Crisp Long Island Duck With Dates Olives And Almonds Recipes

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.

Steps:

• To make the duck, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a large roasting pan. Season the ducks inside and out with salt and pepper. Combine the celery, onion and thyme and stuff the mixture into the cavities of the ducks. Put the ducks in the roasting pan breast side down. Roast for 40 minutes, pouring off the fat every 20 minutes.
• Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees. Roast for 20 minutes. Turn the ducks breast side up and roast until the skin is brown and crisp, about 20 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes before carving.
• Meanwhile, to make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the dates and olives and saute until the dates soften, about 6 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the sherry, simmering until reduced by half. Stir in the almonds and chicken broth and simmer over medium heat until reduced by half, about 12 minutes. Stir in the butter, vinegar, 2 tablespoons of parsley, salt and pepper.
• Divide the duck among 4 plates, drizzle with the sauce and sprinkle with the remaining parsley. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Prepare the breast: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Split each duck breast in half with a sharp knife. Place a large heavy skillet over high heat, and add the grapeseed oil. When oil begins to smoke, place the breasts skin side down in the pan. Reduce heat to medium-low. Saute until breasts are golden brown and nicely crisp on both sides, about 15 minutes total. This process will render most of the fat, which should be poured off as needed while cooking. Reserve 3 tablespoons rendered fat, and set aside. Transfer breasts to a cutting board, and let cool slightly. Remove the rib bones from the breasts; chop the bones, and combine with the other bones provided by your butcher. Set aside the breasts until they are ready to be finished in the oven. Breasts can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator up to 1 day if not proceeding immediately.
• Make the stock: In a large ovenproof skillet or Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon reserved duck fat over medium heat. Add all of the bones, and transfer pan to oven. Roast until bones are golden brown, about 1 hour. Remove from oven, and pour off excess fat. Return pan to stove, and place over high heat. Add 1 cup red wine; deglaze pan, stirring up any brown bits with a wooden spoon. Continue cooking until almost all wine has evaporated. Add chicken stock and enough water to cover the bones. Add lemon and orange zests, peppercorns, and garlic. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer gently for 1 hour. Pour through a fine sieve into a large bowl; discard bones, and reserve stock.
• Braise the legs: Reduce oven temperature to 225 degrees. Heat 1 tablespoon reserved duck fat in a large deep-sided ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Season legs with salt and pepper, and place skin side down in the hot pan. Sear until underside is golden brown, about 6 minutes; turn, and sear until other side is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Drain off excess fat; add remaining red wine and half of reserved duck stock (the legs should be almost covered with liquid). Bring to a boil over high heat; transfer to oven. Braise, uncovered, until legs are fully cooked and tender, about 45 minutes.
• Remove pan from oven, and transfer legs to a cutting board; set aside. Place pan over medium-high heat, and reduce braising liquid by half (until about 2 cups remain). Meanwhile, heat remaining tablespoon duck fat in a large saucepan, and add diced vegetables. Cook over medium heat until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the reduced liquid and remaining reserved duck stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, remove leg meat from bones, and coarsely chop. Discard bones, and add chopped meat to the simmering stock mixture. Continue to simmer 15 minutes more. Remove from heat; season with salt and pepper, and set aside. The stew can be prepared up to this point and refrigerated up to a day ahead; reheat in oven while finishing the breasts.
• To serve: Raise oven temperature to 450 degrees. Place a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, add reserved breasts skin side down. Transfer pan to oven, and roast 6 to 7 minutes; turn, and cook 2 minutes more, or until a meat thermometer registers 125 degrees for medium-rare. Transfer breasts to a cutting board, and let rest 5 to 10 minutes. Slice each breast crosswise into six or seven pieces, and serve over the stew.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook honey and salt until thin and runny, then mix in almonds until coated. Add sugar and toss to coat. Spread nuts on baking sheet (lined with parchment paper) and bake, stirring once, until deeply golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Let nuts cool, then break up clumps with your fingers.
• In a medium pot on medium-high heat, bring six cups salted water to boil. Fill a medium bowl with ice water. Cook green beans until bright green and tender, 2 to 4 minutes depending on thickness of beans. Drain, then plunge into ice water to stop cooking. Drain and pat dry.
• Raise oven heat to 400 degrees. Using a sharp knife, score duck fat into a crosshatch pattern, with cuts a half-inch apart. You want to cut through fat but not into flesh of duck.
• In a small bowl, mix salt, chili, pepper, cumin and cinnamon. Rub mix all over duck, working it into the fat.
• Set an ovenproof pan on the stove over medium-low heat. Add 1 teaspoon of oil, heat for a few seconds, then add duck, fat side down. Sear without moving until dark brown, about 10 minutes (if it starts to burn, lower the heat). Flip duck and cook for 1 minute, then transfer pan to oven and roast until meat is done to taste, 4 to 8 minutes longer for medium rare (130 degrees). Let duck rest on a cutting board. Reserve 2 tablespoons of fat from pan.
• Using mortar and pestle or side of a heavy knife, make a paste from garlic and a pinch of salt. In a small bowl, mix it with lime juice and a half-teaspoon salt, then drizzle in remaining olive oil, whisking well.
• In a large bowl, toss green beans and watercress with reserved pan drippings and just enough of dressing to coat. Taste and add salt if desired.
• Slice duck breasts and toss with salad. Garnish with almonds and serve.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500°F.
• Season each duck inside and out with salt and pepper. Using knife, skewer, or sharp fork, prick skin of each bird all over 20 to 30 times, taking care not to let knife puncture flesh (it's helpful to hold knife nearly parallel to duck and then slide it in). Stuff each cavity with 1 neck; 1/2 of thyme and garlic; 8 shallot halves; and 1/4 of fennel. Using kitchen string, tie legs loosely together.
• Transfer ducks, breast sides up, to rack set in large roasting pan. Cover loosely with foil and roast 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 300°F and continue to roast, basting every 30 minutes and skimming fat from pan juices occasionally, 3 hours.
• Remove foil from ducks. Stir remaining fennel into pan juices and roast 30 minutes more. Stir olives into pan juices and roast until duck skin is dark golden and crisp and meat is tender, about 30 minutes more (total roasting time: about 4 1/4 hours). Transfer ducks to cutting board.
• Remove rack from roasting pan. With slotted spoon, remove fennel and olives from pan juices and place in blender. Pour pan juices into 1-quart glass measure. Skim fat off top and reserve for another use. Add juices to fennel and olives in blender, then add lemon zest and juice. Purée until smooth. Taste and add salt and pepper and additional lemon juice if desired.
• Remove confit vegetables from cavities and carve ducks. Arrange meat and vegetables on platter. Garnish with chopped fennel fronds. Serve sauce alongside.

Steps:

• Prepare duck:
• Cut off wing tips with poultry shears or a sharp knife. Remove and discard excess fat from body cavity and neck, then rinse inside and out. Pat dry inside and out and press on breastbone to break it and flatten duck.
• Marinate duck:
• Heat peppercorn salt and five-spice powder in a dry skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until hot. Measure out 3 tablespoons and rub 1 tablespoon in body cavity and 2 tablespoons over outside of duck, including under wings and legs. Reserve remaining spiced salt for serving with duck.
• Put duck in a bowl and marinate, covered and chilled, 8 to 24 hours.
• Steam duck:
• Drain any liquid from cavity and put duck in glass pie plate. Rub rice wine over duck. Smash ginger and scallions with flat side of a large heavy knife, then put one third in duck cavity and scatter remainder over duck.
• Fill wok with enough water for rack to sit 1/2 inch above water and bring to a rolling boil. Wearing oven mitts, put pie plate with duck on rack over boiling water and cover wok with lid.
• Reduce heat to moderate and steam duck 2 hours, checking every half hour to siphon off fat and juices from around duck and in cavity with bulb baster and replenishing boiling water as necessary.
• Wearing oven mitts, remove pie plate from steamer. Discard ginger and scallions. Drain duck and cool in pie plate 15 minutes.
• Air-dry duck:
• Slide duck onto a rack set over a baking sheet (to catch juices) and pat dry with paper towels. Position duck in front of a fan and air-dry 2 hours, making sure air blows directly onto duck.
• Fry duck:
• Heat 2‚ inches oil in large wok or large pot until a deep-fat thermometer registers 375°F. Meanwhile, brush outside of duck with soy sauce, then dust with flour, gently knocking off excess.
• Dip mesh spoons in hot oil (to keep duck from sticking) before using them to gently lower duck into hot oil. Fry duck, spooning hot oil over top, 2 minutes. Carefully turn duck over and fry 1 minute more. With extreme care, remove duck from oil with mesh spoons, draining cavity, and transfer to paper towels to drain.
• Heat oil to 400°F and fry duck a second time, in same manner, until dark brown and crisp, 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side. Again with extreme care, remove duck from oil with mesh spoons, draining cavity, and transfer to paper towels to drain briefly.
• Presentation:
• Serve duck with small dishes of reserved spiced salt for dipping.