Duck Stock And Confit Recipes

CRISPY DUCK RAMEN IN TONKOTSU BROTH

Steps:

• Heat the vegetable oil in a saute pan over high heat and add the Duck Confit. Let the duck cook, undisturbed, until crispy on one side, then flip with a spatula and crisp on the reverse side, about 6 minutes total. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
• Heat the sesame oil in a saucepan over medium heat and add the shiitakes and takana. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the Tonkotsu Broth and bring to a simmer.
• Meanwhile, bring some water to a rolling boil in a stockpot and add the ramen. Cook for 60 seconds, then drain and add directly to the simmering broth. Cook the broth and ramen for an additional minute, stirring. (I like to use chopsticks here -- they're a great tool, and why not keep it authentic!) Transfer the ramen and broth to a bowl and top with the crispy duck and soft-boiled egg. Garnish with the bok choy, green onions and sesame seeds. Slurp and enjoy!
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Sprinkle the duck quarters with the salt and add them to a 4-inch-deep roasting pan. Add the garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns and thyme. Add the blended oil and duck fat to the pan so that the duck quarters are submerged in oil.
• Cover the pan and roast until the meat is falling off the bone, about 3 hours. Remove from the oven; let cool for 15 minutes before straining the duck. Pick the duck meat, discarding the skin, bones, garlic, peppercorns, thyme and bay leaves, and being careful not to leave any bones.
• Set aside until ready to use; refrigerate if using later.
• Fill a stockpot two-thirds full with water; add the pork trotters and chicken bones. Boil the bones until red blood ceases to come out of them, about 20 minutes. Strain the bones and clean the pot. Thoroughly rinse the bones, removing any residual blood.
• Add the rinsed bones to the stockpot and fill with water to cover. Bring to a boil, skimming off any residual foam that rises to the top. Add the scallion ends, garlic, mushroom stems, ginger and salt. Cover and simmer until the broth is flavorful, 3 to 4 hours, checking the water level occasionally and adding water as necessary to make sure the bones remain covered.
• About 30 minutes before the broth is finished cooking, add the ground pork fat and continue to simmer.
• Strain the broth into a large stockpot and skim off any excess fat. Set aside until ready to use.

DUCK CONFIT

Steps:

• Trim fat from legs and thighs, leaving skin intact over meat, but removing excess. In a bowl, combine duck with salt, juniper berries, bay leaves, and garlic, and rub salt mixture all over the duck to cover completely. Cover and refrigerate at least 24 hours and up to 2 days.
• Remove from refrigerator and rub off excess cure (reserve garlic). Melt duck fat over medium heat in a Dutch oven large enough to hold duck, with about 3 inches space at the top. Add duck, skin side down, and heat until fat reaches about 200 degrees (test with a candy thermometer or electronic probe.) The surface should look like it is gently boiling (but should not actually be at a boil). Adjust heat if necessary to keep temperature consistent throughout cooking. Cook until the fat is clear and a knife stuck into one of the legs slides out easily, about 3 hours.
• Transfer the legs to several glass, stainless-steel, or glazed-stoneware containers. Strain fat, discarding any solids and pour, still warm, over legs, making sure they are completely covered. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until ready to use, up to 3 weeks.
• Remove desired amount of confit from fat, scraping off any excess, and keeping remaining legs covered with fat. Place skin side down in a cold cast-iron skillet or other heavy skillet. Place over medium-low heat and cover. Cook until skin is crisp, spooning off excess fat as it cooks, about 10 minutes. Serve as desired.

DUCK CONFIT, THE RIGHT WAY

Steps:

• Combine shallot, sugar, salt, pepper, garlic, and thyme in a small bowl. Rub all over duck legs, thighs, and wings.
• Arrange duck parts skin side-up in a dish and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until the seasoning is well absorbed, 24 to 48 hours.
• Rinse off the seasoning and pat the duck dry. Arrange duck in a single layer in a 9x13-inch baking pan. Let duck stand until it reaches room temperature, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 225 degrees F (110 degrees C).
• Melt duck fat in a saucepan over medium heat until bubbles begin to form, 6 to 8 minutes. Pour duck fat over the room-temperature duck.
• Bake duck in the preheated oven until tender and the juices run clear, 2 to 3 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read 135 degrees F (57 degrees C). Pour off the duck fat.
• Brush a grill pan with some of the used duck fat and heat over medium-high heat until smoking. Add baked duck; cook in batches until skin is crispy, about 90 seconds per side.

DUCK CONFIT

Steps:

• Season the duck legs with kosher salt on both sides. Place them in a large resealable bag. Add the lemon zest and slices, garlic, allspice berries, juniper berries and fresh thyme. Seal, and massage the duck legs through the bag until all of the ingredients are evenly dispersed. Refrigerate for 24 hours to marinate.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F (93 degrees C).
• Remove the duck legs from the marinade. Rinse them off and pat dry. Place the rest of the contents of the bag into the bottom of an oven safe dish just large enough to hold the legs in a single layer, preferably enameled cast iron or glass. Arrange the duck legs skin side down in the dish. Pour the duck fat into a small saucepan and warm over low heat until liquid. Pour over the duck legs until they are completely covered. If the legs are not covered, you can top it off with some olive oil. As the legs cook, more fat will be rendered from the skin. Cover the dish with a lid.
• Bake for 6 to 7 hours in the preheated oven, until the meat pulls easily from the bone. Remove the duck legs from the fat and place in a sealable container. You may leave the bones in or remove them. Make sure there is room at the top of the container. Strain all of the solids from the remaining fat and discard the solids. Pour the fat over the duck in the container, covering completely. Seal and allow to come to room temperature. Once the jar is cool, place in the refrigerator and let the duck meat cure for 2 months. Reserve any leftover duck fat for other uses.

DUCK STOCK AND CONFIT

Steps:

• Set the duck breast-side up on a cutting board. Using a boning knife, cut along one side of the breastbone; keep the back of your knife flush against that bone and follow the curve, cutting with the tip of your knife and pulling the meat back as you go. (It's actually a kind of natural movement; trust yourself.) When you meet up with the skin from the legs, cut through the skin and detach the breast. Repeat with the second breast. The legs are now easy to see.
• One leg at a time, cut through the skin, pulling the leg back as you go. Bend the leg backward to crack the joint, then cut through the joint (it's easy to see once you've cracked it); detach the leg. Repeat with the second leg. Remove the skin from the legs with your fingers, loosening it with your knife as necessary; reserve. Remove and reserve any fat you encounter.
• Lightly score the skin of the duck breasts to make a diamond pattern; be careful not to cut all the way through to the meat. Sprinkle with salt, cover and refrigerate until ready to use in the cassoulet.
• Toss the duck legs with the garlic (use more if your cloves are small), thyme, shallot and a few pinches of salt. Refrigerate and marinate the duck legs overnight.
• Heat the oven to 350. Put the duck carcass, onion, carrot and celery in a roasting pan. Roast, turning every now and then until quite well browned. Take your time; it'll take at least an hour.
• Transfer the contents of the roasting pan to a large pot; pour off the rendered fat and reserve it. Add the bay leaf, parsley and about 10 cups of water to the pot, and turn the heat to high.
• Bring just to a boil, then lower the heat so the mixture sends up a few bubbles at a time. Cook, skimming and discarding any foam that accumulates, for at least 60 minutes and up to 2 hours. Cool slightly, then strain. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate the stock overnight. The next day, take the stock out of the refrigerator and remove the duck fat from the top; it will have solidified, and you'll be able to scoop it right off.
• Put the fat in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When the fat melts and reaches about 190 degrees, add the duck legs along with the garlic and as much olive oil (or duck fat) as necessary to submerge the legs. Discard the thyme and shallot.
• Cook, never letting the heat exceed 200 degrees, until the meat is tender and easily pierced with a fork, about 1.5 hours. Let cool, then store the duck in the fat in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it in the cassoulet.

CONFIT DUCK LEGS

Steps:

• Mince and mash 4 garlic cloves to a paste with a pinch of kosher salt. Stir together paste, kosher salt (1/4 cup), thyme, quatre épices, shallots, and bay leaves in a large bowl. Add duck legs and toss to coat, then marinate, covered and chilled, at least 1 day and up to 2 days.
• Wipe off marinade with paper towels.
• Trim off 1/4 inch from top of garlic head, then stick 2 whole cloves into head. Melt duck fat in a wide large heavy pot over low heat, then cook garlic head and duck legs, uncovered, over low heat until fat registers approximately 190°F, about 1 hour. Continue to cook duck, maintaining a temperature of 190 to 210°F, until a wooden pick slides easily into thighs, 2 to 3 hours more.
• Transfer duck with a slotted spoon to a large bowl (reserve garlic for another use if desired). Slowly pour duck fat through a fine-mesh sieve into a large crock or deep bowl, leaving any cloudy liquid or meat juices in bottom of pot, then pour strained fat over duck legs to cover by 1 inch. (If necessary, shorten drumstick bones 1 to 2 inches using a large heavy knife to fit legs more tightly in bowl.) Cool to room temperature, about 2 hours, then chill, covered, at least 8 hours.
• Just before serving, remove duck from fat (reserve fat for another use, such as frying), scraping off most of fat, then cook, skin side down, in a large heavy nonstick skillet over low heat, covered, until skin is crisp and duck is heated through, 15 to 20 minutes

DUCK CONFIT

Steps:

• To cook one duck, you need about 2 1/2 cup duck fat. A 4.5 lb. duck renders at least 1 cup of fat. Ask your butcher for extra duck fat, or you'll need another cooking fat to supplement. I'd use a mild lard; it's flavor isn't obtrusive. A 4.5 lb. Long Island duck typically yields about 8 oz confit meat (equal parts leg and breast meat).
• PREPARE THE DUCK: Cut the legs and each breast half from the duck. Trim any excess skin and fat from the legs and save for rendering.
• Gently but firmly pull the skin from the breast meat. Set the skin aside and put the breast and legs in a baking dish.
• Sprinkle liberally with the salt. Nestly the bay leaves, thyme and garlic among the duck pieces. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 24 hours.
• RENDER THE FAT: Trim all the skin and fat from the carcass. Put the skin and fat, including the skin from the breasts and trimmings from the legs in a small heavy saucepan over low heat. Cook, partially covered, at a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent the skin from sticking.
• After about 1 1/2 hours, the skin will be a deep golden in color and crisp, meaning it has rendered almost all of its fat. Take the pan off the heat and let it cool slightly.
• Strain the fat into a container, seal it, and refrigerate until ready to use. The crisped skin may be eaten or discarded.
• COOK THE DUCK: In a heavy, 1 1/2 qt saucepan, melt the rendered fat over low heat. Blot the duck pieces with paper towels to remove any excess salt and to dry them. Put the duck in the pan, along with garlic, thyme and bay laves. Arrange the pieces so that they're all submerged. If needed, add more lard.
• Cook, uncovered, at a very gently simmer, between 185 degrees and 195 degrees, for 2 hours. Do not stir, and never let it boil. After 2 hours, the duck confit will be very tender and will come easily off the bone.
• Lift the duck from the fat using tongs and either use imediately or cool and store, covered, in the refrigerateor for up to a week.

DUCK CONFIT

Steps:

• Remove ducks' legs and breasts, saving remaining bones and wings for brown duck stock. Leaving bones and skin attached, chop breasts into halves. With a cleaver, remove tips of drumsticks to use in stock.
• Sprinkle all over with salt and pepper, and set aside at room temperature 45 minutes. Then place duck pieces in a Dutch oven with rendered fat, garlic and thyme. Cook over low heat, uncovered, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. To test for doneness, pierce with a sharp fork. It should just fall off fork when shaken.
• Transfer duck pieces to a medium baking dish and add the fat. Let cool to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 24 hours or as long as 4 weeks. Before serving, lift duck pieces out of fat. Remove and discard skin and any excess fat by warming slightly on a rack in the oven. Serve duck hot or cold.