Roast Wild Duck With Blackberry Sauce Recipes

ROAST WILD DUCK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F or higher. I often cook ducks at 500°F, and small ducks are best cooked at these high temperatures. (You can get away with 425°F if that's as high as your oven will go.) Let the oven preheat a good 20 to 30 minutes. Let the ducks rest at room temperature while the oven heats up.
• If the duck is reasonably fat, use a needle to pierce the skin where there is a lot of fat under it: The front of the breast, between the breast and legs, at the flanks, and all over the back of the bird. Be careful not to pierce the meat of the breast. Rub lemon over the bird and dust it with a good salt. Stuff the spent lemon or orange wedge inside the duck.
• Place a few celery stalks onto an oven-proof pan (I use a cast-iron frying pan), arranging them so you can rest the ducks on top. This prevents the ducks from sitting in their own juices. Roast in the oven as follows: About 10 to 15 minutes for teal or other small ducks, 13 to 20 minutes for anything up to the size of a gadwall, 18 to 25 minutes for a mallard or canvasback. The key here is an internal temperature of about 140 to 145°F at the deepest part of the breast meat, which is in the front third of the breast. Don't have an instant read thermometer? Get one. Ducks need to be cooked medium-rare to medium. An overcooked duck is a sad thing.
• Take the duck out, move it to a cutting board and rest it. Let small ducks rest about 5 minutes. Large ducks need to rest closer to 10 minutes, and geese up to 15 minutes.
• If you want a simple pan sauce, remove the celery and stir a tablespoon or two of flour into the drippings. Let this cook on the stove (you might be able to do this solely with the residual heat in the hot pan until this roux is the color of coffee-with-cream. Add a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, some wine or brandy and the juice of a lemon. If the sauce is too thick, add a little water or stock. Whisk everything to combine and add salt to taste. Turn off the heat, add a tablespoon of minced parsley and a knob of butter. Swirl to combine and serve.

ROAST DUCK WITH BLACKBERRY-ORANGE SAUCE

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to lower third of the oven. Preheat oven to 500°F. Rinse duck body cavity; pat dry. Rub cavity with the 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Place orange, celery, onion, and thyme in cavity. Skewer neck skin to back; tie legs to tail. Twist wing tips under back. Brush duck with the 2 tablespoons orange liqueur.
• Place duck, breast side down, on rack in a shallow roasting pan. Add the hot water to the roasting pan. Place in lower third of oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Roast, uncovered, for 45 minutes.
• Carefully remove roasting pan from oven; drain fat.* Turn duck, breast side up. Roast for 45 to 60 minutes more or until drumsticks move easily in their sockets (165°F). Juices may still appear pink.
• Meanwhile, for sauce, in a small saucepan whisk together orange peel, orange juice, brown sugar, the 1/4 cup orange liqueur, the molasses, ginger, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 to 12 minutes or until thickened and syrupy. Stir in 2 cups blackberries. Use a potato masher or fork to coarsely mash berries. Cover and set aside.
• Transfer duck to a cutting board; let stand for 15 minutes. Discard stuffing mixture. Using kitchen shears, cut duck in half lengthwise. Cut each half between the breast and the thigh into 2 pieces. Drain fat from roasting pan. Arrange duck quarters in pan. Pour blackberry sauce over the duck. Return to oven. Roast in the 350°F oven for 30 minutes.
• Transfer duck pieces to a serving platter. Pour any juices in roasting pan over duck pieces. If desired, serve with additional blackberries.

PAN-SEARED DUCK BREAST WITH BLUEBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a small bowl mix together the salt, ground black pepper, thyme, and rosemary; set aside. This will be your spice blend for seasoning the roasted potatoes and the duck breasts.
• Place cubed potatoes into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle 2 tablespoons of your spice blend over the top of the potatoes. Toss the potatoes in the pan until they are evenly coated with oil and seasonings. Spread into a single layer across the bottom of the baking dish and bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven.
• While the potatoes are roasting, stir together the blueberries, water, apple juice, sugar, and jalapeno in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low, and simmer until the mixture has reduced to the consistency of syrup, about 10 minutes.
• Cook the pancetta in a large skillet over medium heat until crispy. Remove the pancetta to drain on a paper towel, leaving the drippings in the skillet. Add the shallots and the mushrooms to the hot skillet; stir and cook them until soft and just beginning to brown. Remove the shallots and mushrooms and set aside. Increase heat to medium-high and place the bok choy in the hot skillet. Stir and cook the bok choy until the leaves are wilted and the white stalk pieces are tender, about 5 minutes. Return the shallots, mushrooms, and pancetta to the skillet, turn off the heat and set aside.
• Rinse the duck breast halves and pat dry. Rub the remaining spice blend onto both sides of the duck breasts. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat, when the pan is hot put in the vegetable oil and butter. Immediately place the duck breasts in the pan, skin and fat side down. Do not move the duck breasts until the skin is deep brown, about 5 minutes. Turn the breasts and cook until the internal temperature of the thickest part is 160 degrees F (71 degrees C) for well done. Remove the duck from the pan and place on a plate, covered with foil to rest for 5 minutes. While the duck is resting, place the skillet with the bok choy mixture onto a burner over medium heat to warm through.
• Slice each duck breast diagonally into 1/2 inch strips. Divide the bok choy mixture among four plates and drizzle each serving with 1/2 tablespoon of aged balsamic vinegar. Arrange the sliced duck breasts on top of the bok choy mixture; ladle on blueberry sauce. Serve with oven-roasted potatoes on the side.

FIVE-SPICE DUCK BREAST WITH BLACKBERRIES

Steps:

• Trim duck breasts as necessary, removing extraneous fat or gristle. Score the skin side of the breast diagonally with a sharp knife.
• Season both sides of the duck breasts with salt, then sprinkle both sides evenly with five-spice powder. Mix together ginger and garlic and use it to slather the breasts. Cover and let marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature. (Alternatively, wrap and refrigerate for several hours, or even overnight; bring back to room temperature before cooking.)
• Place a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, lay duck breast in it skin-side down. Let sizzle gently for 7 minutes, until skin is crisp and golden, adjusting heat as necessary to keep from getting too dark too quickly. Turn breast over and cook 3 to 5 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer should register 125 degrees for medium rare. Remove from pan and let rest for 10 minutes on a warm plate. Drain fat from pan (reserve for another use if you wish).
• Make the sauce: Over medium heat, add shallots to same pan and cook until softened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add sherry vinegar, brown sugar and half the blackberries, stirring until sugar is dissolved and berries have released their juice. Add chicken broth, raise heat and simmer rapidly until liquid is reduced by half and a bit syrupy. Strain the contents of the skillet into a small saucepan and keep warm.
• To serve, slice duck breast thinly across the grain on a diagonal and arrange on a platter. Spoon the sauce over the meat and garnish with the rest of the blackberries.

ROAST WILD DUCK WITH CRANBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Rinse duck under cold water and pat dry. Remove any large lumps of fat from skin. Rub inside cavity and skin of duck with lemon. Season cavity and skin with salt and pepper. Truss bird, place on rack and set in shallow roasting pan. Roast at 350°F for 30 minutes.
• Pierce skin all over with fork to release fat. Continue roasting until duck is completely cooked, around 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
• Once every hour, remove all but 1 cup of fat from pan (some remaining fat will keep pan from scorching). Increase oven temperature to 500°F for the last 15 minutes of roasting to crisp skin. Remove duck from oven and set on warm plate. Pour off and discard fat.
• Place roasting pan on top of stove. Add port and heat over low heat, scrapping up any browned bits. Add butter and heat until melted. Add flour, stirring until smooth. Add chicken broth and whisk constantly until smooth and thickened, around 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in orange juice and 2 tablespoons brown sugar and mix well. Add cranberries and cook over high heat until cranberries pop, around 2 to 3 minutes. Add cayenne and more salt and pepper to taste. If mixture is too tart, add more brown sugar.
• To serve, using poultry shears cut duck in half lengthwise. Place on two serving dishes. Pour half of sauce over each serving. Serve immediately.

ROAST WILD DUCK WITH BLACKBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Prick skin all over duck, remove as much fat as possible on the domestic bird.
• Rub wild duck with walnut oil or wrap in bacon.
• Domestic duck is more greasy and does not need oil or bacon.
• Stuff 1/2 the onions and turnip cubes into the cavity.
• Season cavity with salt and pepper.
• Place duck in roasting pan with about 1/2 inch of water on center rack in oven, breast side down.
• turn breast side up after cooked for 20 minutes and bake about 40 minutes longer, til just done.
• While duck is roasting, place giblets and remaining onions and turnips in a small dutch oven or oven proof saucepan and roast in the oven with the duck til well browned, about 20 minutes.
• Remove dutch oven to the stove top.
• Over medium heat, deglaze the dutch oven in the stock, scraping all the bits stuck to the bottom and sides of the pan.
• Add the seasonings, wine and vinegar.
• Continue to cook til liqid is reduced by 1/3, about 20 minutes.
• Add preserves and blackberries.
• Cook another 10 minutes or until the preserves are melted into the liquid and the berries have cooked down and are soft.
• Strain liquid into a clean sauce pan and set aside.
• Discard the solids strained out.
• Remove roasted duck from the oven and let stand tented under aluminum foil for 15 minutes before carving.
• Reheat sauce just before serving.
• Carve duck or quarter, discarding the stuffing and serve hot with sauce poured over top.

PAN-SEARED DUCK BREAST WITH BLACKBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• For the sauce, place the blackberries, stock, vinegar, brandy, sugar and cloves in a small pan and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer for around 15-20 minutes, breaking up the blackberries, and reducing the liquid by around half.
• Optionally, press the sauce through a relatively fine strainer or mesh to hold back the seeds and other firmer solids. You can make the sauce a day or two ahead of time, chill it covered then re-heat as needed.
• (You can cook the duck as the sauce cooks, then strain sauce as duck rests, or cook separately, and re-heat sauce, as you prefer.) Pat the duck breasts dry and lightly score the skin to break the skin but not cut through to the flesh below. Sprinkle both sides with a little salt.
• If cooking in a pan, place the duck breasts skin-side down in a cold pan and place over a medium-high heat. Let them cook for around 6-10 minutes until you can see the sides cooking and the skin has crisped up. Turn over and cook around another around 4 - 5 minutes, depending on thickness and how rare you want it. Generally, you want it to feel slightly soft and springy, but still giving a bit of resistance when you press in the middle.
• Once the duck has cooked, set it aside to rest - you can tent it with foil - for a few minutes before slicing and serving with the sauce poured over or on the side.

CRISPY ROAST DUCK WITH BLACKBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• 1. Melt 1/2 cup butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• 2. Slowly stir in sugar, stirring until sugar thoroughly dissolves and sauce turns a deep amber color, about 5-8 minutes. Pour in wine, orange juice, lemon juice, and red wine vinegar. Still stirring, bring entire mixture to boil.
• 3. Add berries and chicken broth to sauce; continuing to boil until sauce thickens and is reduced to about 1 1/2 cups, stirring occasionally. This will take about 20-30 minutes.
• 4. Add Cognac and maple syrup. Using the back of a spoon, mash the berries into the mixture. Set aside.
• 5. Preheat oven to 400°F. After trimming any excess fat from the duck breasts, cut small slits in the skin (but not in the meat) of the duck. Thoroughly season breasts with salt and pepper.
• 6. Heat a heavy ovenproof skillet over high heat. Add duck-skin-side down-and sear until lightly brown, about 5 minutes. Turn over and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Transfer skillet to oven and cook until duck reaches desired doneness (about 5 minutes for medium).
• 7. As duck bakes, reheat blackberry sauce over low heat. Add last tablespoon of butter and whisk until just barely melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• 8. Spoon sauce onto plates, then place duck atop sauce. Garnish with additional sauce and blackberries if so desired.