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Tesco had a good deal on Gressingham duck so we picked one up. Last time I cooked duck was at Christmas, just for something a little different. As well as the fact that we have turkey at Thanksgiving instead of Christmas; MotH is a real convert to the over-indulgence of Thanksgiving. But, I digress. As well as the last time, it was also the first time I had ever cooked duck. A simple roasted affair. It went surprisingly well but now I’m in search of something a bit different in terms of cooking/seasonings. Off to scour the internets!
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Will update with my findings and results.
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Update: So, my internets search turned up a recipe from a web forum I used to lurk on quite a bit - Chowhound.
I decided to try 5 Hour Roast Duck. Originally reposted from Saveur.com:
The Amazing Five-Hour Duck
SERVES 4 Long cooking yields a tender duck with perfectly crisped skin-with amazingly little effort. Developed by Mindy Heiferling of New York City’s Vinegar Factory, the recipe was chosen for The Best American Recipes 1999, edited by Fran McCullough and Suzanne Hamlin (Houghton Mifflin, $26).1 pekin (long island) duckSalt and freshly ground black pepper 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped1 bunch fresh thyme1. Set rack in the middle of the oven, then preheat oven to 300°. Rinse duck with cold water inside and out, then pat dry with paper towels. Discard any large pieces of fat from cavity, then trim off wing tips (reserve along with giblets for stock, if you like). Season cavity with salt and pepper to taste, then rub with garlic. Stuff cavity with a few sprigs of thyme.2. Pierce duck skin and fat with a sharp paring knife-being careful not to cut into flesh-by inserting the tip of the knife on the diagonal (not straight in) and making dozens of slits all over the duck. Place duck, breast side up, on a rack set on a shallow roasting pan. Roast duck for 4 hours, removing bird from oven every hour and piercing skin and fat again, as described above, with the paring knife. (Each time you re-pierce duck, pour off fat and turn bird over, allowing it to roast for 2 hours total on each side.)3. After 4 hours of roasting time, increase the oven temperature to 350°. Season the duck skin with salt and pepper and cook until the skin is crisp and browned, 1 hour more. Allow the duck to rest for 20 minutes, then garnish cavity with remaining fresh thyme, if you like. To serve, hack the duck into small pieces, bones and all, using a sharp cleaver.
This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #39
Due to having a fan-assisted monstrosity without the ability to turn off the forsaken fan, I reduced the temp a bit. I also scalded the pricked duck with a kettle’s full of boiled water and dried it off well before seasoning with S&P before bunging it in the oven.
Result? The duck turned out crispy and scrummy, even if the meat was a tad on the drier side. I think next time I’ll reduce the cooking time by 45 mins to an hour and see what that does to the meat / skin.
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