Volume 11, Issue 108 - November 29, 2006

Greetings %name%,

Let's talk duck. Ducks have been raised and cooked for over 2,300 years in China, and were domesticated in Greece as long ago as 1000 BC. Plenty of time to build up some fantastic recipes, right? Today's most popular commercial "Meat" ducks are the Pekin and Muscovy ducks.

The Pekin, or, as it may be more popularly called, the "Long Island" duck, accounts for about 60% of all ducks raised for eating in the U.S. They are actually ducklings, reaching about 7 pounds in 6 to 8 weeks. About half of the processed duck is bone and fat. You can find readily find these ducks in your store's freezer. Always thaw overnight in your refrigerator.

The Muscovy duck is originally native to Central and South America. The weather is considerably warmer, so these birds have less fat on them than the Pekin variety—about half, to be exact. This duck is very popular in Europe, accounting for more than 70% of all ducks consumed. The flesh has a very meaty flavor. The ducks are raised for about 11 weeks to maturity, with the hens weighing about 5 pounds and the drakes between 7 and 8 pounds. They are prized for their breast meat, which can double that of the Pekin.

The Muscovy ducks are not always available at your supermarket, but you can find them from vendors in our Market Place. They will have them whole, but you can buy just the breasts if you would rather. Another note: The Muscovy duck is also prized for its Foie Gras, and, in my opinion, is more buttery in texture and produces a flavor that is more intense than a Moulard, another bird raised for its Foie Gras. Vedors will also carry the Foie Gras.

OK, enough with the boring facts, already. Let us get to some recipes! Enjoy, and if you are looking for more recipes for duck, visit our recipe collection.  You will find hundreds of them in our database.

 

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Basic Roast Muscovy Duck

This is a great, yet simple recipe for roasting your Muscovy duck.

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

1 Muscovy hen
salt and pepper
1/2 red onion
1 orange, or 2 tangerines, each cut in half

Preparation:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

Wash the duck inside and out under cold running water and remove the gizzards and neck from the cavity. On a clean cutting board, remove the 2nd and 3rd wing joints with a stiff knife. Trim any excess skin and fat from around the cavity opening. 

Season the duck inside and out with salt and pepper. Place the half onion and cut citrus inside the cavity.

Place the duck, breast-side down, on a wire rack in a roasting pan. This will prevent the duck from sticking to the pan and keep it elevated above the rendering fat. Place the duck in the oven for 45 minutes. 

Turn the duck breast side up and reduce the heat to 300 degrees. Roast for another 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 to 12 minutes before carving.

Grilled Muscovy Duck Breast with Grand Marnier Peach Sauce

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

2-pound ducklings, boneless breast, 2 each
Grand Marnier Peach Sauce (recipe below)

Preparation:

Prepare the sauce and keep warm.

Remove the duck breasts from the package and place them on a cutting board, meat-side up. Cut each breast down the middle, separating the two lobes. Trim any fat that is exposed past the edges of the breast meat. Allow the meat to come up to room temperature before grilling.

Place the duck breasts on the grill, fat-side down, over medium low heat to render off the fat. Some flaring will occur, and should be monitored to ensure the skin doesn't burn. Cook the breasts skin-side down for about 8 minutes until well browned and crispy. The meat will have begun to cook through from the bottom, and the edges will have begun to turn gray. 

Baste the breasts with a little of the sauce. Turn the breasts over and continue to grill, just as you would a fine steak, medium rare, for about five more minutes. Baste occasionally. Good duck breast should not be overcooked. Medium rare is perfect... tender and juicy.

Remove the duck breasts from the grill and let them rest for 3 to 4 minutes before slicing them against the grain on a bias, just as you would a London broil.

Ladle a pool of the sauce onto the center of four warm plates. Lay the thinly sliced duck breast across the sauce.

Grand Marnier Peach Sauce

Perfect as a glaze for any poultry dish, or a dipping sauce for Rangoons or spring rolls. The jalapeno gives it a kick!

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 12-ounce can peach preserves
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 each jalapeño, seeds and ribs removed, chopped finely
1 ounce Grand Marnier

Preparation:

Combine the preserves and the tomato paste to cut some of the sweetness. It also gives the sauce a wonderful reddish color. Blend in the minced jalapeño and Grand Marnier, and warm the sauce over medium heat.

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Roast Raspberry Pekin Duck

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 each Pekin duck, about 6 pounds
basting mixture for raspberry duck (recipe below)
raspberry sauce (recipe below)

Preparation:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

Prepare the basting mixture.

Trim any excess fat from the cavity of the duck and remove any neck or gizzard parts from inside the duck. Using a fork, pierce the skin in several places.

Place the duck, breast side up, on a rack in a large roasting pan. Brush with little of the basting mixture and roast for 45 minutes, basting twice. Turn the duck breast side down, baste and roast for another 30 minutes. 

Turn the duck, breast side up, baste and roast until golden brown and an instant read thermometer gives you 160 degrees inside the thigh.

While the duck is roasting, prepare the sauce

Remove the duck from the oven and allow to rest for 6 to 8 minutes, carve and serve with the sauce.

Basting Mixture For Raspberry Duck

Use this baste when roasting duckling to be served with raspberry sauce

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 ounces Chambord
2 ounces honey
2 ounces bourbon whiskey

Preparation:

Combine ingredients and use in the last half of the roasting period. Baste liberally.

Raspberry Sauce

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups raspberries, fresh
1 each tomato, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
1 each bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
1 sprig parsley
1/4 cup duck stock
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons crème de casis

Preparation:

Place 3 cups of the berries, the tomato, tomato paste, vinegar and herbs in a 1 quart saucepan. (Reserve the remaining berries for garnish). Simmer over low heat until the juice of the berries is released. Pour the berry mixture into a sieve and press down with a rubber spatula to release the juices back into the saucepan.

Return the sauce pan to the heat. Add the duck stock and simmer over low heat.

Prepare a simple syrup by boiling the water and sugar for 5-6 minutes. Slowly add the simple syrup to the sauce until a slight sweet flavor develops (not all the simple syrup need be used.) 

Note: If you don't have duck stock, substitute chicken stock, or go to ClubSauce and order their duck stock. It is a fantastic product!

Source: Berries, Mary Forsell, Tony Cenicola