Recipe for Roast Duck - Thanksgiving Feast 2012

Thanksgiving Dinner 2012--- What The Duck?!

Our Thanksgiving Dinner throughout the years has been divided between Lamb or the standard Turkey. However this year it was decided I should prepare a Duck.  Having spent 40 + years in Minnesota, it was common for us to hunt wild game, so I have accumulated a few recipes. But this Duck is not going to be a wild duck but instead a domestic duck, farm raised, full of fat, bought in the super market frozen, and as such, with an unknown outcome. Undaunted, I embarked on the process of thawing (2 days), pricking and scoring the skin, and coating with a very light sprinkling of kosher salt.  I will not keep you in suspense any longer; the end result was a beautiful, well prepared, delicious Duck. If you have never prepared a domestic duck, be not afraid, as I will share with you my process.

INGREDIENTS:

1 whole Duck about 5-6 lbs.

Kosher salt

FOR THE GLAZE:

3 Tbs.  Orange juice

1 Tbs. Soy sauce

2 Tbs.  Molasses (or maple syrup)

¼ cup Honey

¼ cup Panda Express Orange Sauce.

Note: If you do not have some of these ingredients on hand, there is no need to rush to the store to purchase them, simply choose not to use them and instead, add extra honey, orange juice and corn syrup. This should give you a nice glaze.

Be sure to clean out the cavity of the bird, cut off the excess fat from the front as well as the rear including the “parsons nose”. 

Prick the skin all over, score diagonally ending up with diamond shaped marks, sprinkle with kosher salt, truss the wings and legs.

Note: This is a low and slow process that will take in excess of 4 hours to finish. Do not become overly anxious, as the reward is a juicy (not fatty or dry) tasting bird. I also placed a quartered apple in the cavity.

 If time is of the essence, increase the temperature to 350 degrees, turn the bird in 40 to 45 minute intervals, but check the internal temperature each time you turn the bird to prevent over cooking.

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Roast uncovered for one hour, breast side up.

Turn the duck to breast side down, prick and drain fat from the pan. Roast for one hour.

Turn the duck to breast side up, prick and drain the fat. Roast for one hour.

Turn the duck to breast side down, prick and drain the fat, Roast for one hour.

Increase the temperature to 400 degrees, turn the duck to breast side up, roast for 10 minutes.

This is the time to brush on the glaze and finish cooking for another 5-7 minutes at 400 degrees.  By now the duck should have reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Remove the duck from the roaster. Place it on a cooling rack; let it rest while preparing to serve.

I hope the pictures will help guide you through the process and although it may appear to be complicated, I think you will agree it is a matter of replication of a single step and a bit of time. It was a wonderful Thanksgiving meal and the leftovers were used for Asian duck tacos.

Note: You have probably questioned the lack of seasonings but should you desire to add herbs and vegetables to the roaster during the cooking process, by all means do. I personally found it unnecessary and derived a benefit of flavor from the glaze.

Thank you for allowing me to share some time and thoughts with you.

Clark Williams, chef

 

Brunch Frittata Recipe - Whole Lotta Frittata

Sunday Morning Brunch

Sunday Morning brunch means something different to every family but ours is a time to review the issues of the past week, give thanks for the blessings of life and clean up the leftovers.

At our house at least, all of the above are in play but the food aspect usually centers on how many ingredients will our frittata hold while confined to a 10” skillet. I have found not only has it become a challenge but somewhat of a game while attempting to clean up the past week’s leftovers.  While prepping all the available ingredients, I often question my judgment as to the practicality of my morning endeavor but somehow, frequently with a few minor adjustments, I manage to squeeze them all into the pan.

For this Frittata I used:

8 oz.     Jimmy Dean hot breakfast sausage

10 oz.  Simply Hash Brown Potatoes

1 cup   Shredded cheddar cheese

6          Large eggs

3           Fresh button mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup Red and green bell pepper, chopped

4 Tbls   Italian parsley, chopped

2 Tbls   Butter

1 cup   Onions, chopped

             Freshly ground pepper to taste

            Oregano or Italian seasoning to taste. (optional)

8 spears Asparagus

           

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a skillet sauté crumbled sausage, set aside

In a bowl, whisk eggs until frothy.  Stir in sausage, cheese, 3 T. parsley, pepper, mushroom, onions, bell peppers, Italian seasoning and asparagus. NOTE: prepare the asparagus spears by snapping off the thick end and discarding as they are usually woody and tough. Measure the length of the spears you wish to use for dressing the frittata as shown in the picture, chop the remaining pieces and add to the egg mixture. Set the egg mixture aside.

In a skillet, melt one T. butter over medium heat. Firmly press the hash brown potatoes into the pan to conform to the pan shape and cook for 5 to 6 minutes.  After 3 minutes, check the color and texture of the potatoes. When they are firm enough to flip, shake the pan to release the potatoes so they will easily slide onto a flat surface.  The flat surface can be either a dish or platter large enough to accommodate the potatoes. Carefully return the potatoes to the original skillet making certain the uncooked side of the potatoes is face down (the flip). Pour the egg mixture over the potatoes, cook for 2-3 minutes.  Transfer the skillet to the oven to finish.  Continue to cook until the eggs are set and the potatoes are crisp.

When finished to your satisfaction, slide the frittata onto a large platter, garnish with the remaining parsley, slice and serve. Serves 6-8.

Clark Williams, Personal Chef

Lemon Curd Recipe - The End of the Lemon Harvest

While harvesting the remainder of my lemons I thought of how to best utilize the surplus from this year’s crop. Needless to say I have taken care of my neighbors desires for “fresh, right off the tree” lemons so now it is my time to enjoy the rich, tangy rewards offered by my Meyer lemon tree.

I now have 24 jars of frozen juice, a plastic container of dried zest, 4 (remaining) jars of lemon curd, a lemon pie and a few lemon tartlets coming this weekend.  This leaves only enough for garnish while finishing a fish presentation.

The greatest personal reward was to make Lemon Curd as I had always purchased jars from retail sources thinking the process for making lemon curd must be way too complicated and how could I make my curd to be equal to the English version to which I have become so attached.  To my dear readers, I offer a recipe that will not only please your taste buds, but is equal to my favorite English Curd I discovered while having tea at Harrods in London. This recipe is a short approach to mixing the ingredients and can be easily doubled if you enjoy the initial attempt.

INGREDIENTS:

2              Large eggs

1/3 cup    Fresh lemon juice

½   cup    Sugar

Zest of 1 lemon

2 Tbls     Cold, unsalted butter cut into small pieces

METHOD:

Add about 1” of water to a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. This method replaces the double boiler.

In a bowl whip eggs and sugar together until light and fluffy, gradually mix in lemon juice and zest until fully incorporated.  Place bowl over the simmering water, (bowl should be a size which will fit snugly over the saucepan without the bowl touching the water). Continue whisking until the curd is thick and smooth, about 8 to 10 minutes.  This time will vary depending on the amount of heat you have generated within your saucepan. Keep in mind the water should be simmering not boiling.

Remove the bowl from the heat, begin to blend the small pieces of butter into the curd whisking until the mixture is smooth. Pour the curd into a container, place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd to prevent a crust forming and refrigerate overnight or up to two weeks.

NOTE:

Should you wish to have a velvety smooth lemon curd, pour the warm curd through a sieve to remove the particles of zest.

Happy cooking

Clark Williams