Braised Muscovy Duck Recipes

ITALIAN RED-WINE BRAISED DUCK WITH OLIVE GREMOLATA

Steps:

• Trim duck legs of extraneous fat with a sharp knife, leaving a thin layer on top. (It is best to do this straight from the fridge, while fat is still firm.) Save duck fat for rendering. If you don't wish to render fat immediately, freeze for up to 2 months
• Season each leg generously with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with ground coriander and fennel. Massage seasoning into meat and leave at room temperature for 30 minutes, or wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• Roast duck legs in a 400-degree oven for about 45 minutes, until nicely browned. Pour off fat accumulated in roasting pan and reserve for another purpose.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce: Pour olive oil into a wide heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and let them cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to color. Add carrot, celery, thyme, bay leaf and orange peel. Season with salt and pepper and continue cooking until the carrot and celery are softened. Add garlic and tomato paste and stir to coat. Add chopped tomato and red wine and bring to a brisk simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, until slightly thickened. Add chicken broth and return to a simmer. Taste sauce for salt and adjust seasoning, adding a pinch of cayenne or red pepper flakes if desired. Finally, add duck legs, put on the lid, reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook for about 45 minutes, until meat is tender when probed with a paring knife.
• Transfer the duck legs to a low baking dish, all in one layer. Skim any fat from surface of sauce. Ladle sauce over duck legs and bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes, until sauce is bubbling and legs have browned a bit on top. (Duck may be prepared up to 3 days in advance, then reheated.) Sprinkle olive gremolata evenly over dish. Serve with wide ribbons of buttered egg pasta or polenta, if desired.

BRAISED MUSCOVY DUCK

Steps:

• Cranberries can be used instead of cherries. Place all ingredients in a crockpot set on low, a covered roaster in a 200* oven, or a large heavy-bottomed pot on a very low burner, for approximately 12 hours, until the meat falls off the bone. To speed things up, start the crockpot on high or the other pots on a medium burner until the liquid begins to simmer, then cook as directed. If your pot doesn't have room for all the ingredients, the cabbage can be cooked separately, preferably in the pot liquor. Goes best with potatoes or noodles, and would probably be wonderful with spaetzle.

BRAISED DUCK WITH RED CURRY

Steps:

• Chicken stock:.
• Bring all the ingredients to the boil in a small saucepan, cook 15 minutes or so and put aside.
• Duck Braise:.
• In a deep frying pan with a lid, add the coconut milk and the stock i(ncluding onions and ginger) and bring to the boil. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook gently for 1 1/2 hours or until falling-off-the-bone tender.
• Remove the duck from the liquid and strain the liquid (discard all the veg etc). Allow the stock to settle and skim off as much fat as possible.
• Curry:.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy based pan and fry the curry paste and shredded kaffir leaves until fragrant. Add the palm sugar and fish sauce and stir until the sugar has disolved and caramelised a little, add two cups of the reserved braising liquid and the tamarind bring to the boil.
• Check the seasoning-it should be sweet, salty, sour and hot. Lower the heat and simmer for a few minutes.
• Cut the duck legs in half (drumstick from thigh) and add to the curry along with the chilli pieces and .halfed lime leaf. Simmer a further 10 minutes.
• Spoon into a serving dish and garnish with the julienned lime leaf.
• Serve with jasmine rice or do as we did and use the remaining braising stock to heat hokkien noodles inches.