White Simmered Roast Duck Recipes

ROASTED DUCK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Rub salt, pepper, and paprika into the skin of the duck. Place in a roasting pan.
• Roast duck in preheated oven for 1 hour. Spoon 1/4 cup melted butter over bird, and continue cooking for 45 more minutes. Spoon remaining 1/4 cup melted butter over duck, and cook for 15 more minutes, or until golden brown.

WHITE-SIMMERED ROAST DUCK

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wipe duck with a damp cloth, then dry well with paper toweling. Truss duck (see HOW-TO, _Poultry: To truss). 2. Place duck on a rack over a drip pan containing several inches of water. Roast until lightly browned (about 20 minutes). 3. Transfer duck to a heavy pan. Mince ginger root and add with water and salt. Bring to a boil then simmer, covered, 1 hour. (If duck becomes too dry, add more boiling water.) Skim off fat. 4. Cut Chinese cabbage stems in 2-inch pieces. Place on top of duck and simmer 1 hour more. NOTE: If the dish is prepared through step 3, then refrigerated, the fat will congeal and can be removed easily. The duck is then reheated and the cabbage added as in step 4. The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.

​​CRISP ROAST DUCK

Steps:

• Bring a full kettle or medium pot of water to a boil (at least 2 quarts).
• Meanwhile, remove giblets and neck from the duck cavity and reserve for another use. Trim any excess fat from around the duck cavity and the neck. Place duck, breast side up, on a rack in the sink. Pour half of the boiling water all over the top of the duck to tighten the skin. Flip the bird and pour remaining boiling water over the back.
• Once the duck is cool enough to handle, using the tip of a very sharp paring knife, prick duck skin all over to help release the fat, especially where the skin is thickest, and be careful not to pierce the meat. It can be helpful to hold the knife nearly parallel to the bird. After piercing the skin, use the knife blade to score the duck breast in a crosshatch pattern (making deep cuts into the skin only, and not into the breast meat). Flip the bird and score the back as well (you don't need to prick the back). You may need to sharpen your knife along the way, as it's much easier to make clean cuts into the skin with a sharp knife. Using a clean kitchen towel or paper towels, thoroughly pat duck dry, including inside the cavity.
• Season the duck all over, including cavity, with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine garlic, chopped herbs, citrus zest and coriander, if using, and make a paste. Rub garlic paste all over duck, inside and out. Place duck, breast side up, on rack in a roasting pan, stuff cavity with herb sprigs, and refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
• When it's time to cook the bird, heat the oven to 450 degrees. Roast for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and carefully prick duck skin all over the top of the bird using a sharp paring knife. (You don't need to prick the back of the duck.) Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue roasting until skin is golden brown and crispy, and the internal temperature at thickest part of the thigh reads 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 1 hour to 1 hour 45 minutes longer. Using tongs, gently tip duck to drain any liquid from the cavity. Transfer bird to cutting board to rest for at least 10 minutes. Carve and serve.

BEST ROAST DUCK

Steps:

• Remove giblets and wing tips from duck, trim neck, and remove excess fat, reserving all but fat (note--you can render the fat into duck schmaltz, if desired). Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes (or until next step is done).
• Pour stock or water into a tall, narrow stockpot (deep enough to hold duck with plenty of room leftover). Note: if using a wider pot, more water or stock may be needed. Add wing tips, giblets, and neck. Cover and bring to boil over high heat.
• While stock is coming to a boil, prick duck skin all over with tines of fork, especially in fatty areas. Prick at an angle to avoid stabbing the meat. Carefully lower into boiling stock, breast end first, allowing cavity to fill as you lower it. Place a heat-proof plate or lid of smaller diameter than pot over duck to keep it submerged.
• Once the stock has returned to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Check every 10-15 minutes to ensure duck is still submerged (will tend to float even though weighted); keep stock at a gentle simmer to reduce likelihood of it rising above liquid.
• After duck has simmered for 45 minutes, spoon off about 1 tablespoon of fat from surface of liquid and spread around bottom of 12x18x1 1/2-inch roasting pan. Remove plate or lid and carefully remove duck from stock and allow to drain any liquid back into pan (reserve cooking liquid if planning to make broth later; cool and chill so you can scrape off the fat before making stock). Place duck in roasting pan. Spread neck flap out in pan.
• Pat duck dry with paper towelling and gently pat salt and pepper into skin (be careful, as it will be somewhat fragile at this point). Note: you can prepare duck up to this point in advance; cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day and bring back to room temperature before proceeding.
• Allow duck to cool for 30 minutes (if not made in advance) to allow skin to dry.
• Place oven rack on the second-lowest position. Preheat oven to 500* F.
• Place duck in oven feet first. Roast for 10 minutes, then remove duck from oven (keep door closed to keep it hot). Spoon off fat accumulated in bottom of pan. Wiggle duck around to loosen and return to oven for another 20 minutes. Be aware that any splatters or spills of fat will cause some smoke!
• Remove duck from oven and from pan; cover to keep warm while setting for 10-15 minutes. Again remove fat with a spoon. Deglaze pan with some stock or water, if desired for a sauce. Carve and serve immediately.
• If desired, reserve skin and bones for making duck stock.

SIMMERED ROAST DUCK I

Steps:

• 1. Wipe duck with a damp cloth and place in a pan. Add sherry and salt bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, 15 minutes. Meanwhile preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Drain duck, reserving liquid, and rub with soy sauce. 3. Place bird on a rack over a drip pan containing several inches of water. Roast 1 hour, basting at 20-minute intervals with reserved liquid. (Add more water to drip pan as it evaporates.) VARIATION: * In step 2, mix the soy sauce with 1 tablespoon honey then thin slightly with water before rubbing over duck. The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.

SLOW-ROASTED DUCK WITH MASHED WHITE BEANS, SIZZLED HERBS AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Cook the beans: Rinse beans and put them, along with the onion, bay leaves, cloves and garlic, in a large heavy-bottomed pot with a lid. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Add 2 teaspoons salt, reduce heat to low, and bring beans to a bare simmer. Cover, but leave lid ajar. Cook very slowly, adding water as needed, for about 1 1/2 hours, or until beans are soft. Taste broth and adjust seasoning. Remove onion, bay leaves, cloves and garlic, and discard. Let beans cool uncovered in the cooking liquid. (They may be cooked up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated.)
• As beans cook, prepare the duck legs: Lay them on a cutting board skin-side up, and use a skewer or the tip of a knife to prick the skin of each leg all over.
• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Season each leg generously on both sides with salt and pepper - don't go crazy, but don't be meek.
• Place legs in a roasting pan, in a single layer skin-side up. (Take care that the roasting pan is high-sided enough, as a fair amount of fat will be produced as legs cook.) Roast, uncovered, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the meat is quite tender, nearly falling off the bone. At this point, check to see the skin is crisp and nicely browned.If not, raise oven temperature to 400 degrees, and roast for another 10 minutes, or perhaps more, until skin is crisped. Remove legs from roasting pan and keep warm. (An inch or more of liquid fat will have accumulated in the roasting pan. Let it cool a bit before pouring it into a jar for future use.)
• Bring beans to a boil in a pot over medium-high heat. Pull them off the heat, and drain in a colander, reserving liquid. Put three-quarters of the beans in a mixing bowl and use a potato masher to mash them. (Alternatively, you can purée the beans in a food processor.) Add bean broth as needed to loosen the mixture to the consistency of soft mashed potatoes. Stir in the reserved whole beans. Adjust the seasoning. Keep warm.
• Prepare sizzled herbs: Add 3 tablespoons olive oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add sage and rosemary until they're coated with oil. When all the sage leaves have wilted, keep stirring until the herbs begin to fry and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn heat to low, then swirl in the garlic and red-pepper flakes. Immediately add olives and warm through.
• To serve, pair one duck leg with a spoonful of mashed beans. Spoon some of the olive mixture over the duck and beans. If desired, dress crisp green arugula with just a few drops of lemon juice and a little salt, and serve alongside for a refreshing counterpoint to the rich, salty duck and beans.

PEKING DUCK

Steps:

• Rinse the duck inside and out, and pat dry. Cut off tail and discard. In a small bowl, mix together the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, white pepper and cloves. Sprinkle one teaspoon of the mixture into the cavity of the duck. Stir one tablespoon of the soy sauce into the remaining spice mixture and rub evenly over the entire outside of the bird. Cut one of the green onions in half and tuck inside the cavity. Cover and refrigerate the bird for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
• Place duck breast side up on a rack in a big enough wok or pot and steam for an hour adding a little more water, if necessary, as it evaporates. Lift duck with two large spoons, and drain juices and green onion.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place duck breast side up in a roasting pan and prick skin all over using a fork.
• Roast for 30 minutes in the preheated oven. While the duck is roasting, mix together the remaining 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and honey. After 30 minutes, brush the honey mixture onto the duck and return it to the oven. Turn the heat up to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Roast for 5 minutes, or until the skin is richly browned. Do not allow the skin to char.
• Prepare the duck sauce by mixing the plum jam with the sugar, vinegar and chutney in a small serving bowl. Chop remaining green onions and place them into a separate bowl. Place whole duck onto a serving platter and garnish with orange slices and fresh parsley. Use plum sauce and onions for dipping.

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.