Sesame Glazed Duck Legs With Spicy Persimmon Salad Recipes

SESAME-GLAZED DUCK LEGS WITH SPICY PERSIMMON SALAD

Steps:

• Make Sichuan pepper salt: Put Sichuan peppercorns and salt in a dry small skillet over medium-high heat. Shaking the pan and stirring frequently, toast mixture until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Let cool, then grind coarsely with a mortar and pestle or spice mill.
• Season duck legs all over with Sichuan pepper salt, then wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Set up a steamer: Fill a large pot halfway with water and set a steamer basket 2 inches above the water. Place crushed cinnamon and star anise on the bottom of steamer basket, then lay seasoned duck legs on top.
• Cover with a lid and bring water to a hard boil over high heat. Reduce heat slightly to maintain a brisker simmer. (Check water level occasionally and add more boiling water as necessary.) Steam legs until tender when pierced with a thin-bladed knife, about 1 hour 15 minutes; start checking at 1 hour. Remove legs and set aside. (They may be left at room temperature for an hour or so before roasting, or you can steam the legs up to 6 hours before roasting and refrigerate, covered. Re-steam the refrigerated legs for 15 minutes to soften before proceeding.)
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Put legs on a rack set over a foil-lined baking sheet and roast uncovered for about 30 minutes, until skin begins to crisp.
• As legs roast, make the glaze: Whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, bean paste, brown sugar and orange juice. Once the legs have been in the oven for 30 minutes, brush them generously with glaze and roast for 30 minutes more (for a total cooking time of 1 hour), brushing them again every 10 minutes. Transfer legs to a serving platter. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
• Make the salad: Put persimmons, oranges, daikon, chiles, lime juice, ginger and sesame oil in a mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper, and toss gently to coat. Transfer salad to platter with duck legs. Drizzle with any remaining juices from bowl. Garnish with pomegranate seeds, scallions and cilantro sprigs.

CRISPY BRAISED DUCK LEGS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put duck legs skin side down in a skillet large enough to accommodate all ingredients comfortably. Turn heat to medium, and cook, rotating so skin browns thoroughly and evenly but do not turn over completely. Meanwhile, peel onion and carrots, trim celery and roughly chop them all.
• When skins are nicely browned, turn and sear the meat side just 1 to 2 minutes, and season with salt and pepper. Remove to a plate; remove all fat from pan except enough to moisten vegetables. Add vegetables and salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat, until they begin to brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Return duck legs skin side up to pan, and add stock; it should come about halfway up the legs but not cover them. Turn heat to high, bring to boil and transfer to oven.
• Cook 30 minutes, and turn heat to 350 degrees. Cook undisturbed until duck is tender and liquid reduced, at least 30 minutes or a bit longer. Serve immediately, or let rest in a 200-degree oven for up to an hour.

SPICY SESAME NOODLE SALAD

Steps:

• Fill a saucepan with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil. Once the water is boiling, stir in the linguine, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink, and rinse with cold water until the pasta is cool.
• Bring a saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil, stir in the green beans, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are bright green and slightly tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Drain the beans, and rinse with cold water to chill.
• In a large salad bowl, combine lime juice, canola oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic, orange zest, and serrano peppers, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Allow the dressing to stand for 30 minutes. Lightly toss in the carrots, green onions, linguini and green beans, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill before serving.

SPICED GLAZED DUCK

Steps:

• Prep and roast duck: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Turn the duck breast side up and use a sharp knife to clip the wing tips; set them aside, along with the neck, for later. Season the inside with salt and pepper and add one star anise. Turn the duck over. Place kitchen twine under the tail of the bird, then tie the drumsticks together. Swing the twine around the edge of the drumsticks and flip over. Take the skin and lay it flat over the backbone, and tie it snugly like you would tie your shoes. Trim the loose ends and lay the duck on a roasting rack, breast-side up. (Optional: Store in refrigerator overnight to dry, which will ensure crisper skin when roasting.) Drizzle 1 teaspoon of oil over the bird and rub it into the skin evenly. Generously season with salt and pepper, then roast in the oven for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, pour out the rendered duck fat (reserving it for later use) and return duck to the oven for another 20 minutes.
• Glaze: Pat neck and wing-tips dry; cut into 2-inch pieces. Add 1 teaspoon oil to a medium sauté pan and heat until smoking. Season duck pieces with salt and pepper and place in the hot pan. After a few minutes, when the sound of the sizzle gets louder, turn heat down to medium and flip duck pieces. Continue to cook over medium heat while preparing the vegetables.
• Dice onion and garlic; remove stems, seeds, and inner membranes from peppers and dice. Add to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook 5 minutes. Add three pods of star anise, coriander, sherry vinegar, honey, rosemary, and thyme. Slice pasilla pepper and add to the pan. Continue cooking until vinegar has almost evaporated. Add orange juice, bring to a simmer, and reduce until liquid is almost dry, 5-10 minutes. Add 2 more cups of orange juice and continue to reduce, about 10 more minutes. When the glaze has reduced to 1-1½ cups, pass through a strainer and use the back of a spoon to push out all of the liquid from the solids; remove and discard the duck pieces. Set the glaze aside.Blend the remaining solids as a condiment to serve with with the duck.
• Roast and baste duck: After an hour of cooking, remove the duck from the oven, drain the fat (reserving for later use if you wish), and place in a roasting pan. Cut away the kitchen twine and discard. Spoon half of the glaze evenly over the bird and return to oven, 5-10 minutes. Baste with remaining glaze and roast until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F, 5 more minutes. Baste with hot pan juices.
• Carve the duck: Using a sharp chef's knife, begin by cutting off the legs, then remove both breasts whole. Slice the breast meat against the grain on a cutting board, then arrange the duck on a serving platter. Finish with a drizzle of the glaze and serve with remaining glaze and blended glaze solids.