ginger, scallions, lemongrass, and squeezed clementine halves, and then cut the duck into serving portions and pile them onto the platter along with the fruit. Serve with the sauce on the side.

DUCK TWO WAYS WITH CLEMENTINE-FIG RELISH

Steps:

• Duck:
• Mix peppercorns, coriander seeds, and fennel seeds in a small bowl. Prick skin of duck legs all over with a paring knife; season generously with salt. Sprinkle duck legs with spice mixture, pressing to adhere. Score fat of each duck breast in a crosshatch pattern, spacing 1/2" apart; season all over with salt. Divide legs and breasts between 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Let sit at room temperature 1 hour or chill uncovered up to 3 days.
• If chilling, let duck legs sit at room temperature 1 hour before braising.
• Place a rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 300°F. Heat oil in a large wide Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium and cook leeks, stirring occasionally, until softened and browned around edges, 8-10 minutes. Add thyme sprigs, garlic, and bay leaves and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and garlic is slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add wine, bring to a boil, and simmer until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
• Remove pot from heat and slip duck legs, skin side down, into liquid (depending on size of pan, they may overlap quite a bit-this is okay!). Pour in water to come three-quarters of the way up legs. Cover pot and braise duck legs in oven until submerged in their own fat, 1 1/2-2 hours.
• Turn duck legs skin side up and continue to braise (still covered) until tender and the bones wiggle easily in joints, 1 1/2-2 hours longer. Let legs cool in braising liquid, then chill until fat rises to the surface and solidifies, at least 2 hours.
• Relish and assembly:
• Cook clementines, figs, cognac, sugar, mustard, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar, until figs absorb some liquid and mixture is syrupy, 10-15 minutes. Let cool; remove bay leaves. Stir in vinegar, then strain 1/3 cup syrup through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl; set aside to use for glazing duck. Set remaining relish aside for serving.
• Let duck breasts sit until room temperature, about 1 hour.
• Place 2 duck breasts, skin side down, in a large skillet; set over medium-low heat and cook duck, occasionally pouring excess fat from skillet into a bowl (save it!), until skin is golden brown and crisp, 12-15 minutes. Turn duck over, increase heat to medium, and cook on other side 2 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board. Wipe out skillet and let cool down, then repeat with remaining 2 breasts. (If you have 2 large skillets, by all means do all 4 breasts at once.) Let rest at least 10 minutes before slicing.
• Meanwhile, place a rack in upper third of oven; preheat to 425°F. Remove duck legs from braising liquid, brushing off any seeds or fat clinging to surface. Place, skin side up, on a wire rack set inside a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and lightly brush with reserved glaze. Roast until golden brown and skin is crisp, 10-15 minutes.
• Serve duck legs and sliced breasts with reserved relish.
• Do Ahead
• Duck legs can be braised 2 days ahead. Keep chilled. Relish can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill strained glaze and relish separately. Bring to room temperature before using.

ROAST DUCK TWO WAYS WITH SPICED CLEMENTINE SAUCE

Steps:

• Mix the spices, thyme and zest. Slash the skin of the breast, cutting through the fat but not into the meat, then rub the spice mix over the breast and legs. Leave for at least 2 hrs, or for up to 24 hrs in the fridge.
• Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Put the legs into an ovenproof frying pan or smallish roasting tin, season well, then roast for 1½ hrs until deep golden and crisp. Sit the legs on a plate, then keep warm in a low oven or let cool. Spoon off excess fat from the pan juices and keep it for the next time you make roasties. Pull the meat and skin from the legs, shred using 2 forks, then mix together. Keep warm or, if making ahead, reheat in a hot oven for 10 mins before serving.
• Put the pan back on the hob, add the sugar for the sauce and let it melt and turn dark golden. Add the vinegar (the sugar might turn hard at this point but don't worry as it will dissolve again), then reduce by about half. Tip in the clementine juice and almost all the stock and bubble again until reduced and syrupy. Whisk in the butter, then season to taste.
• Heat a frying pan, then cook the breast, skin-side down, for 10-12 mins until very crisp and the fat has run out. Turn over, fry for another 5 mins for just pink (or longer if you prefer), then lift onto a plate and rest, uncovered, for 10 mins. Spoon off remaining fat, add the leftover stock to the pan, then stir to dissolve any tasty, meaty bits. Add to the sauce.
• Slice the breast on the diagonal, then divide half of the leg meat between 2 warm plates in small piles (you can use a cutter or ring if you like, to make it neater). Top with slices of breast. Spoon the sauce over the meat and serve with glazed veg and potatoes.

DUCK BREAST WITH CLEMENTINES AND TUSCAN KALE

Steps:

• With a sharp knife, score the fat of the duck breasts in a cross-hatch pattern through the fat, down to the meat but not into the meat. Season generously with salt.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Put about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan over low heat and schmear it around to coat the bottom of the pan. Arrange the duck breasts, skin side down, in the pan. Be sure that the duck fits in the pan comfortably and is not crowded. Slowly render the fat from the duck breasts. This needs to be done s-l-o-w-l-y, otherwise the fat with be sealed into the skin and will not render out. The idea is to make crispy duck skin. This process will take about 30 minutes or so. As the fat builds up in the pan, remove it, but SAVE IT! It will be used to saute the kale later.
• When the fat has rendered from the duck breast, turn the heat to medium-high and brown both sides of the duck breast. When the duck is browned on both sides, move it to a sheet pan and put it in the preheated oven to cook it to medium rare, about 7 to 8 minutes. Remove the duck from the oven to a cutting board and let it rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.
• Add the clementine juice and segments to the saute pan and scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan. When the juice has reduced by a little more than half, add half of the chicken stock, the thyme and season the whole shootin' match with salt. Continue to cook until the stock has reduced by half, then add a little more of the chicken stock. Continue to reduce the stock and turn the heat off when it gets to a sauce-like consistency. Taste for seasoning and add salt, if needed.
• While the sauce is reducing and the duck is resting, add some of the reserved duck fat to a large saute pan. Add the garlic cloves and bring to a medium-high heat. When the garlic is golden brown and aromatic, remove it from the saute pan and discard it. Toss in the prepared kale and season with salt, to taste. Add some of the reserved chicken stock to help steam the greens. Saute the greens until they are wilted but still vibrant looking. Taste for seasoning.
• Divide the greens among 4 serving plates. Slice each duck breast and fan the slices over the kale. Spoon some of the sauce on and around the duck. Garnish with the supremed clementines and the pomegranate seeds.
• It's just ducky!

FRAGRANT CRISPY DUCK

Steps:

• Prepare duck:
• Cut off wing tips with poultry shears or a sharp knife. Remove and discard excess fat from body cavity and neck, then rinse inside and out. Pat dry inside and out and press on breastbone to break it and flatten duck.
• Marinate duck:
• Heat peppercorn salt and five-spice powder in a dry skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until hot. Measure out 3 tablespoons and rub 1 tablespoon in body cavity and 2 tablespoons over outside of duck, including under wings and legs. Reserve remaining spiced salt for serving with duck.
• Put duck in a bowl and marinate, covered and chilled, 8 to 24 hours.
• Steam duck:
• Drain any liquid from cavity and put duck in glass pie plate. Rub rice wine over duck. Smash ginger and scallions with flat side of a large heavy knife, then put one third in duck cavity and scatter remainder over duck.
• Fill wok with enough water for rack to sit 1/2 inch above water and bring to a rolling boil. Wearing oven mitts, put pie plate with duck on rack over boiling water and cover wok with lid.
• Reduce heat to moderate and steam duck 2 hours, checking every half hour to siphon off fat and juices from around duck and in cavity with bulb baster and replenishing boiling water as necessary.
• Wearing oven mitts, remove pie plate from steamer. Discard ginger and scallions. Drain duck and cool in pie plate 15 minutes.
• Air-dry duck:
• Slide duck onto a rack set over a baking sheet (to catch juices) and pat dry with paper towels. Position duck in front of a fan and air-dry 2 hours, making sure air blows directly onto duck.
• Fry duck:
• Heat 2‚ inches oil in large wok or large pot until a deep-fat thermometer registers 375°F. Meanwhile, brush outside of duck with soy sauce, then dust with flour, gently knocking off excess.
• Dip mesh spoons in hot oil (to keep duck from sticking) before using them to gently lower duck into hot oil. Fry duck, spooning hot oil over top, 2 minutes. Carefully turn duck over and fry 1 minute more. With extreme care, remove duck from oil with mesh spoons, draining cavity, and transfer to paper towels to drain.
• Heat oil to 400°F and fry duck a second time, in same manner, until dark brown and crisp, 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side. Again with extreme care, remove duck from oil with mesh spoons, draining cavity, and transfer to paper towels to drain briefly.
• Presentation:
• Serve duck with small dishes of reserved spiced salt for dipping.

GLAZED DUCK WITH CLEMENTINE SAUCE

Steps:

• Braise ducks:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Working from large cavity end, separate duck skin (including fat) from breast meat as much as possible by working your fingers between skin and meat, being careful not to tear skin, then prick skin all over ducks with a fork. Put ducks, breast sides up, side by side in a large flameproof roasting pan and rub each duck inside and out with kosher salt. Divide onions and celery between duck cavities and sprinkle 1/2 cup sugar around ducks. Pour enough boiling-hot water over ducks (to help tighten skin) to reach about halfway up ducks (don't fill roasting pan more than 1 inch from rim). Cover pan tightly with heavy-duty foil, then carefully transfer to oven and braise ducks 1 hour.
• Remove pan from oven and remove foil (do not discard), then carefully turn ducks over (breast sides down) using one large wooden spoon to turn and another inside cavity. Cover with foil, then carefully return to oven and braise until meat is very tender but not falling off the bone, about 1 hour more.
• Chill ducks:
• Remove pan from oven and discard foil. Transfer ducks with wooden spoons to 2 large plates, draining any juices inside ducks back into pan, then transfer cooking liquid to a large bowl. Return ducks to roasting pan, breast sides up, and cool ducks and cooking liquid (separately), uncovered, then chill, uncovered, at least 4 hours (to firm up duck before roasting and to solidify fat on cooking liquid).
• Prepare glaze and start sauce:
• Discard all fat from chilled cooking liquid.
• Remove zest from 2 large or 4 small clementines in strips with a vegetable peeler, then trim any white pith from zest with a sharp paring knife and cut zest into fine julienne strips. Blanch strips in a small saucepan of boiling water 5 minutes, then drain.
• Squeeze enough juice from remaining clementines to measure 2 cups and pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a 3-quart heavy saucepan. Add vinegar and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and boil until reduced to about 1/3 cup (glaze will bubble up and darken), about 15 minutes. Reserve 1 tablespoon glaze in a cup to brush on ducks, then stir julienned zest and 1 cup cooking liquid into glaze remaining in pan and reserve for sauce. Reserve remaining cooking liquid.
• Roast ducks and finish sauce:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 500°F.
• Roast ducks until skin is crisp, 25 to 35 minutes. Brush reserved glaze (from cup) on ducks, then transfer ducks to a platter and let stand while finishing sauce, at least 10 minutes.
• Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from roasting pan and straddle pan over 2 burners. Add shallot and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened and pale golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add 2 cups reserved cooking liquid and deglaze pan by boiling, scraping up brown bits, 2 minutes, then pour through fine-mesh sieve into sauce (containing julienned zest) and bring to a boil.
• Stir together liqueur and arrowroot and whisk into sauce. Simmer, whisking occasionally, until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes, then season sauce with salt and pepper. Serve ducks, whole or carved into serving pieces, with sauce.