Braised Duck Legs With Shallots And Parsnips Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. and season duck legs with salt and pepper.
• In a heavy kettle just large enough to hold legs in one layer, cook legs, skin sides down, over moderately high heat 10 to 15 minutes, or until skin in scrip and mahogany colored, removing fat from kettle as it is rendered with a metal bulb baster (or very carefully tilting the kettle and spooning off). Turn legs over and cook until browned on the other side, about 2 minutes, transferring to a plate.
• Pour off fat from kettle and deglaze with wine, scraping up brown bits. Boil wine until reduced to a syrup and add garlic, thyme and 1/2 cup dried fruit. Return duck legs, skin sides up, to kettle and add broth. Bring mixture to a simmer and braise, uncovered, in oven 2 hours, or until legs are very tender. Transfer legs to a platter and keep warm.
• Pour braising mixture into a 1-quart measuring cup and let stand until fat rises to the top. Skim off fat and pour liquid through a sieve into a saucepan, pressing hard on solids. Boil liquid until reduced by about one third and slightly thickened and add remaining 1/2 cup dried fruit. Simmer sauce until fruit is softened, about 5 minutes, and season with salt and pepper.
• Serve duck legs with sauce and noodles or roasted and mashed potatoes.

Steps:

• Put duck legs, skin side down, in a skillet large enough to accommodate all ingredients comfortably; turn heat to medium. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Brown duck legs carefully and evenly, sprinkling them with salt and pepper as they cook. Meanwhile, peel and dice vegetables.
• When legs are nicely browned, turn them over and sear for just a minute or two. Remove to a plate; remove all but enough fat to moisten vegetables. Add vegetables to skillet along with some salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Return duck legs to pan, skin side up, and add stock; it should come about halfway up duck legs but should not cover them. Turn heat to high, bring to a boil, and transfer to oven.
• Cook for 30 minutes, then lower heat to 350 degrees. Continue to cook, undisturbed, until duck is tender and liquid reduced, at least another half hour. The duck is done when a thin-bladed knife pierces the meat with little resistance. When done, duck will hold nicely in a warm oven for another hour. Serve hot.

Steps:

• Separating the duck:
• Cut off most of the fatty flap of neck skin and reserve. Insert a sharp knife into 1 breast near the shoulder joint and slice - in a semicircle - around the wishbone. Slide your finger in back of wishbone and pry it out.
• To remove the legs, lift the duck by one leg and cut through the skin all around the thigh, including the meaty piece along the backbone, called the "oyster." Grasp the leg at the knee and pull back the thigh, to expose the joint. Cut through it and pull the leg off the carcass in 1 piece. Repeat to remove the other leg. Cut the drumsticks from the thigh pieces.
• To remove the breast halves, slice along both sides of the breastbone. Lay the duck on its side, and cut through the upper shoulder joint. Hold the carcass down by the neck with one hand, grasp the shoulder section with the other, and pull off the entire breast half, in 1 piece. Repeat on the other side. Pull out the 2 slim meaty filets that remain on either side of the breastbone.
• Chop off the wing tips. Cut around the wing on 1 breast piece to free it from the breastbone; separate the largest wing joint from the other 2. Repeat on the other side.
• You should now have 12 pieces to put in the pan: 2 large breast pieces, 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks, 2 small breast filets, and 4 wing pieces.
• Finally, trim any loose, fatty flaps of skin from the carcass, the breast, or the leg pieces.
• Frying the duck:
• Set the pan over moderate heat. Slice the reserved neck skin into 3 or 4 strips and put them in the pan to begin rendering fat. Season the duck pieces with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and the 1/4 teaspoon pepper. When there's enough fat to film the pan bottom, lay in all the pieces, skin side down (you can push aside the strips of neck skin, but leave them in the pan).
• Raise the heat to medium-high, and cook skin side down and uncovered. The duck skin will shrink and color, and lots of fat will accumulate in the pan. Check the underside of the pieces once or twice t make sure they are not burning; lower the heat slightly if necessary. Fry until the skin on all the pieces is well browned and quite crisp; the whole process should take 20 to 25 minutes.
• Turn the heat down to low. Leave the duck pieces on their skin - they should be half submerged in fat - and strew the parsnip pieces, shallots, and garlic cloves all around them in the pan. Add the rosemary and bay leaves, and sprinkle over 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Cover the pan, turn down the heat to low, and cook for 30 minutes. Check occasionally to make sure that the duck is gently steaming; adjust the heat as necessary.
• When the duck and vegetables are tender - pierce with a sharp knife to check - turn off the heat. Immediately lift the duck and vegetable pieces from the pan with the spoon or skimmer, allowing the fat to drain, and arrange on a serving platter.
• Pour off the clear duck fat from the pan - you will have 1 1/2 cups or so - and save for other uses. Add 1 cup of water to the pan, bring to a boil, scraping with a wooden spatula to melt all the solidified juice, and pour over the duck. Scatter chopped parsley over and serve.
• A Côtes du Rhône, Syrah, or Grenache-type wine would be good with this duck.

Steps:

• Trim excess fat from duck and reserve. Season flesh side with salt and pepper. Place a 4-quart oven-proof casserole over medium-high heat, and put a 2-inch piece of fat in casserole; when fat starts to render, remove it. Add duck pieces, skin side down, and sear without turning until skin is golden brown. Do not crowd duck; add pieces a few at a time. When duck is seared discard all but a thin film of the fat in the pot.
• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Place shallots and turnips in casserole and sear, turning gently, over medium heat until golden. Remove to a dish and season with salt and pepper. Pour wine into casserole and simmer briefly, scraping bottom of pan. Add garlic and stock. Return duck to casserole, skin side up. Add thyme, cover and bake 45 minutes.
• Remove casserole from oven. Remove duck. Skim excess fat from casserole. Place shallots and turnips in casserole, place duck pieces on top of vegetables, cover and bake 1 hour.
• Remove duck from casserole and skim excess fat from sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Return duck to casserole. Just before serving, reheat briefly on top of stove.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Season the duck legs on both sides. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan set over a medium heat. Place the legs in the pan, skin-side down, and fry until well browned. Turn them over and brown the flesh side. Remove the pan from the heat and pour away most of the fat. Lay the orange slices in the bottom of a ceramic baking dish and top with the duck legs.
• Return the pan to the heat. Add the chopped shallots, celery and carrot, and fry, stirring, for 4 mins to allow the vegetables to brown a little. Add the wine, bring to a simmer and cook for 2-3 mins. Add the herbs, garlic and chicken stock, mix everything together, then pour over the duck legs. Tuck the vegetable pieces in between the legs so they are submerged in the liquid. Add just enough water to almost cover the legs, then cook in the oven for 1 hr.
• Meanwhile, add half the butter to a frying pan set over a medium heat. Add the whole shallots and brown all over. After the duck has been in the oven for 1 hr, add the browned shallots and cook for a further 30 mins until tender. Remove the dish from the oven and transfer the legs to a baking tray. Lift out the whole shallots and put to one side. Strain the cooking liquid into a jug and skim off any fat or vegetable debris that comes to the surface.
• Increase oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Place the duck legs back in the oven and let them crisp for 10 mins while you finish the sauce. Boil the liquid in a large pan and reduce until you have about 300ml, then season to taste and add sugar, if necessary. Finally, add the remaining butter and stir to melt, before returning the shallots to the pan and gently reheating. Serve the legs on a bed of buttered kale, drizzling the light sauce around it, with roast parsnips on the side.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put duck legs skin side down in a skillet large enough to accommodate all ingredients comfortably. Turn heat to medium, and cook, rotating so skin browns thoroughly and evenly but do not turn over completely. Meanwhile, peel onion and carrots, trim celery and roughly chop them all.
• When skins are nicely browned, turn and sear the meat side just 1 to 2 minutes, and season with salt and pepper. Remove to a plate; remove all fat from pan except enough to moisten vegetables. Add vegetables and salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat, until they begin to brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Return duck legs skin side up to pan, and add stock; it should come about halfway up the legs but not cover them. Turn heat to high, bring to boil and transfer to oven.
• Cook 30 minutes, and turn heat to 350 degrees. Cook undisturbed until duck is tender and liquid reduced, at least 30 minutes or a bit longer. Serve immediately, or let rest in a 200-degree oven for up to an hour.

Steps:

• Cut off legs, wings, and breasts from duck and cut up carcass and wing tips for stock. Remove any bones from breasts, leaving skin on. Chill legs, wings, and breasts in a sealable bag.
• Wash leek , then put in a 6- to 8-quarts pot with carcass, 1 onion (cut in half), carrot, water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil, skimming foam. Reduce heat and gently simmer, uncovered, skimming occasionally, 1 hour. Strain stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, discarding solids. Skim off and discard fat.
• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
• Coarsely chop remaining onion. Peel parsnips and cut into 3-inch batons (1/4 inch thick). Pat legs and wings dry and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wide 6- to 7-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then brown legs and wings, turning over once, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Add onion to pot with parsnips, ginger, zest, juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and pale golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Add 2 cups duck stock (save remainder for another use) and nestle legs and wings in vegetables. Bring to a boil. Cover pot and braise in oven until meat is tender, about 1 hour. Let stand, uncovered, at room temperature 1 hour while cooking breasts.
• Season duck breasts with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper (total).
• Heat remaining teaspoon oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Cook duck breasts, skin sides down, until well browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Turn and cook about 6 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes.
• Mix together parsley and garlic. Slice breasts crosswise. Serve legs and wings over parsnips and serve sliced breast on the side. Sprinkle with parsley mixture.