| CATEGORY | CUISINE | TAG | YIELD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tessa’s, Seasonal, Kitchen | 1 | servings | ||
INGREDIENTS
| 2 | Barbary ducks 1.6kg in weight | |
| 1 | Aylesbury duck 2.25kg in weight | |
| 6 | Complete pieces of star anise | |
| 2 | Sticks cinnamon | |
| 4 | Sprigs fresh thyme; (4 to 5) | |
| 2 | Fresh bay leaves | |
| 3 | Cloves garlic | |
| Freshly ground black pepper | ||
| 1 | tb | Whole black peppercorns |
| 3 | ts | Salt |
| A handful of sage leaves | ||
| 4 | tb | Fresh parsley; chopped |
| 2 1/2 | l | Duck fat |
INSTRUCTIONS
Take the breasts, legs and thickest part of the wings off the duck carcasses. Leave the skin on the pieces. Trim all loose fat from the carcasses and put into a large deep pan with 300ml cold water. Heat gently for 2-3 hours to render out all the duck fat. The water will gradually evaporate off, leaving behind clear duck fat. Strain off and discard any sediment or bits of skin. You can of course use bought duck or goose fat (supermarkets and butchers sell it) but since the process takes no effort it seems silly to ignore what you already have. Put the reserved duck pieces into a large dish and sprinkle over the salt, ground pepper, parsley and half the thyme. Grind three of the star anise and one cinnamon stick and add this to the duck. Cover lightly and refrigerate until the next day. Keep turning the duck pieces in the brine. Next day: Set the oven to very cool (125C/gas 1). Rinse and pat dry the duck pieces. Heat duck fat in a deep saucepan to about 170C. Add rest of aromatics and herbs. The fat should cover the pieces of meat. Reduce heat to barely simmer. Cook for 40 minutes. Remove duck pieces and place in a roasting tin. Cover with the hot fat. Cover and cook very slowly in a cool oven - 1 hour for breasts, 11/2-2 hours for legs and other pieces. The duck should be meltingly tender, but with no sign of the meat shredding and the fat should be clear. Remove from oven and cool in the fat. Store in a deep dish in the refrigerator, totally submerged in the fat. When pouring off the fat, take care to leave the meaty sediment behind. (Any impurities left would prevent the duck being preserved adequately). These juices are delicious. Don't throw them away, but use them to add to a gravy or to pour over roast potatoes or parsnips. To serve: Remove the pieces of duck from the preserving fat. Put into a roasting tin and reheat in a very hot oven 220C/gas 7 for 12-15 minutes until the duck is very hot and the skin is beautifully crisp. I like to serve this on a bed of crisp salad leaves with pieces of apple and sweet pepper, a handful of freshly chopped chives and dressed with a raspberry vinegar dressing. Converted by MC_Buster. Converted by MM_Buster v2.0l.
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