Ginger Duck Food

DUCK WITH HONEY, SOY, AND GINGER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Use a sharp knife to score across the duck breasts 4 times through the skin and fat but just barely to the meat. Rub the skin with salt, cayenne, and black pepper.
• Preheat an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Lay the breasts in the skillet skin-side down and fry until the skin is brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Use a spoon to carefully discard any excess fat from the bottom of the skillet. Turn the breasts over and cook for 1 minute.
• Place the skillet into the preheated oven and roast until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the breasts reach 160 degrees F (71 degrees C) for well done, or the breasts reach desired doneness.
• Remove the duck breasts from the skillet and cover with foil. Set aside to rest. Pour off excess fat from the skillet. Place the stock, honey, soy sauce, rice wine, ginger, tomato sauce, chili powder, and lime juice in the skillet. Whisk the sauce over high heat, bring to a boil and cook until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Slice the duck breasts thinly, arrange on serving plates, and pour the sauce over the top.

GINGER DUCK

Steps:

• The day before, stuff the duck with the onion and celery. Place the duck, breast side up, in a large soup pot with enough water to half cover it. Add the ginger and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat so that it simmers gently for an hour.
• After one hour, turn the duck over. Add the sugar, soy sauce and salt. Continue simmering for another hour. Turn duck once again and simmer until tender and almost falling apart, about another hour. Turn off the heat and when cool enough, remove duck from pot and place in a roasting pan. Cover and refrigerate until the next day.
• Pour the broth into a container and chill overnight. A layer of fat will form on top. Scrape off and discard. What remains is delicious in rice and soups and can be frozen for months.
• Before serving, bring duck to room temperature in roasting pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add the sherry and 1 cup of the defatted duck broth to the roasting pan and place in the oven. Roast uncovered for 30 to 45 minutes, basting occasionally with the juices from the pan. The duck is done when it is heated through and the skin is crisp and chestnut brown.
• Transfer the duck to a serving platter and garnish with watercress.

GINGER DUCK

Steps:

• Partly thaw duck, pry open cavity and remove as much fat as possible.
• Rub with some soy and ginger and thaw completely.
• Place in deep casserole (dutch oven).
• Add remaining soy and ginger.
• Add water to cover duck and bring to a boil.
• Simmer 1 hour then drain.
• (Liquid can be defatted and used as stock).
• Place duck on rack and roast at 450 for 1/2 hour until crisp.

SEARED DUCK BREAST WITH GINGER

Steps:

• With the point of a knife, score the skin side of the duck breasts in crosshatch pattern, being careful not to pierce the flesh of the meat.
• Season the duck breasts with salt and pepper. Heat a saute pan over medium heat for 2 minutes before adding the breasts, skin side down. Cook over medium to low heat for approximately 6 minutes to 8 minutes to render the fat.
• Before turning the breasts over, carefully remove the excess fat from the saute pan. Turn the breasts over and saute the flesh side for 3 to 4 minutes before removing the duck breasts from the pan.
• Add the shallots to the pan in which the duck breasts were cooked and return to the heat. Saute the shallots briefly before adding the ginger, add the honey and mirin, stir to combine and add the hot broth. Reduce to a simmer and cook until half the liquid has evaporated. Add the soy and cabbage and cook for 2 minutes before adding the scallions, stir, and remove from the heat.
• The breasts have rested for several minutes and should now be medium rare. They can be sliced lengthwise or crosswise and several slices placed on each plate. Quickly reheat the sauce, if necessary, and drizzle some around the duck breasts.

ROASTED DUCK WITH ORANGE GINGER GLAZE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Begin by placing the duck breast side up on a baking rack. Season with the salt and pepper, and roast until the juices run barely pink, about 45 minutes. Remove the duckling from the pan and set it aside.
• Degrease the pan drippings by skimming off the top layer.
• To prepare the sauce, combine the sugar and water and caramelize carefully. Add the wine, vinegar, orange juice and ginger. Mix them well and reduce by half. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Add the pan drippings, reduce the heat and simmer until sauce reduces by half. Once sauce is done, strain it through a cheesecloth or fine strainer and set aside.
• To serve, place the duckling on a large serving tray. Add the orange segments on top and around the duck, and pour the sauce over the duck.

SEARED DUCK BREAST WITH CHILI, HONEY & GINGER GLAZE

Steps:

• With the point of a knife, score the skin side of the breasts in crosshatch pattern, being careful not to pierce the flesh of the meat. Season the duck breasts with salt and pepper. Heat a sauté pan over medium heat for 1 minute before adding the breasts, skin side down. Cook skin side down over medium to low heat, for approximately 10 to 12 minutes to render the fat from the skin before turning the breasts over. When the duck has rendered its fat and the skin has taken on a crisp exterior quality turn the breasts over and sauté the flesh side for 3 to 4 minutes. Carefully remove the duck from the pan, place on a platter to keep warm and pour the excess fat safely into a heat proof container. (The reserved duck fat may be chilled and used for another cooking use.)
• While the duck is cooking (or even before you cook the duck), remove the chili pepper from the water in which it had soaked and reserve the liquid. Place the chili into a blender and begin to pureé, adding as much of the reserved liquid as necessary to create a smooth and thin paste-like texture. This chili paste may be refrigerated for a day covered with plastic wrap or pour a tablespoon of olive oil on its surface and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.
• After removing the duck breasts from the pan add the onion to still hot pan and return to the heat. Add a tablespoon or two of reserved duck fat. Sauté the onion briefly before adding the ginger and 2 tablespoons of the chili paste. Add the honey and port to the ginger chili, stir to combine and cook for one minute.
• The breasts have rested for several minutes and should now be medium rare. They can be sliced lengthwise or cross-wise and several slices placed on each plate. Drizzle the warm glaze over the duck or for more impact, brush some on the duck breasts before slicing, run the duck under a hot broiler for 1 minute, caramelize the glaze and then slice and drizzle. If you desire, drizzle some around the duck breasts on the serving dish.

GINGER SAUCE FOR DUCK BREASTS

Steps:

• Heat fat in skillet. Add shallots and ginger and cook over medium heat until they have softened. Stir in marinade; cook a few seconds longer.
• Stir in stock and wine, cook, stirring, until mixture is reduced to about half a cup and has thickened slightly.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper and spoon over the duck breasts to moisten them.

SEARED DUCK WITH GINGER MASH

Steps:

• Cut 4 thin slices of the ginger and shred, then finely grate the remainder. Rub ¼ tsp each grated ginger and orange zest into the duck breasts, then grind over plenty of black pepper and set aside. Put both types of potato into a steamer and cook for 15 mins until tender. Transfer to a bowl and add the remaining grated ginger, then blitz with a hand blender until smooth. Cover and keep warm.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Add the onion, garlic and shredded ginger and fry for 5 mins until softened and starting to turn golden. Push the onions to one side, add the duck and cook for 8 mins, turning frequently and stirring the onions occasionally. Lift the duck out of the pan and put on a plate to rest.
• Put the broccoli and sprouts into the steamer and cook for 8 mins until tender. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Add 150ml water, ½ tsp orange zest and the bouillon to the onion mixture and bubble to a sauce, then remove from the heat and add the orange juice.
• Smear the ginger mash onto two warmed plates and top with the duck. Spoon over the onions and drizzle over the sauce. Scatter with the parsley or coriander, if using, and serve with the broccoli and sprouts.