Duck Stock And Confit Food

DUCK STOCK AND CONFIT

Steps:

• Set the duck breast-side up on a cutting board. Using a boning knife, cut along one side of the breastbone; keep the back of your knife flush against that bone and follow the curve, cutting with the tip of your knife and pulling the meat back as you go. (It's actually a kind of natural movement; trust yourself.) When you meet up with the skin from the legs, cut through the skin and detach the breast. Repeat with the second breast. The legs are now easy to see.
• One leg at a time, cut through the skin, pulling the leg back as you go. Bend the leg backward to crack the joint, then cut through the joint (it's easy to see once you've cracked it); detach the leg. Repeat with the second leg. Remove the skin from the legs with your fingers, loosening it with your knife as necessary; reserve. Remove and reserve any fat you encounter.
• Lightly score the skin of the duck breasts to make a diamond pattern; be careful not to cut all the way through to the meat. Sprinkle with salt, cover and refrigerate until ready to use in the cassoulet.
• Toss the duck legs with the garlic (use more if your cloves are small), thyme, shallot and a few pinches of salt. Refrigerate and marinate the duck legs overnight.
• Heat the oven to 350. Put the duck carcass, onion, carrot and celery in a roasting pan. Roast, turning every now and then until quite well browned. Take your time; it'll take at least an hour.
• Transfer the contents of the roasting pan to a large pot; pour off the rendered fat and reserve it. Add the bay leaf, parsley and about 10 cups of water to the pot, and turn the heat to high.
• Bring just to a boil, then lower the heat so the mixture sends up a few bubbles at a time. Cook, skimming and discarding any foam that accumulates, for at least 60 minutes and up to 2 hours. Cool slightly, then strain. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate the stock overnight. The next day, take the stock out of the refrigerator and remove the duck fat from the top; it will have solidified, and you'll be able to scoop it right off.
• Put the fat in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When the fat melts and reaches about 190 degrees, add the duck legs along with the garlic and as much olive oil (or duck fat) as necessary to submerge the legs. Discard the thyme and shallot.
• Cook, never letting the heat exceed 200 degrees, until the meat is tender and easily pierced with a fork, about 1.5 hours. Let cool, then store the duck in the fat in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it in the cassoulet.

CRISPY DUCK RAMEN IN TONKOTSU BROTH

Steps:

• Heat the vegetable oil in a saute pan over high heat and add the Duck Confit. Let the duck cook, undisturbed, until crispy on one side, then flip with a spatula and crisp on the reverse side, about 6 minutes total. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
• Heat the sesame oil in a saucepan over medium heat and add the shiitakes and takana. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the Tonkotsu Broth and bring to a simmer.
• Meanwhile, bring some water to a rolling boil in a stockpot and add the ramen. Cook for 60 seconds, then drain and add directly to the simmering broth. Cook the broth and ramen for an additional minute, stirring. (I like to use chopsticks here -- they're a great tool, and why not keep it authentic!) Transfer the ramen and broth to a bowl and top with the crispy duck and soft-boiled egg. Garnish with the bok choy, green onions and sesame seeds. Slurp and enjoy!
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Sprinkle the duck quarters with the salt and add them to a 4-inch-deep roasting pan. Add the garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns and thyme. Add the blended oil and duck fat to the pan so that the duck quarters are submerged in oil.
• Cover the pan and roast until the meat is falling off the bone, about 3 hours. Remove from the oven; let cool for 15 minutes before straining the duck. Pick the duck meat, discarding the skin, bones, garlic, peppercorns, thyme and bay leaves, and being careful not to leave any bones.
• Set aside until ready to use; refrigerate if using later.
• Fill a stockpot two-thirds full with water; add the pork trotters and chicken bones. Boil the bones until red blood ceases to come out of them, about 20 minutes. Strain the bones and clean the pot. Thoroughly rinse the bones, removing any residual blood.
• Add the rinsed bones to the stockpot and fill with water to cover. Bring to a boil, skimming off any residual foam that rises to the top. Add the scallion ends, garlic, mushroom stems, ginger and salt. Cover and simmer until the broth is flavorful, 3 to 4 hours, checking the water level occasionally and adding water as necessary to make sure the bones remain covered.
• About 30 minutes before the broth is finished cooking, add the ground pork fat and continue to simmer.
• Strain the broth into a large stockpot and skim off any excess fat. Set aside until ready to use.

DUCK CONFIT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Rub salt, pepper and the minced garlic all over the duck and under the skin. Place the duck, breast down, in a deep braising pan and add duck fat to fully submerge; the amount of fat will vary depending on pan size.
• Place the braising pan in the oven and cook for no less than 5 hours (see Cook's Note).
• Remove the duck from the fat and gently pull the meat off of the bones.

CONFIT OF DUCK

Steps:

• The day before you want to make the dish, scatter half the salt, half the garlic and half of the herbs over the base of a small shallow dish. Lay the duck legs, skin-side up, on top, then scatter over the remaining salt, garlic and herbs. Cover the duck and refrigerate overnight. This can be done up to 2 days ahead.
• Pour the wine into a saucepan that will snugly fit the duck legs in a single layer. Brush the salt off the duck legs and place them, skin-side down, in the wine. Cover the pan with a lid and place over a medium heat. As soon as the wine starts to bubble, turn the heat down to the lowest setting and cook for 2 hours, checking occasionally that the liquid is just barely simmering. (If you own a heat diffuser, it would be good to use it here.) After 2 hours, the duck legs should be submerged in their own fat and the meat should feel incredibly tender when prodded. Leave to cool.
• The duck legs are now cooked and can be eaten immediately - or you can follow the next step if you like them crisp. If you are preparing ahead, pack the duck legs tightly into a plastic container or jar and pour over the fat, but not the liquid at the bottom of the pan. Cover and leave in the fridge for up to a month, or freeze for up to 3 months. The liquid you are left with makes a tasty gravy, which can be chilled or frozen until needed.
• To reheat and crisp up the duck legs, heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Remove the legs from the fat and place them, skin-side down, in an ovenproof frying pan. Roast for 30-40 mins, turning halfway through, until brown and crisp. Serve with the reheated gravy, a crisp salad and some crisp golden ptoatoes.

BARLEY SOUP WITH DUCK CONFIT AND ROOT VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Simmer barley in 4 cups water, uncovered, in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot, until almost tender, 20 to 40 minutes. Drain in a sieve.
• Remove skin and any fat from duck legs. Cook skin and fat in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered, about 8 minutes, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, discarding skin. Reserve fat.
• While fat is rendering, remove duck meat from bones, reserving bones, and shred meat into small pieces.
• Heat 1 tablespoon duck fat (reserving any remainder for another use) in cleaned 5- to 6-quart pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté carrots and parsnips, stirring frequently, until just golden, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
• Stir in broth, parboiled barley, salt, pepper, duck bones, and remaining 3 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables and barley are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Discard bones and stir in shredded duck meat. Skim any excess fat from top of soup, then stir in thyme. Season with salt and pepper.
• *Available at dartagnan.com.

DUCK POZOLE

Steps:

• Place the bacon in a large, 1-gallon stockpot or Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat until crispy, 10 to 12 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon from the pan and set aside on a paper towel lined plate.
• Increase the heat to medium-high and add the smoked duck to the stockpot. Sear until caramelized on all sides, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onions and cumin and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and begin to caramelize, about 4 minutes. Season the onions lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir in the zucchini, yellow squash, and carrots and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the jalapenos and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the duck stock and hominy and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour, occasionally skimming off any fat that rises to the surface.
• Add the blanched corn and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Remove the pozole from the heat and stir in the cilantro, lime juice, and reserved bacon. Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper, to taste. Ladle pozole into soup bowls, garnish with fresh cilantro sprigs and lime wedges, and serve immediately.

CONFIT DUCK

Steps:

• The day before cooking, put the cumin and coriander seeds in a dry pan and toast until they are slightly coloured and aromatic. Remove to a board and crush them with the blade of a knife. Crush the juniper berries and mix with the spices and the salt. Rub the mixture over the duck, scatter with thyme, rosemary and sliced garlic and chill for 24 hrs, turning two or three times as they marinate.
• Next day, heat oven to 150C/130C fan/ gas 2. Wipe the duck with kitchen paper and pat dry, but don't wash off the marinade. (The salt extracts the water from the meat cells, which will be reinflated with fat as the duck cooks gently. If you wash it, you will simply reinflate the cells with water.)
• Put the duck in a cast-iron casserole and cover with the goose fat or duck fat. Add the bay leaves and peppercorns and cook for about 2½ hrs, or until the meat is almost falling away from the bone. You can store the duck very simply by placing it in a pudding bowl, covering it with the fat and keeping it in the fridge: as long as it stays covered with fat it will last for weeks.
• To cook, remove the confit duck legs from their fat. Put an ovenproof frying pan on the stove until it is hot. Add the duck legs, skin-side down, and cook for 4 mins. Turn the legs and transfer the pan to the oven for 30 mins, until crisp.

DUCK CONFIT

Steps:

• Season the duck legs with kosher salt on both sides. Place them in a large resealable bag. Add the lemon zest and slices, garlic, allspice berries, juniper berries and fresh thyme. Seal, and massage the duck legs through the bag until all of the ingredients are evenly dispersed. Refrigerate for 24 hours to marinate.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F (93 degrees C).
• Remove the duck legs from the marinade. Rinse them off and pat dry. Place the rest of the contents of the bag into the bottom of an oven safe dish just large enough to hold the legs in a single layer, preferably enameled cast iron or glass. Arrange the duck legs skin side down in the dish. Pour the duck fat into a small saucepan and warm over low heat until liquid. Pour over the duck legs until they are completely covered. If the legs are not covered, you can top it off with some olive oil. As the legs cook, more fat will be rendered from the skin. Cover the dish with a lid.
• Bake for 6 to 7 hours in the preheated oven, until the meat pulls easily from the bone. Remove the duck legs from the fat and place in a sealable container. You may leave the bones in or remove them. Make sure there is room at the top of the container. Strain all of the solids from the remaining fat and discard the solids. Pour the fat over the duck in the container, covering completely. Seal and allow to come to room temperature. Once the jar is cool, place in the refrigerator and let the duck meat cure for 2 months. Reserve any leftover duck fat for other uses.

DUCK STOCK (SAVE THAT CARCASS)

Steps:

• Throw everything into a large pot and cover with water (about 3 litres). Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 1 1/2 hours, skimming any scum that rises.
• After simmering, strain into a bowl pressing the meat and veg gently to remove all the liquid. Discard carcass and veg etc. Add in any reserved meat jelly (see my intro) and return stock to the cooktop.
• Boil until 2 or 3 (500-750 ml) of stock remain. I stop reducing when the flavour is good. Strain again.
• Cool quickly, label and freeze.
• No need to season it-that happens when I use it for soup in the future.