Braised Duck Or Goose Recipes

BRAISED DUCK OR GOOSE RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Clean the birds: Remove the little bag of neck, kidney and liver pieces (the liver will be used in this recipe, the rest can be saved for another use). Dice the liver and set aside. Place the birds on a rimmed baking sheet fitted with a roasting rack, and make shallow slits into the skin over the breasts of each bird, to allow the flavor to penetrate as the birds cook.
• In a medium bowl, combine the brioche with the diced liver, diced bacon and apple. Season with one-fourth teaspoon salt and several grinds of black pepper. Stir in one-fourth teaspoon ground nutmeg, or to taste, and one-fourth teaspoon ground coriander. Add the orange zest. Remove the leaves from 2 sprigs each of the thyme, rosemary and marjoram, and stir them in with the stuffing (save the stems).
• Brush the birds with the melted butter, and season each with 1 teaspoon salt, rubbing the salt over the inside and outside of the birds. Divide the stuffing and place half in each of the birds' cavities. Tie the birds' legs closed with butcher's twine to keep the stuffing from falling out.
• In a large, heavy roasting pan, heat the grape seed oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the shallots, carrots, celery stalk and remaining bacon slices, searing everything until golden brown, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic and remaining herbs (and stems), including the bay leaves. Add the wine, scraping any flavoring from the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking until the wine is mostly reduced, then stir in the stock. Add the ducks and cover tightly with a lid or foil.
• Place the roasting pan in the oven and cook the birds, 1 hour and 20 minutes for the geese and 1 hour for the ducks. Remove the lid and increase the temperature to 425 degrees. Continue to cook the birds, 45 minutes for the geese and 30 minutes for the ducks, basting every 15 minutes with the liquid in the pan.
• Remove the pan from the oven and place the birds back on the rack on the rimmed baking sheet and place on the counter top to rest. Increase the oven temperature to 475 degrees. Cut the butcher's twine and untie the legs to remove the stuffing.
• Strain the pan liquid (discard the vegetables and aromatics) into a clean pot, skimming and removing the fat from the top. Gently simmer until reduced by half. While the sauce is reducing, brush the birds with some of the skimmed fat and place them back in the oven to crisp the skin, approximately 30 minutes, brushing once or twice with fat (the fat should help to keep the skin from scorching, but keep an eye on it, tenting the birds if needed with foil).
• Remove the crisped birds to rest a little while before serving. Serve the stuffing garnished with chopped parsley and the sauce served on the side.

CRISP-BRAISED DUCK LEGS WITH AROMATIC VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Put duck legs, skin side down, in a skillet large enough to accommodate all ingredients comfortably; turn heat to medium. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Brown duck legs carefully and evenly, sprinkling them with salt and pepper as they cook. Meanwhile, peel and dice vegetables.
• When legs are nicely browned, turn them over and sear for just a minute or two. Remove to a plate; remove all but enough fat to moisten vegetables. Add vegetables to skillet along with some salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Return duck legs to pan, skin side up, and add stock; it should come about halfway up duck legs but should not cover them. Turn heat to high, bring to a boil, and transfer to oven.
• Cook for 30 minutes, then lower heat to 350 degrees. Continue to cook, undisturbed, until duck is tender and liquid reduced, at least another half hour. The duck is done when a thin-bladed knife pierces the meat with little resistance. When done, duck will hold nicely in a warm oven for another hour. Serve hot.

SINGAPOREAN BRAISED DUCK

Steps:

• Trim the duck of any visible excess fat, especially from the tail area. Mix together the salt and five-spice powder, and season the duck all over, including inside the cavity, and marinate, refrigerated, for 2 hours or overnight. Rinse the duck with fresh water inside and out.
• Place a large wok or Dutch oven over medium heat, and add the sugar. After it liquefies, watch it carefully as it caramelizes to a medium brown, swirling the pot occasionally to help it color evenly. Add the star anise, garlic and ginger, and stir to coat in the caramel, and to keep the caramel cooking until it's a dark brown, but not burned. Stir in 1 cup of water to dissolve the caramel, then add the kecap manis.
• Add duck, breast side up, then add water to come up halfway, submerging the legs. Raise the heat to bring the liquid to a boil, then turn the heat down to a very gentle simmer, just barely bubbling.
• Cook for 15 minutes, then carefully flip the duck so the breast side is down. Cook 15 minutes, then flip again. Taste the liquid, and add salt or more kecap manis to taste. Cook 15 minutes, then flip so the breast side is down again. Cook another 5 to 15 minutes, until the breast is cooked to your liking. Traditionally it should be cooked through, but Tan's spin is to remove the duck when the breast meat is 135 to 140 degrees, or medium. To use a traditional test, poke a chopstick in the thickest parts of the duck thigh and breast; if it goes through without too much resistance, it's done.
• Remove the duck to a platter or cutting board, and tent with foil. Let it rest for 10 minutes. Add the tofu and eggs to the sauce, and simmer them gently for 10 minutes, until stained and hot. Skim the sauce of any floating fat if necessary, and serve it all with rice and chile sauce.

BRAISED DUCK

Steps:

• Salt and pepper duck generously on both sides. Place halves, skin side down, in large saute pan (preferably seasoned cast-iron or nonstick) or 2 medium saute pans. Wedge thyme and garlic under skin. Cover pan with lid or foil; place over low heat. Braise for 1 hour (duck should crackle and sizzle gently; skin should be golden and crisp; most fat should be rendered). Turn duck; cover pan. Braise for 1 more hour, until duck bottom is well browned and meat very tender.
• Remove duck to cutting board; cut halves in half. Reserve fat from pan. In clean saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons fat (if there is not enough, use canola oil) over medium-high heat. Place duck pieces skin side down, and saute for 3 to 5 minutes, just until skin is crisp and dark. Transfer to dish, and serve.