Wednesday, March 23, 2011

The Delving of the duck........

Shhhhhh, I'm writing this while I get a chance.  After the screening of the last episode of Masterchef it's fair to say that I am a wanted man.  Every time a duck flies past I look for cover.  Do they know?  Do duck's even watch Masterchef??  Who am I kidding.  Everyone watches Masterchef.

How long will this feathered foe feel compelled to frighten me.  I can't go on.........

And so it is, that I call a truce.  We must forget our past.  We both made mistakes.  Yes I shouldn't have been so brazen with your feelings and thrown you to the side without want nor care. But did you have to go and get yourself cooked so quickly......nay say BURNT!

Here and now we resolve this.  I hereby swear to buy one whole duck.  With this duck I will create and explore.  I will not rest until every part of this duck has been extracted for every ounce of goodness that it does possess.  No part shall go wasted.  No part shall wind up in the bin.  And furthermore......I will write down recipes so that all may enjoy.

Let it commence.  The Delving of the duck......

Alright enough paranoia.  I thought it might be fitting, knowing my impended fate, to seek some form of kitchen resolution by cooking the perfect duck breast over the weekend.  As it turns out duck breasts are quite a hard product to find!

After a trip to The Pyrenees deli in Mt Albert drew no results (but the discovery of proper lard-ons and Reblochon cheese, more on this later) I proceeded to a large Asian grocer in Mt Albert thinking they should have something.  Only the cooked version I'm afraid.  So it was with a bit of backtracking that I headed to Nosh, Ponsonby Rd and opened my wallet for their customary pillaging of all my spare change.

As it turns out a double duck breast was nigh on $18 where the whole bird was only $24.  My first thought was $6 for the most gorgeous roast potatoes ever?  Easy.  Then I started thinking surely I can get even more out of a whole bird.

How many meals could I get out of this Duck?  This is what I came up with:

  • Tea smoked Duck Breast served with a Black Pudding and Roasted Beetroot Salad dressed with Blueberry Vinigarette
  • Duck a l'Orange Salad with pine nuts and Bacon and an Orange Vinigarette
  • Roasted duck legs served with Tartiflette and green beans
  • Duck Crakling
  • Duck and mushroom Risotto
  • Potatoes roasted in duck fat

Duck seems to be a dish that is not given much attention in the average Kiwi's kitchen.  People seem prepared to leave this one on the Restaurant menus.

Why is this?  Do people not know how to cook it?  Obviously it's selective availability and relative high price prohibits it from the average family.

Do you cook duck?  What recipes do you use?

Let me know which recipe tingles your tastebuds and I'll get that one up first.  All recipes to be up over the next week!

2 comments:

  1. True story: the first time I cooked for Tom I prepared duck and we both developed food poisoning. Unfortunately the following day was Christmas Day AND the first time he was to meet my family. It was a memorable day for all the wrong reasons. I hasten to add it was the duck, not the chef, which was at fault. Anyway, even the thought of duck now makes me turn green around the gills!

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  2. Eeeekkk! How terrible! And what bad timing. I've expereienced the dreaded food posioning a few times myself so can sympathise. The worst and most recent was while in a hostel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. 12 hours of turmoil before hopping on a long haul flight back to NZ! Not pleasant!

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