Red Cooked On And Off Duck Recipes

SLOW ROASTED DUCK

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
• Season the ducks generously, putting some salt in the cavity as well. Make sure you save the fat and the giblets for the gravy.
• Coarsely grate half the ginger and rhubarb. Mix this in a bowl with half the sage and all the garlic and onion, and stuff the mixture inside the cavity of the ducks, ensuring there is an air cavity.
• Place the ducks on a tray on top of the chopped up giblets and roast in the oven for one hour. Turn the temperature down to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) and cook for another 1 1/2 hours until crisp and tender. The ducks are ready when the skin is crisp and the leg bones can be easily removed.
• During this time you will need to drain the fat maybe 3 times into a bowl, this will separate into a clear fat which you can keep for roasting.
• Once cooked allow the ducks to rest on a warmed plate while you make the sauce. Drain off any remaining fat from the roasting tray.
• Pull out all the stuffing and any juices from the inside of the duck and put in the roasting tray and warm this on a low heat.
• Add the Marsala and loosen all the sticky goodness from the bottom of the tray, and reduce. Add the stock and reduce to a good taste and consistency.
• Pass the sauce trough a coarse sieve.
• Remove the breasts from the ducks with a knife and, using your hands, remove the thighs. Arrange the breasts and thighs on a large serving plate.
• Finely slice the remaining ginger and fry off in a little hot oil (or you can use the duck fat) in a non-stick pan. As the ginger begins to color, add the rest of the rhubarb, finely sliced, and the rest of the sage. Fry until crisp. Sprinkle this over the duck and drizzle with the sauce.

RED-COOKED DUCK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Cut away and discard the peripheral fat and skin from the duck. That is to say, the fat from the cavity, the excess skin around the neck and cavity opening and so on.
• Brush the duck all over with one tablespoon of the dark soy sauce. Place on a rack, breast side up, and roast for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine in a kettle the remaining dark soy sauce, the light soy sauce, cold water, shaoxing or dry Sherry, rock sugar, ginger, scallions, star anise and tangerine or orange peel. Set aside.
• Remove the duck from the roasting pan and add it, breast side down, to the sauce. Bring the sauce to the boil, cover, lower the heat and simmer 30 minutes.
• Turn the duck in the sauce. Cover and return to the boil. Let simmer 30 minutes. The duck may be eaten at this point, hot or cold. If you are using it to make the many-flavor duck salad, see the recipe.

RED-COOKED DUCK WITH PRESSED BEAN CURD

Steps:

• Prepare bean curd: In a saucepan combine water, 1/4 cup of the soy sauce and five-spice powder. Add bean curd and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and let bean curd marinate in liquid, 1 hour. Using a slotted spoon, place bean curd in one layer on a plate lined with paper towels. Reserve cooking liquid. Cover bean curd with more towels, then weight with 5-pound weight. Bean curd must be pressed under weight at least 5 hours, or refrigerated with weight up to 24 hours.
• Prepare duck: In a nonreactive bowl mix duck with garlic, the remaining 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup of the Shao Hsing and sugar. Marinate overnight.
• Heat oil in a large heavy-bottomed saute pan over medium-high heat. Add duck, skin-side down, and cook 5 minutes, or until well-browned. Turn and cook 2 minutes more. Remove duck to a plate and discard rendered fat. Place pan over high heat, and add remaining 1/2 cup Shao Hsing and reserved bean curd cooking liquid, stirring to scrape up any browned bits. Add ginger, scallions, chili peppers and star anise and bring to a boil. Place duck pieces in a sand pot (or an enamelware or cast iron pot) skin-side up. Using a slotted spoon, transfer ginger, scallions and spices to pot and scatter over duck pieces. Pour cooking liquid over duck to barely cover. You may not need to use all liquid. Bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer, basting occasionally, 1 hour. (If you use a sand pot, read instructions carefully. Be sure to use a flame tamer to prevent pot from cracking.)
• Just before serving slice pressed bean curd into 1/4-inch thick slices. Add bean curd to pot and simmer 1 minute to heat through. In a cup, dissolve cornstarch in water to consistency of heavy cream. Using a slotted spoon, divide duck, bean curd and aromatics among 6 plates. Bring cooking liquid to a boil and add cornstarch mixture, stirring well until thickened. Taste for seasoning, then spoon sauce over duck.

RED-COOKED ON-AND-OFF DUCK

Steps:

• 1. Wipe duck with a damp cloth and chop, bones and all, in 2-inch sections. Place in a heavy pan. Cut scallions in 1-inch sections, slice ginger root and add, along with sherry, soy sauce, anise pepper and sugar. 2. Cook, covered, 20 minutes over medium heat. Turn off heat. (Do not remove lid.) Let stand 15 minutes. 3. Turn heat to low and simmer, covered, 15 minutes. Turn off heat. (Do not remove lid.) Let stand 10 minutes. 4. Turn on low heat again and simmer, covered, 15 minutes more. Turn off heat. (Do not remove lid.) Let stand 30 minutes, then serve. The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.

ROASTED AND PAN-ROASTED DUCK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Season duck generously inside and out with salt and pepper. Place onions and rosemary in cavity. Truss duck. Heat small roasting pan in oven for 10 minutes. Place duck in pan; roast for 1 hour and 10 minutes, basting occasionally with pan juices. Remove duck, and cool to room temperature. Quarter the duck, trimming off any excess fat. Discard onions and rosemary. Cover duck with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
• If drippings in pan have burned, you cannot make a sauce from it. If they have not burned, skim off as much fat as possible, and place pan over high heat. Add 1 cup water; bring to boil, stirring to loosen any pan drippings. Reduce by half. Taste, and adjust seasoning. Set aside until serving.
• To serve, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat; add duck pieces, skin side down. Saute until skin begins to sizzle and brown, for about 1 minute. Reduce heat to low; crisp skin for 5 to 7 minutes. Cover with lid or foil; transfer to oven for 10 minutes, to heat through and to continue browning skin. Transfer to platter; serve with warmed sauce.

GRANDMA'S ROASTED DUCK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Pierce duck skin all over with a fork. Mix remaining ingredients; rub over outside of duck. Place duck on rack in a shallow roasting pan; add 1 inch of water., Roast duck, uncovered, until a thermometer inserted in thigh reads 180°, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Remove from oven; let stand 15 minutes before carving. If desired, skim fat and thicken pan drippings for gravy. Serve with duck.

BASIC RED-SIMMERED DUCK

Steps:

• 1. Wipe duck inside and out with a damp cloth. Place breast-side up in a heavy saucepan, tucking wings under body. Add water to cover and bring to a boil. 2. Meanwhile cut scallions in 3·inch sections and slice ginger root. Then add both, along with soy sauce, sherry and salt. Simmer, covered, 1 hour. 3. Turn bird over. Add sugar and simmer until done (about 1 hour more). 4. Cut breast meat against the grain in slices 1/2·inch thick. Arrange on a serving platter, reconstructing the shape of the breast. (Or chop duck, bones and all, in 2-inch sections.) Serve hot, with or without gravy. The gravy may be reserved for la ter use as a master sauce (see Seasonings and Sauces, *Master Sauce). Or serve cold. NOTE: The duck is done when the meat is so tender it nearly falls from the bones. VARIATIONS: * In step 1, use 1/3 stock, 2/3 water. * In step 2, add 5 dried black mushrooms (soaked) and 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil. * Use 12 to 15 whole scallions (trim root ends, but keep stalks and green leaves intact). Toss scallions in a mixture of 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon sugar, then place in duck cavity with the ginger root. Bring to a boil as in step 1, then cook with seasonings as in steps 2 and 3. Serve bird whole with gravy. * For a smaller duck (3 to 4 pounds) use only 1 cup water, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sherry and 1 teaspoon sugar. Cook 1 1/2 hours, basting and turning for even coloring. The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.