How to cook the most tender duck in the oven. Only the best recipes

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Repeat after famous chefs, stuff the duck with apples and citrus, bake in salt, glaze with honey, simmer in wine. It will be incredibly delicious.

How to choose a duck

1. It is better to take chilled poultry: its quality is easier to determine.
2. The skin should be of a uniform light color without bruising, spots, plaque, dents and other damage. Fresh duck meat should be slightly moist, skin not sticky.
3. Press your finger on the meaty part: if there is a dent, the duck is stale.
4. The old bird will turn out to be dry and tough. So take the young one. Such a duck has a cartilage at the tip of the breast, its beak is shiny, clean and rather flexible, the membranes are not sticky and easily move apart, the meat has a reddish tint, the fat is not dark, but transparent, the legs are yellow.
5. An unpleasant or sour smell indicates that the bird is stale.

How to prepare duck for baking

1. If you bought a frozen carcass, be sure to defrost it. In the refrigerator, a 2 kg bird thaws for about a day. If you want to finish it in 3 hours, place the duck in a pot of cold water. It is important to change the water every half hour and keep it cool.
2. Remove the neck and legs, if present, and gut the bird. You can later use the by-products, for example, for broth.
3. Remove excess fat from the neck and back so it doesn't interfere with the crispiness of the finished duck. But do not cut off the excess skin: you will need it to seal the stuffed carcass.
4. Pour boiling water over the duck. 2 kg will require 5 liters of water. Take half of the prepared boiling water and gently pour over the carcass so that the liquid does not get inside. Dry with a clean towel and leave to dry for half an hour. Repeat. Scalding will help clog the pores so that the finished duck has a crispy crust. But if there is no time for this, rinse the bird thoroughly enough with cold water inside and out and dry well.
5. When seasoning the duck or before, cut the skin in a crisscross pattern without damaging the meat so that excess fat can escape during cooking.

Martha Stewart's How to Roast Duck in Salt

Ingredients

• 1 glass of orange jam
• 6 sprigs of thyme;
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 2 tablespoons pink peppercorns
• 1 duck carcass (slightly over 2 kg);
• ground black pepper - to taste;
• 1 medium onion;
• 1 medium carrot;
• 1 stalk of celery
• 2-3 cm of ginger root, cut into ½ cm slices;
• 1 bay leaf;
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary
• 3 cinnamon sticks;
• about 2 kg of coarse salt (should be about the same as the weight of the duck).

Preparation

In a small saucepan, heat the jam until it runs thin and strain it into a bowl. Add 4 sprigs of thyme, grated ginger, pink pepper and set the frosting aside.

Prepare the duck as we wrote above and season with pepper on the inside. Cut the onions, carrots and celery into large pieces and put them in the carcass. Put 2 sprigs of thyme, slices of ginger, bay leaf, rosemary and 1 stick of cinnamon there.

Pack by sewing the leather with cooking thread or connecting with toothpicks. Tie the legs.

Place ⅓ salt in a baking sheet or baking dish. Place the duck on top, generously brush it with icing and leave the cinnamon sticks next to it. Fill with the remaining salt and send to the oven, preheated to 200 ° C.

Remove the meat after 2 hours 15 minutes or when a cooking thermometer stuck in the thickest part of your thigh reads 70–75 ° C.

Let the finished dish cool for half an hour, then turn the dish over and place the duck on a large cutting board. Remove salt and skin, cut into slices and serve.

How to make Jamie Oliver's recipe for duck with crispy fries and sauce

Ingredients

• 2 ducks 2 kg each with neck and offal;
• 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary;
• 1 nutmeg;
• 2 oranges;
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 8 cloves of garlic;
• 3 red onions;
• 3 carrots;
• 5 cm of ginger root;
• a couple of celery stalks;
• ½ cinnamon sticks;
• 3 bay leaves;
• 2 kg of potatoes;
• 1 liter of water or chicken broth;
• spices for potatoes - to your taste;
• 2 tablespoons flour;
• 200 ml of port wine.

Preparation

Prepare ducks, necks and offal, set aside. Separate the leaves of one rosemary sprig from the stem. Grate half the nutmeg and orange zest. Mix with a spoonful of salt.

Rub the duck inside and out with the resulting mixture, transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for a few hours.

Preheat oven to 180 ° C. Stuff the ducks with the remaining rosemary, garlic and orange halves.

Chop the peeled onions, carrots, ginger and celery. Place in a deep baking sheet with cinnamon, bay leaves and chopped necks and offal. Place the baking sheet on the bottom shelf of the oven.

Place the ducks, breast-side up, on the wire rack above it. The fat should drain onto the baking sheet.

Peel potatoes, cut into pieces and place in cold salted water. Bring to a boil, then cook for 5-10 minutes, fold in a colander and stir.

After an hour, remove the baking sheet with vegetables and offal. Immediately replace it with an empty one so that the grease does not stain the oven.

Pour the fat from the baking sheet into a bowl. Place the vegetables and duck pieces in a saucepan, and pour a little boiling water onto a baking sheet to collect the adhering pieces from the bottom. Drain the liquid into a saucepan with vegetables, add a liter of water or broth and put on medium heat. Remove fat rising to the surface.

Place the boiled potatoes on the baking sheet left in the oven. Add a few tablespoons of vegetable fat, season with spices and bake for another hour.

Heat 2 tablespoons of fat in a separate saucepan. Add flour and stir until pasty. Add the contents of the pot with vegetables and pour in the port. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove the potatoes and ducks from the oven. Set aside the carcasses on plates, cover with foil and leave for 15 minutes.

Strain the contents of the pan through a sieve, pressing the vegetables to get as much aromatic juices as possible - this is your sauce. Pour it into a clean bowl and keep warm over low heat, remembering to remove fat from the surface.

Jamie Oliver suggests not cutting the duck, but using tongs to separate the meat from the bones and tear the flesh into pieces with your hands. Serve with potatoes and sauce.

How to bake duck with apples

Ingredients

• 2¹⁄₂ kg of duck;
• 1½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper;
• ½ teaspoon dried garlic;
• ½ teaspoon ground paprika;
• 5 small apples;
• ¼ glasses of honey;
• ¼ a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice;
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.

Preparation

Prepare the duck. In a small bowl, combine the spices and grate the poultry.

Core the apples, cut them in half and fill the duck. Seal the carcass with toothpicks, tie the legs.

Place the poultry, breast-side down, on a wire rack in an oven preheated to 180 ° C. Place the drip tray underneath for excess fat. Bake for 50 minutes. Then turn over and cook the same amount.

Whisk honey, orange and lemon juice. Remove the duck, generously brush with honey frosting and let sit for 20 minutes. Slice and serve with your favorite side dish.

How to cook slow duck with citrus and wine sauce

Ingredients

• 2½ kg of duck;
• 5-6 citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, tangerines) without peel;
• salt to taste;
• 2-4 teaspoons of potato or corn starch;
• 1 glass of white wine;
• 4 tablespoons of your favorite jam.

Preparation

Preheat oven to 120 ° C. Prepare the bird, fill it with citrus fruits, and seal with thread or toothpicks. Make incisions in the skin. Rub the carcass with salt and place on the wire rack, breast side up. Place the baking sheet down to drain the duck fat.

Bake until golden brown for 6-7 hours. If you want a more golden brown, turn the temperature up to 260 ° C half an hour before being done and hold it for another 5-10 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes without covering with foil.

Prepare the sauce. Dissolve the starch in a few tablespoons of wine, pour the rest into a saucepan and heat slightly. Add jam, stir until smooth and bring to a boil. Add more jam or wine if necessary, remove from heat. Slowly pour the starch mixture into the sauce until light viscous, stirring constantly.

Remove the citrus fruits from the carcass and chop the meat. Add the sauce to a plate, place the duck pieces on it and serve.

How to bake duck in balsamic sauce and honey glaze

Ingredients

• 2¾ kg of duck;
• salt;
• 5 cloves of garlic;
• 1 medium lemon;
• ½ cup balsamic vinegar
• freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon;
• ¼ glasses of honey.

Preparation

Prepare the duck. Season generously with salt inside and out, place on a board and fill with garlic and sliced lemon. Seal and tie the legs together.

Preheat oven to 180 ° C. Place a wire rack over a baking sheet or a deep baking dish, place the chicken breast side up on it and bake for 1 hour. Then turn over and cook for another 40 minutes. Drain the pan, turn the bird over again and continue cooking.

Make the frosting. Combine balsamic vinegar and lemon juice and brush generously on the duck every 10 minutes for 40 minutes.

In a separate bowl, combine the honey and 3 tablespoons of the vinegar-lemon mixture. Continue to grease the duck with this mixture every 10 minutes for an additional 40 minutes.

You can increase the temperature 10-15 minutes before cooking to make the crust crisper and more ruddy.

Remove the meat from the oven and wait 15 minutes. Remove the lemon and garlic, chop the duck and serve.

How to cook Peking duck

Ingredients

For the main part:

• 1 small duck (1 kg);
• 1 teaspoon of vinegar for soaking meat + ½ teaspoon for greasing;
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1½ tablespoon of Shaoxing or other rice wine;
• 1 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice mix: star anise, Sichuan pepper, cloves, cinnamon, fennel
• 2 tablespoons maltose syrup
• 2 tablespoons of boiling water.

For pancakes:

• 1½ cups flour;
• a pinch of salt;
• ⅔ a glass of boiling water;
• 1 teaspoon of oil.

For filing:

• 2 leeks (only the white part is needed);
• 1 cucumber;
• 2 tablespoons of hoisin sauce.

Preparation

Prepare the duck. The process is different from the one at the beginning of the article! Pour water into a large bowl and add vinegar. Soak the bird for 1 hour. Let the duck dry naturally (if the kitchen allows, hang it by the head or neck on a hook).

Combine 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce, ½ tablespoon of wine, and spices. Lubricate the inside of the carcass.

Combine molasses, boiling water, and vinegar in another bowl. Brush the duck evenly, let it sit for 30 minutes, then spread the mixture in another layer. Marinate for 12-24 hours in a cool place. If this is not the case, put it in the refrigerator, but first put the carcass on a bottle of water: it is important that it remains upright and that there is air access from all sides.

Make pancake dough. Combine the flour and salt in a heatproof bowl and add boiling water. Stir with a cooking spatula until smooth. When the dough has cooled slightly, knead for 8 minutes until firm. If the dough is too sticky, add a little flour. Cover with cling film and leave for an hour.

Preheat oven to 180 ° C. Seal the duck with toothpicks. Place a baking sheet covered with foil in the oven and place the carcass on the wire rack above it. Bake for 20 minutes on one side, then 15 minutes on the other. Reduce the temperature to 120 ° C and cook for another half hour.

Return to the pancakes. Roll out the dough into a sausage and cut into 12 equal pieces. Form balls, flatten them to a thickness of 5 cm. Lubricate half of them with oil. Place the remaining pieces on oiled. Roll out 6 double pancakes with a diameter of about 18 cm, making sure everything is even.

Preheat a skillet over medium heat. Place the pancake. When air bubbles begin to form between the two layers after 30-40 seconds, turn the pancake over. It should remain white, slightly browning in several places. After another 30 seconds, the air bubbles will become larger. At this point, remove the pancake on a plate, let cool for half a minute and carefully divide it in two.

Repeat with the rest. You should have 12 pancakes. Set them aside and cover with a warm towel.

Return to the bird. If it's cooked, but you want a crispier crust, set it back to 180 ° C and bake for another 6-10 minutes. Or take out the duck, place in a deep saucepan and pour hot oil over the neck.

Slice the duck: first along the middle, then across each breast. Cut the onion and cucumber into thin strips.

Brush the pancakes with hoisin sauce. Place a little onion and cucumber and two slices of breast on top of each. Wrap in an envelope or roll and enjoy.

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How to cook duck legs in red wine

Ingredients

• 4 duck legs;
• 1 bunch rosemary
• 4 large cloves of garlic;
• salt to taste;
• ½ teaspoon of Chinese 5 spice mix: star anise, Sichuan pepper, cloves, cinnamon, fennel;
• ½ bottle of red wine;
• 2 tablespoons red currant or quince jam.

Preparation

Prepare the legs. Preheat oven to 170 ° C (or 190 ° C if electric). Place the rosemary and garlic on a baking sheet and place the legs on top. Season with salt and spices and remove to bake for 1 hour.

Combine wine and jam in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Then simmer for another 5 minutes.

Remove the legs, drain all the fat and cover with wine sauce. Bake another 10-15 minutes until tender.

Take note?

5 tips to help you choose good wine

How to cook duck breast with apples

Ingredients

• 3 duck breasts;
• salt and pepper to taste;
• 5 apples;
• 30 g butter;
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 50 ml Marsala or other fortified wine.

Preparation

Prepare the breasts. Season with salt and pepper, set aside.

Peel the apples and cut into large pieces. Melt butter in a frying pan, add sugar and stir well. Reduce heat and cook the fruit for 10-15 minutes to brown. Save the resulting caramel for serving.

Preheat oven to 180 ° C. Fry the breasts in olive oil for 4 minutes on each side, starting with the skin. Transfer to a baking sheet, cover with wine and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Cut the finished breasts into slices, place on a plate and add apples to them. Top with caramel sauce.

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