Duck is a famous dish often served during special occasions. Whole duck and duck parts (like breast and legs) can be cooked using various methods and will provide different results. It is important to remember that a huge percentage of a duck is fat and although the duck looks like a big bird, it will be skinnier when cooked. However, this means portioning ducks accurately is easier. Usually, duck breasts served rare or pink; however, experts advise cooking duck until it is not pink anymore for safety. Canards du Lac Brome has the most delectable recipes for duck.
Cooking Duck Breast
The breasts of a duck are covered in a thick layer of fat which must be rendered out from beneath the skin during cooking. You can do this by seasoning the breasts and leaving it for two hours so it can come to room temperature and dry out. When cooking the duck, focus on exposing as much of eh fast to the hot pan. You can do this by scoring the skin with parallel lines or criss-cross pattern and place it skin sided down in a cold pan and heat it slowly. This allows the fat of the duck to melt first and the skin begins to crisp up.
Cooking Duck Legs
Traditionally, duck legs are salted overnight and submerged in duck fat and cooked slowly to preserve the fat. This slow cooking method allows the meat to stay succulent and dry out. Also, because the fat is not absorbed, the meat won’t be fatty. Then, the duck legs are cooked at a high temperature in an oven to crisp up the skin. This a better method than roasting the legs to keep the meat tender. The same effect can be achieved by using less fat. This can be done by cooking the legs in wine or stock and covering them in fat.
Roasting a Duck
Often, a whole duck is roasted in one of two days. When roasting it the Chinese way, the skin is dried and lacquered as it cooks. But, roast duck needs significant help in de-fatting so it does not taste greasy. It should be scored and pricked over to encourage the fat to run out.
Things to Do with Duck Fat
There are many ways to use leftover duck fat. For instance, it can be poured into a ceramic or glass container and chilled. It can be lifted off along with the jellied juices and used within one week for roasting potatoes.
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