Slow Cooked Duck With Green Olives And Herbes De Provence Recipes

CRISP ROAST DUCK WITH OLIVES

Steps:

• This recipe yields a succulent roast duck, every morsel of which is tender and tasty, and as a by-product, a good half pint of duck fat. No cook worth her salt would waste a scrap of this precious substance, which is kept in a pot in the fridge and used for frying and flavoring.
• Trim any flaps of fat on the duck, and pull out any lumps of fat tucked inside. Rinse and dry the duck, then prick lightly all over with a skewer (about 20-30 times), trying to pierce the skin but not the flesh underneath. Rub all over with salt and sprinkle some inside the cavity.
• Put on a rack and roast upside down for 3 hours at 250° F (200° F convection). Drain the fat into a bowl, set the duck the right way up and increase the heat to 350° F (325° F convection) for 45 minutes longer, till nicely browned. Leave to stand for 15 minutes, loosely covered with foil.
• Reduce the chicken stock with the tomato and herbs to a saucelike consistency, then strain into a clean pan. Simmer the olives in water for 2 minutes to temper the flavor, then strain and stir into the sauce.
• Cut the duck into pieces and serve with the sauce.

SLOW-COOKED DUCK WITH GREEN OLIVES AND HERBES DE PROVENCE

Steps:

• 1I. Preheat the oven to 475°. In a small roasting pan, spread half of the onions, 1/4 cup of the parsley, 1 tablespoon of the thyme, and the garlic, bay leaves and celery. Prick the duck skin all over with a fork and rub the duck with 2 teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper and 1 teaspoon of herbes de Provence. Set the duck halves on the vegetables, cut sides down, and roast for 10 minutes. Prick the duck skin again, cover the pan with foil and turn the oven down to 275°. Roast the duck for 3 hours or more, until the meat is very tender and most of the fat has rendered. 2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the back, neck and wing tips over low heat until well browned allover. Add the remaining onions and cook over moderate heat until browned, about 4 minutes. Pour off the fat from the skillet and add the tomato paste. Cook, stirring, until beginning to brown, about 3minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the water, stock and sugar and simmer until reduced to 1 cup, about 1 hour. Strain the stock; skim off the fat. 3. When the duck is tender, transfer the halves to a work surface. Remove and discard any vegetables, fat and loose bones. Halve each half and transfer the duck to a rimmed baking sheet. Strain the pan juices into a saucepan and skim off the fat; boil until reduced to 1/4 cup. 4. Add the strained stock and the olives to the pan juices and simmer for 10 minutes. Season the sauce with salt, pepper and herbes de Provence. 5. Preheat the broiler. Season the duck with herbes de Provence, salt and pepper. Broil 10 inches from the heat for 5 minutes, or until the duck is hot and the skin is crisp. Pour the sauce onto a platter and set the duck on top. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 Teaspoons of parsley and 1 teaspoon of thyme and serve.

SLOW-COOKED DUCK LEGS WITH OLIVES

Steps:

• Trim all visible fat from the duck legs, then lay them in a large, broad skillet. They can overlap if necessary. Turn the heat to medium, and add the remaining ingredients except the parsley. When the mixture reaches a lively simmer, turn the heat to low, and cover.
• Check the mixture occasionally. It should be bubbling gently. Cook until the duck is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove the duck to a warm plate, and cover (or place in a very low oven), then turn the heat to medium-high under the remaining sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is reduced to a thick, saucelike consistency, about 10 minutes. Spoon over the duck legs, garnish with parsley if you like, and serve.