Grilled Crispy Duck Stuffed With Apples And Onions Food

DUCK AND APPLE WONTONS

Steps:

• Heat oil in a hot saute pan. Sear duck breasts until medium rare. Remove and let cool. In the same pan, add apples and raisins, five-spice powder, garlic and onion, and saute until tender. Remove, from heat, add cilantro, and season with salt and pepper. When cool enough to handle, dice duck, add to apple mixture and mix well. Lay out the wonton skins. Spoon a little mixture onto each skin, fold over and seal by moistening seams with a little water, making sure that no mixture oozes out. Wontons can be deep-fried or steamed in a steamer basket. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

DUCK STUFFED WITH APPLES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Season the ducks with salt and pepper, then rub with thyme leaves. Stuff half the apple in the cavities of the ducks. Pierce the skin with a fork and dot the skin with butter.
• Place the ducks, on a rack in a roasting pan. Pour the water and wine into the pan.
• Roast in oven for 1 1/2 hours or until an instant read thermometer placed in the thigh registers 180 degrees F. Baste occasionally, adding water if needed. During the last 20 minutes of cooking, place rest of the apples in the pan. When the ducks are fully cooked, remove them from the oven and let them rest for 15 minutes before carving. Mix the pan apples with the sour cream and serve with the carved meat.

CRISPY DUCK WITH APPLES AND ONIONS

Steps:

• Break down the duck: You'll end up with 8 pieces of duck, plus the carcass and wings (for stock). Place duck breast side up on a cutting board. Use a sharp boning knife to trim away excess skin; dice and reserve for cracklings. Next, remove the wing tips at the joints; reserve for stock. Remove the first leg (drumstick and thigh) by making a cut between the thigh and the body, exposing the meat and joint. Pull the leg away from the body until you hear the joint popping; cut through the joint and detach the leg from the rest of the duck. Repeat with the other leg.
• Continue breaking down the duck: Feel for the thin breastbone that runs down the length of the breast. Cut down one side of the breastbone to the rib cage, then down the length of the breastbone. Gently cut the breast away from the carcass, sliding your knife along the rib cage as you go. (You'll encounter the wishbone towards the top of the breastbone, which you'll need to cut around to remove.) When the breast has been cut off the carcass, cut the remaining skin from the bottom of the breast. Carefully remove the tendon from the tenderloin of the breast and discard. Repeat with the other breast. Cut each breast in half and set aside.Finally, separate the drumsticks from the thighs: Turn the leg skin side down and feel for the joint that connects the drumstick to the thigh. Cut in between the joint to separate the two bones, then slice all the way through the meat and skin to separate the thigh from the drumstick. Repeat with other leg. You should now have 8 pieces of duck. Reserve the carcass and wings for stock.Peel, core, and quarter the apples. Cut the onions in half, leaving the root end intact. Season the thighs and legs with salt and pepper, then lay them skin side down on the bottom of a heavy-bottomed, wide pan. Set the pan over medium-high heat and scatter the diced skin around the duck pieces; cook for 20 minutes. (As the duck is browning, don't be tempted to move or flip the duck!)
• After the legs have cooked for 20 minutes, season the breast pieces with salt and pepper. Place them skin side down into the pan with the legs. Continue to brown the duck until it's cooked through, another 25 minutes.
• Remove the duck and cracklings to a plate, leaving the fat in the pan. Lay the apples and onions in the pan cut side down, season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium-high heat until deeply browned. Turn the apples and onions over and cover, to soften and cook through, about another 15 minutes.
• Remove the onions and apples to a platter. Drain the duck fat from the pan, add the port, and cook over medium-high heat for a few minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. After the alcohol has cooked off, add the optional heavy cream and heat through. Add the duck pieces to the platter, drizzle the sauce over everything. Garnish with cracklings, fresh sage leaves, and a final sprinkling of salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

BRAISED DUCK WITH SPICED LENTILS AND LIME ONIONS

Steps:

• Cut the duck in quarters and remove the drumstick tips. Season with 1 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper, rub all over with the garlic and place a piece of cinnamon stick on each quarter. Let sit at room temperature 45 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Transfer the duck to an ovenproof frying pan along with the chicken or other fat. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, cover with foil and transfer to the oven. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• When cool enough to handle, lift the duck from the fat and remove and discard the skin. Cover with a wet towel until serving time. To reserve, store the duck in the cooking fat and refrigerate up to a week.
• To reheat the duck, remove from the fat if necessary, and place on a rack in a tightly covered pan. Warm in a 325 degree oven for about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, to make the lime onions, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over high heat. Saute the onions, stirring frequently, until just wilted (but not browned). Toss with the lime juice and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and l/2 teaspoon pepper. Keep warm. The onions can be made a day in advance and refrigerated. Reheat before serving.
• To serve, spread a bed of lentils on each serving plate. Top with a piece of duck and smother with the warm onions. Serve immediately.

PAN-GRILLED DUCK WITH SPINACH AND POACHED APPLES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Use a sharp knife to remove any excess fat from the duck. Remove the neck, cut in half and place in a shallow roasting pan. Remove the wings, being careful not to cut into the breast. Place the wings in the roasting pan. Cut along one side of the ridge of the breastbone, then scrape the knife against the side of the breastbone, gently freeing one half of the breast from the cavity. Repeat on the other side. Remove as much fat as possible from the meat and discard the fat. Remove the loose, sinewy flap of meat from the underside of both breast pieces. Set aside. Blend the salt and pepper and rub the mixture into the skin side of the breasts. Cover and refrigerate. Remove the duck legs and use the back of the knife to break up the carcass. Add the carcass to the roasting pan and roast in the oven along with the neck and wings for 20 to 25 minutes, turning frequently until evenly browned.
• Put the browned duck parts, onion, leek, carrots, peppercorns and bouquet garni -- and enough water to cover, about 6 quarts -- in a stockpot over low heat. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the legs, the flaps of meat from the breast and the mushrooms, cover partially and simmer for 4 hours to get about 2 1/2 to 3 quarts. Skim any foam as it rises to the top.
• Strain the broth and discard the solids. Strain again through a fine sieve or a large strainer lined with cheesecloth. Cool and then refrigerate overnight to chill completely. Skim and discard the fat.
• Prepare the spicy poached apples. They can be kept at room temperature for up to 2 hours.
• An hour before serving, begin making the sauce. Put the duck broth in a saucepan over medium heat and cook until it has reduced to 1 1/4 cups, about 35 minutes. (Freeze the remaining broth to make soup.) Add the leek or onion and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the carrot, remove from heat and set aside for 15 minutes.
• Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it is hot, but not smoking. Lay the breasts skin side down, and cook until brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Turn them over and cook until done, about 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the breasts. Pour out the fat as it accumulates in the pan. Remove the breasts to a tray, cover loosely with foil and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes and up to 15 minutes before slicing.
• Five minutes before you are ready to serve the duck, return the sauce to the heat and bring it to a simmer. Add the peppers and set aside for 3 minutes.
• Steam the spinach until just wilted and drain well.
• Use a sharp knife to slice the duck breasts thinly. Lay out 4 warmed plates. Place a mound of steamed spinach in the center of each plate and fan the duck slices around the spinach. Spoon the sauce over the meat, garnish with the spiced apples and serve.

CRISPY DUCK & BAKED APPLES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 120C/fan 100C/gas ½. Pull any excess fat from the duck's cavity and use a roasting fork or skewer to prick the skin of the duck all over - do this lightly as you don't want to pierce the meat. Rub the duck generously inside and out with flaky sea salt, then lay, breast-side down, on a rack over a roasting tray. Roast the duck for 3 hrs, pricking again every now and then should you happen to pass by. While the duck is cooking, score a line gently around the middle of each apple and set aside (this stops them exploding when they cook).
• After 3 hrs, remove duck from the oven and turn the heat to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Sit the duck on a plate and carefully pour away most of the fat from the tin. Return the duck to the rack, right way up, and continue to roast for 30 mins. Put the apples in under the duck or around the side and roast for a final 30 mins. By now you should have the crispiest duck and apples on the verge of collapse. Leave the duck to rest for 10 mins, then carve and serve with the apples.