Best Crispy Duck With Clementines Recipes

GLAZED DUCK WITH CLEMENTINE SAUCE

Steps:

• Braise ducks:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Working from large cavity end, separate duck skin (including fat) from breast meat as much as possible by working your fingers between skin and meat, being careful not to tear skin, then prick skin all over ducks with a fork. Put ducks, breast sides up, side by side in a large flameproof roasting pan and rub each duck inside and out with kosher salt. Divide onions and celery between duck cavities and sprinkle 1/2 cup sugar around ducks. Pour enough boiling-hot water over ducks (to help tighten skin) to reach about halfway up ducks (don't fill roasting pan more than 1 inch from rim). Cover pan tightly with heavy-duty foil, then carefully transfer to oven and braise ducks 1 hour.
• Remove pan from oven and remove foil (do not discard), then carefully turn ducks over (breast sides down) using one large wooden spoon to turn and another inside cavity. Cover with foil, then carefully return to oven and braise until meat is very tender but not falling off the bone, about 1 hour more.
• Chill ducks:
• Remove pan from oven and discard foil. Transfer ducks with wooden spoons to 2 large plates, draining any juices inside ducks back into pan, then transfer cooking liquid to a large bowl. Return ducks to roasting pan, breast sides up, and cool ducks and cooking liquid (separately), uncovered, then chill, uncovered, at least 4 hours (to firm up duck before roasting and to solidify fat on cooking liquid).
• Prepare glaze and start sauce:
• Discard all fat from chilled cooking liquid.
• Remove zest from 2 large or 4 small clementines in strips with a vegetable peeler, then trim any white pith from zest with a sharp paring knife and cut zest into fine julienne strips. Blanch strips in a small saucepan of boiling water 5 minutes, then drain.
• Squeeze enough juice from remaining clementines to measure 2 cups and pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a 3-quart heavy saucepan. Add vinegar and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and boil until reduced to about 1/3 cup (glaze will bubble up and darken), about 15 minutes. Reserve 1 tablespoon glaze in a cup to brush on ducks, then stir julienned zest and 1 cup cooking liquid into glaze remaining in pan and reserve for sauce. Reserve remaining cooking liquid.
• Roast ducks and finish sauce:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 500°F.
• Roast ducks until skin is crisp, 25 to 35 minutes. Brush reserved glaze (from cup) on ducks, then transfer ducks to a platter and let stand while finishing sauce, at least 10 minutes.
• Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from roasting pan and straddle pan over 2 burners. Add shallot and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened and pale golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add 2 cups reserved cooking liquid and deglaze pan by boiling, scraping up brown bits, 2 minutes, then pour through fine-mesh sieve into sauce (containing julienned zest) and bring to a boil.
• Stir together liqueur and arrowroot and whisk into sauce. Simmer, whisking occasionally, until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes, then season sauce with salt and pepper. Serve ducks, whole or carved into serving pieces, with sauce.

DUCK TWO WAYS WITH CLEMENTINE-FIG RELISH

Steps:

• Duck:
• Mix peppercorns, coriander seeds, and fennel seeds in a small bowl. Prick skin of duck legs all over with a paring knife; season generously with salt. Sprinkle duck legs with spice mixture, pressing to adhere. Score fat of each duck breast in a crosshatch pattern, spacing 1/2" apart; season all over with salt. Divide legs and breasts between 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Let sit at room temperature 1 hour or chill uncovered up to 3 days.
• If chilling, let duck legs sit at room temperature 1 hour before braising.
• Place a rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 300°F. Heat oil in a large wide Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium and cook leeks, stirring occasionally, until softened and browned around edges, 8-10 minutes. Add thyme sprigs, garlic, and bay leaves and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and garlic is slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add wine, bring to a boil, and simmer until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
• Remove pot from heat and slip duck legs, skin side down, into liquid (depending on size of pan, they may overlap quite a bit-this is okay!). Pour in water to come three-quarters of the way up legs. Cover pot and braise duck legs in oven until submerged in their own fat, 1 1/2-2 hours.
• Turn duck legs skin side up and continue to braise (still covered) until tender and the bones wiggle easily in joints, 1 1/2-2 hours longer. Let legs cool in braising liquid, then chill until fat rises to the surface and solidifies, at least 2 hours.
• Relish and assembly:
• Cook clementines, figs, cognac, sugar, mustard, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar, until figs absorb some liquid and mixture is syrupy, 10-15 minutes. Let cool; remove bay leaves. Stir in vinegar, then strain 1/3 cup syrup through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl; set aside to use for glazing duck. Set remaining relish aside for serving.
• Let duck breasts sit until room temperature, about 1 hour.
• Place 2 duck breasts, skin side down, in a large skillet; set over medium-low heat and cook duck, occasionally pouring excess fat from skillet into a bowl (save it!), until skin is golden brown and crisp, 12-15 minutes. Turn duck over, increase heat to medium, and cook on other side 2 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board. Wipe out skillet and let cool down, then repeat with remaining 2 breasts. (If you have 2 large skillets, by all means do all 4 breasts at once.) Let rest at least 10 minutes before slicing.
• Meanwhile, place a rack in upper third of oven; preheat to 425°F. Remove duck legs from braising liquid, brushing off any seeds or fat clinging to surface. Place, skin side up, on a wire rack set inside a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and lightly brush with reserved glaze. Roast until golden brown and skin is crisp, 10-15 minutes.
• Serve duck legs and sliced breasts with reserved relish.
• Do Ahead
• Duck legs can be braised 2 days ahead. Keep chilled. Relish can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill strained glaze and relish separately. Bring to room temperature before using.

DUCK BREAST WITH CLEMENTINES AND TUSCAN KALE

Steps:

• With a sharp knife, score the fat of the duck breasts in a cross-hatch pattern through the fat, down to the meat but not into the meat. Season generously with salt.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Put about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan over low heat and schmear it around to coat the bottom of the pan. Arrange the duck breasts, skin side down, in the pan. Be sure that the duck fits in the pan comfortably and is not crowded. Slowly render the fat from the duck breasts. This needs to be done s-l-o-w-l-y, otherwise the fat with be sealed into the skin and will not render out. The idea is to make crispy duck skin. This process will take about 30 minutes or so. As the fat builds up in the pan, remove it, but SAVE IT! It will be used to saute the kale later.
• When the fat has rendered from the duck breast, turn the heat to medium-high and brown both sides of the duck breast. When the duck is browned on both sides, move it to a sheet pan and put it in the preheated oven to cook it to medium rare, about 7 to 8 minutes. Remove the duck from the oven to a cutting board and let it rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.
• Add the clementine juice and segments to the saute pan and scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan. When the juice has reduced by a little more than half, add half of the chicken stock, the thyme and season the whole shootin' match with salt. Continue to cook until the stock has reduced by half, then add a little more of the chicken stock. Continue to reduce the stock and turn the heat off when it gets to a sauce-like consistency. Taste for seasoning and add salt, if needed.
• While the sauce is reducing and the duck is resting, add some of the reserved duck fat to a large saute pan. Add the garlic cloves and bring to a medium-high heat. When the garlic is golden brown and aromatic, remove it from the saute pan and discard it. Toss in the prepared kale and season with salt, to taste. Add some of the reserved chicken stock to help steam the greens. Saute the greens until they are wilted but still vibrant looking. Taste for seasoning.
• Divide the greens among 4 serving plates. Slice each duck breast and fan the slices over the kale. Spoon some of the sauce on and around the duck. Garnish with the supremed clementines and the pomegranate seeds.
• It's just ducky!