Ingredient Title Chef Category

How to tame a duck

Like a lot of prairie kids I grew up shooting and eating wild duck and loving it. It came as a big surprise to me that tame duck is a completely different animal when it comes to cooking. But, of course the two different breeds have spent their lives eating entirely different diets and those big tame guys never take to the skies like their hard working cross-country cousins do.

The stay-at-home fellows who simply waddle around and don't fly grow big and fat. The travelers have to dive for food and fly for food, the result is that they are leaner and tougher. They also have a much stronger "gamier" taste. But still, a duck is a duck and what tastes good when cooking one does taste good when cooking the other.

The big difference in cooking is that wild duck has been brined by lots of good cooks for lots of years. Ducking a duck into salty water, or water with vinegar in it, or with both salt and vinegar, follows the plucking and drawing in most hunting families. It makes the birds more moist when cooked and it takes away a little of the gamey flavor that people who haven't grown up with the taste, don't like.

Wild or tame the cousins seem to have the same affinity for the same flavors. Remember though, that tame ducks have a lot of fat and wild have next to none. My mother-in-law always put slices of thick-sliced bacon across the breasts of wild duck as they roasted. It did give good flavor, kept the breasts moist and made the skin crisp. No book ever told her to do that. She was a wonderful woman and a wonderful cook. But, don't try that trick on a tame bird!

Two Day Duck

Start this dish the morning of the day before you plan to cook it.

1 duck, about 5 pounds
1 1/2 gallons water
1 1/2 cups kosher salt
3/4 cups sugar
Several sprigs of fresh thyme or about 1 tablespoon dried
4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 dozen, whole black peppercorns, coarsely crushed (yes, 24)
6 juniper berries, coarsely crushed

Prepare duck: Remove head, neck and feet. Remove wing tips. Save all parts for stock, if desired. Rinse well and pull out any clumps of fat. In a pot large enough to hold the duck, combine water, salt and sugar, stirring until water becomes clear. Stir in thyme, garlic, peppercorns and juniper berries. Add duck and make sure it is submerged; weight with a plate, if necessary. Cover and refrigerate 24 to 36 hours. Remove duck and let excess water drip off. Put thyme sprigs and garlic from brine in the cavity, then tie legs together so the duck holds its shape during steaming and roasting. Steam duck: Set duck on a flat rack in a roasting pan, perching rack on overturned custard cups (or anything else that you have available) to keep the rack above the level of the water. Put 1-inch of water in roasting pan and bring to a boil. Put duck on the rack, seal the pan tightly with aluminum foil, making sure little or no steam can escape, lower heat to keep water at a steady but not vigorous boil and steam 1 hour. Roast duck: Carefully remove foil (steam will be hot) and set the duck aside. Preheat oven to 400 F and turn on convection fan if you have one. Prick the bird with a small knife in several places (if it is a tame duck). Roast the duck on a rack, breast-side up, until skin is well browned and crisp, about 1 hour. Let rest 15 minutes before carving. Makes about 4 servings.

Spice Rubbed Seared Duck Breasts

Most of a duck's meat is in the breast. If using tame duck the Liberty Duck breasts are largest and worth looking for. Start this recipe a day ahead.

2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
8 juniper berries
2 whole cloves
4 boneless duck breasts

Prepare rub: Using a mortar or spice grinder, grind the salt, peppercorns, juniper berries and cloves to a powder. Massage this spice rub onto both sides of the breasts. Put breasts on a flat rack and set the rack on a tray so that air circulates all around the breasts. Refrigerate uncovered for 24 to 48 hours. Fry breasts: Heat a large, heavy skillet over moderate heat. When hot, add the duck breasts, skin side down. If cooking wild duck breasts you may need to add some vegetable oil; if using tame duck you will need to pour off fat as it accumulates. Cook until skin is well browned and crisp. Reduce the heat if necessary so the skin crisps without burning. Turn the duck breasts and cook on the flesh side for 6 minutes, turning breasts with tongs to sear all exposed flesh. Let rest on a cutting board 10 minutes before slicing on the diagonal. Makes about 4 servings.

"Shut Up" Duck Legs

The chef at a small California restaurant where Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles had dinner says, "Camilla doesn't particularly care for duck, but she asked for the recipe." Sounds like our kind of woman, doesn't she? The chef said that the waiters named it "Shut Up" because when the duck legs are served a hush falls over the dining room.

4 duck legs, 8 to 10 ounces each, fat removed
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
Pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion cut into 1/2-inch dice
6 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
3/4 cup red wine
1/3 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or 3/4 teaspoon dried
1 1/2 cups duck stock (chicken can be substituted)

Prepare duck: Season legs on both sides with salt and pepper. Put legs on flat rack and set on tray so air circulates all around the legs. Refrigerate uncovered for 24 hours. Preheat oven to 350 F. Heat skillet over moderate heat. Add oil and swirl to coat pan. Add duck legs, skin side down. Cook until skin is well browned and most of the fat has rendered; 15 to 20 minutes, pouring off fat as it accumulates. Set legs aside. Place onions in skillet and cook, stirring, until softened. Add garlic and cook a minute or two. Add wine, raise heat to high, and then simmer until wine has evaporated. Add orange juice and simmer until it is reduced by half. Stir in mustard, thyme and 1 1/2 cups stock, whisking until mustard dissolves and stock is simmering. Return duck to skillet, skin-side up. Cover with parchment paper and a lid. Transfer skillet to oven and cook until duck legs are tender when prodded with a fork, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours. Set legs aside and pour sauce into a measuring cup. Let the sauce settle for 10 to 15 minutes, then skim off fat. Return sauce to the skillet and keep warm. If there is not enough sauce, add a little duck stock (or chicken stock). Preheat broiler. Broil: Crisp the duck skin before serving, set legs on a broiler rack about 8-inches from element. Broil, watching constantly, until the skin is crisp. To serve, spoon a little sauce onto each plate and top with a duck leg. Makes 4 servings.

Every hunter's wife has reason to wish those ducks would learn to duck!

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