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The duck for this recipe can be cooked several days ahead and then sauteed again in its own fat just before serving. The fat does not get absorbed into the meat, and what you have is a very moist, tender, delicately flavorful duck. Large ducks, of the Long Island variety, are ideal for this preparation. I use two whole ducks, which are enough for eight people, although any leftover duck is great served cold with a green salad. I create a savory, acidic sauce to serve with the duck by combining a rich stock made from the duck bones with vinegar, sugar, and honey. The tech-nique I use to glaze shallots, served here as a side dish, can be applied to pearl onions, white-turnip pieces, or carrots as well. Sauteed sweet-potato slices make a nice accompaniment and, like the shallots, can be served with most roasted meat or poultry. Cracklings, another bonus of this recipe, are deli-cious sprinkled on a salad, although they should be eaten the same day as they are made: their nutty taste disappears after one day, and the cracklings eventually taste rancid. Be sure to keep and refrigerate or freeze any leftover duck fat. It is wonderful for sauteing potatoes or other vegetables. 2 ducks, 4 to 5 pounds each Stock Bones from the duck carcasses, plus necks and Bizzards (about 2 pounds) 1 tablespoon canola oil 1 medium onion (about 5 ounces), peeled and coarsely chopped (1 cup) 2 medium carrots (about 6 ounces), peeled and coarsely chopped 1 rib celery, cut into 1-inch pieces 3/4 cup) Honey Sauce 1/4 cup sugar Reduced duck stock, from above 1 tablespoon honey 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon freshly wound black pepper 1/2 teaspoon potato starch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water Chopped chives, for garnish (optional) Cut each duck into four pieces, following the illustrations. Reserve necks, backbones, etc., about 2 pounds total, for stock. Trim the extra skin from the breasts and legs, and cut it, along with any extra fat from inside the duck, into I-inch pieces for cracklings. 1. Remove the wishbone, which is rounder than the wishbone in a chicken-more of a half circle. Cut all around the wishbone, then slide your thumb behind it, and pry it out. 2. With the duck on its side, grab one leg and lift it until the duck is suspended, and cut all around the skin of the leg. Then grab the leg. and crack it open at the joint. 3. Holding the carcass steady on the table with your knife, pull out on the leg to separate it entirely from the body. Repeat with the other leg.
4. To separate the breasts, cut on each side of the breastbone right through to the back carcass. (The breast will be cooked with the rib cage still attached to it for this recipe.) 5. The cut-up duck: I am holding the extra carcass pieces from the back, which are cut into 2-inch pieces. In the front are the two breasts with the bones still attached to them. On the left are two legs, and on the right are pieces of extra skin and extra fat, cut into pieces, and the liver. 6. The pieces of duck are cooked with the extra fat for 15 to 18 minutes, skin side down, uncovered, in a large nonstick skillet over medium to high heat. The skin should be dark brown. The duck is then covered and cooked for about 45 minutes longer, until tender.
7. When the duck is cool enough to handle, remove the rib-cage bones from inside the breasts. These bones wi II have held the breasts in shape and kept the flesh quite moist during cooking, but they can be removed now to make the breasts easier to serve and eat. 8. In the foreground are the extra bones, which can go into a stock or sauce. On the right is the underside of a moist boned breast, and on the left is a breast held skin side up, so that you can see the brown skin.
To make the stock: Place the reserved bones, necks, and gizzards in one layer in a large stockpot with the oil. Brown the bones over high heat for about 5 minutes. Then reduce the heat to medium, and continue browning for another 20 minutes. The bones should be nicely browned on all sides. Drain out any fat, and discard it. Add the chopped onion and carrots to the stock-pot along with 4 quarts of water. Stir in the celery, garlic, tomato paste, bay leaf, and thyme, and bring to a boil over high heat. Then reduce the heat, and boil gently for 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Strain. You should have about 4 cups. If you have more, reduce to 4 cups; if less, add water to bring to 4 cups. To cook the duck and make the cracklings: Meanwhile, in two very large nonstick skillets with lids, arrange the eight pieces of duck meat, skin side down, in a single layer, and sprinkle the diced skin and fat for the cracklings around the pieces. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper, and brown over medium to high heat for about 15 to 18 minutes without turn-ing. The skin will have shrunk considerably during this time and be quite crisp, and a great deal of fat will have accumulated in the pan. With the duck still skin side down, cover each of the pans tightly with a lid, and reduce the heat to low. Cook, covered, for about 45 minutes, then let the meat rest in the skillets for 10 minutes off the heat. Transfer the duck pieces to a large container. When the duck breasts are cool enough to handle, remove the carcass bones, and add the bones to the stock. Remove the cracklings with a slotted spoon, sprinkle them with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and serve them on a green salad or as a tidbit with drinks. Strain the Clear fat in the skillet over the duck pieces in the container, and add any other liquid besides the fat to the stock. The duck can be done as much as a few days ahead and kept, immersed in the fat, refrigerated. For the honey sauce: Skim off as much fat as possible from the surface of the stock. Bring the stock to a full boil, and reduce it over high heat to about 2 cups of strong stock. In another saucepan, mix the sugar and vinegar, and cook until it caramelizes. Then add the stock, honey, salt, and pepper, and stir in the dissolved potato starch. Bring to a boil, and set the sauce aside. for confit, or preserved duck If the pieces of duck were salted, allowed to cure in the salt for a couple of days, then cooked in duck fat in a low oven for a couple of hours, the result would be confit, or preserved duck. Stored in its own fat in a cold cellar and used throughout the winter, confit is an ingredient in many famous French dishes, among themthe classic version of cassoulet, the bean dish from the south of France. Sweet potatoes in honey 4 large sweet potatoes or yams (2 pounds) 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/4teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 3 tablespoons honey Wash the sweet potatoes thoroughly under cool water, and cut them into slices 1/2 inches thick. (You may peel the potatoes if you wish.) Place the slices in a saucepan in one layer, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and boil gently for 5 to 6 minutes. Drain off the water, and add the butter, salt, pepper, and honey. Saute gently for 10 to 12 minutes, until nicely glazed. Set aside. Glazed Shallots About 1 pound shallots, peeled (4 to 5 per person) 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 tablespoon sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups water Place the shallots in a single layer in a large skillet with the butter, sugar, salt, and water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and boil gently, covered, for about 5 minutes. Remove the lid, and continue to cook the shallots until most of the liquid has evaporated and the shallots are beginning to caramelize on the outside in the butter, sugar, and salt. Roll the shallots in the caramelized juices until they are glazed all around. The shallots should be tender to the bite at this point but should still hold their shape. To serve: At serving time, arrange the pieces of duck, skin side down, in a nonstick skillet, and cook over high heat for about 1 minute. Then reduce the heat to medium or low, and continue cooking for 12 to 15 minutes. (The object here is to rewarm the duck and recrisp the skin.) The meat should be moist and the skin very crisp. Place a piece of duck in the center of each of eight individual plates, arrange the warm sweet potatoes and shallots around the duck, and coat them with the warm sauce. Sprinkle on some chopped chives, if you like, and serve immediately. |
Braised Duck with Glazed Shallots and Honey Sweet Potatoes
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