Soy Syrup Roasted Duck Food

ROAST DUCK WITH ORANGE AND GINGER

Steps:

• Rinse duck and pat dry. Remove neck and giblets and save for another purpose. Remove excess fat from cavity and tail area and trim off a bit of flappy neck skin. Prick duck skin all over with tip of sharp paring knife, making sure not to penetrate meat.
• Mix together salt and 5-spice powder. Season interior of duck with 1 tablespoon salt mixture; use remainder to generously season exterior (you may have a little left over). Combine orange zest with grated ginger and garlic, then smear mixture inside cavity. Place orange wedges in cavity. Tie legs together. Secure neck flap with wooden skewer or toothpicks. Place duck on rack in roasting pan breast-side-up and refrigerate overnight, uncovered.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, bring duck to room temperature and make the glaze: Bring orange juice, honey, sugar and soy sauce to a simmer. Add sliced ginger and star anise, then reduce mixture until you have a medium-thick syrup, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Roast duck for 2 hours, carefully pouring off fat and turning duck over every 30 minutes. Paint with glaze and roast another 30 minutes (2 1/2 hours in all). Tent with foil if glaze begins to get too dark. Duck is done when temperature at thickest part of leg reads 165 degrees. Paint duck once more, keep warm and let rest 20 minutes. Use poultry shears to cut into quarters (remove backbone first) or carve in the traditional way, removing legs from carcass and slicing breast. Serve with mashed butternut squash if desired.

SOY-SYRUP ROASTED DUCK

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450°F.
• Lightly coat the bottom of a heavy roasting pan with oil. Season the duck generously with salt and pepper and place in the pan, breast side up. Roast for 10 minutes, then carefully turn the duck back side up. Roast for another 10 minutes and then carefully turn on one side. To get the duck to sit upright on a leg, rest the back of the duck against the side of the pan. Roast for another 10 minutes, then carefully turn onto the other side and roast for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, stir together the maple syrup, vinegar, and soy sauce.
• Transfer the duck to a dish and drain the fat through a fine-mesh sieve into a measuring cup. Reserve for another use. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F.
• Return the duck to the roasting pan breast side up. Pour the syrup mixture over, letting it run down the sides. Return to the oven. Roast, basting every 5 minutes, for 20 minutes. Tilt the duck to let its juices run out of the cavity; the juices should be pale pink. Cook for another 5 minutes if needed. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes, basting frequently.
• To carve, first remove the legs by slicing between the legs and body, then through the hip joint. Cut through the leg joint to separate the drumstick from the thigh. Cut the thigh in slices parallel to the thighbone. Pull the wings away from the body, then slice through the wing joints to remove. Run your knife down the breastbone, then along the rib cage to remove a breast. Repeat on the other side. Cut the breasts crosswise into slices.
• Arrange the sliced duck on a serving platter. Spoon the glaze from the pan all over.
• Before trussing the duck, cut 2 slits along the wishbone. That will make it easy to remove the bone after the duck has cooked. It's much easier to carve a duck without it.

SOY ROAST DUCK WITH HOISIN GRAVY

Steps:

• Prick the duck's skin really well with a fork.
• Mix the soy, 5 spice and honey in a large bowl, add the duck and coat well.
• Cover and place in the fridge until ready to roast.
• For the gravy, tip the stock into a pan, add the hoisin sauce and ginger and boil for a few minutes to make a smooth gravy.
• Add the sesame oil and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 200*C (425*F).
• Pour 1 litre of water in the base of a roasting tin and place a rack over the top.
• (This keeps the fat from the duck dripping on to the tin and filling the kitchen full of smoke) Lift duck from marinade and arrange on rack, skin side up.
• Roast for 20 minutes for medium, 30 minutes for well done.
• Slice each duck breast in half.
• Add any meat juices from the duck to the hoisin gravy and pour a spoonful or two over the duck.