Duck- that luxurios meat

I just saw a blog piece on cooking duck. They did it a slightly different way as far as stuffing it (veal, beef, pork belly & seasonings). So I decided to place some video on cooking duck. I decided to make this a global flavor. Duck is not difficult to do but cooking takes time and patience. One thing you have to know is that when cooking duck, pierce the skin. Why? Duck is not fatty and when you pierce the skin, the fat cooks out of the duck and falls into the pan (the skin is thicker than chicken or turkey for example). If you don’t piece it, the fat stays inside and cooks. The result is a VERY greasy duck. A roasting rack would be suggested when using cooking duck.

Alton Brown. He will explain the differences between the duck species as well early on. I might forget it, but still a good reference point:




How to debone a duck:


Peking Duck (part 1 of 3). This will show the process that it takes to make this incredible dish. Parts 2 and 3 you can select after this video completes. If you want this for dinner, start early because it takes time for the marinade to soak in properly. Here’s an actual recipe (taken from about.com):
“Prep Time: 10 hours, 10 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes; Ingredients:
• One 5 to 6 pound duck
• 8 cups water
• 1 slice ginger
• 1 scallion, cut into halves
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sherry
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 3 tablespoons water
• Scallions for garnish
Preparation:
Clean duck. Wipe dry and tie string around neck.
Hang duck in cool, windy place 4 hours.
Fill large wok with water. Bring to boil. Add ginger, scallion, honey, vinegar, and sherry. Bring to boil. Pour in dissolved cornstarch. Stir constantly. Place duck in large strainer above larger bowl. Scoop boiling mixture all over duck for about 10 minutes.
Hang duck again in cool, windy place for 6 hours until thoroughly dry.
Place duck breast side up on a greased rack in oven preheated to 350 degrees. Set a pan filled with 2 inches of water in bottom of oven.
(This is for drippings). Roast 30 minutes.
Turn duck and roast 30 minutes more. Turn breast side up again. Roast 10 minutes more.
Use sharp knife to cut off crispy skin. Serve meat and skin immediately on a prewarmed dish.
The duck is eaten hot with hoisin sauce rolled in Mandarin Crepes. Garnish with scallion flowerets. Serves 4 to 6.”

Reprinted with permission from Madame Wong's Long-life Chinese Cookbook




Gordon Ramsey provides some interesting techniques on cooking duck breast. His seasoning is pretty simple. He also reinforces the “never cut meat immediately after cooking” concept. If the meat does not settle (letting it sit in the pan for a few minutes), the juices run out and your meat will be bone dry. Sounds good, yes? If you do cut the meat right out of the oven, you might hear a "you messed up the dish you donkey" somewhere during this process:


Duck gumbo:


Duck soup. The herbs I would normally put inside the duck while cooking it. One word off warning for you. Throughout the video, you will hear duck while listening to this video. I think you can almost take some of the seasonings in the gumbo and use them here or visa versa:


The french classic duck confit.


Now, this video covers how to cook duck pieces individually. This cook is using olive oil because the meat has no skin:


Do you thing grilling a duck on the grill sounds good? It is because I’ve done it. I did not use honey but a normal marinade to cook it with. If you have some Chinese seasonings, that won’t hurt your cause either:


Wild duck pizza. I never tried this one:
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Duck stew:


A more classic roasted duck. Again, you can amend the seasonings to your liking. Again, the chef mentions piercing the skin (in other words, poke holes in the meat but don’t cut the meat). No oils are needed because the duck gives off a lot of fat.