Best Nancys Duck Recipes

CRISPY ROAST DUCK RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 475 F.
• Take the duck out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before preparing it.
• Cut the baby potatoes, the shallots, three figs, and three pears in half. Arrange them on an oiled baking sheet. If you would like the fruit to have grill marks, insert a baking rack into a second baking sheet, and lay the figs and pears on top. Put the tray in the oven and roast 30 minutes while you prepare the duck and fruit stuffing.
• Melt the butter, and add it to a mixing bowl. Mix in the juice of 1 ½ lemons and 1 tablespoon of honey.
• Cut the remaining figs and pears and half a lemon into eighths, and add them to the lemon-butter mixture.
• Using a sharp knife, score the duck's skin in a crosshatch pattern. Avoid cutting into the duck's meat.
• Generously season the duck inside and out with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
• Trim any excess fat around the duck's cavity. Stuff the duck's cavity with the fruit stuffing, then pour in the lemon juice from the bowl.
• Criss-cross the duck's legs, and secure with kitchen twine. Place the duck breast-side up on a rack inside of a roasting pan.
• Put the duck into the preheated oven, and roast for 10 minutes. Lower the temperature to 300 degrees, and roast the duck for 50 minutes.
• Turn the duck breast-side down, and roast for 30 minutes. Turn the duck breast-side up, and roast 30 minutes. Turn the duck breast-side down, and roast 30 minutes.
• While the duck is roasting, combine the juice of 2 lemons, 4 tablespoons of honey, and the fresh thyme in a saucepan. Heat the mixture over medium heat until the thyme turns brown. Remove the thyme, lower the heat, and simmer until thickened.
• Turn the duck breast-side down, and roast 30 minutes. Take the duck out of the oven, and brush the breasts with the lemon-honey-thyme glaze.
• Increase the oven temperature to 475 degrees, and roast the duck a final 15 minutes. Watch the duck carefully so the glaze doesn't burn.
• Take the duck out of the oven, and transfer it to a cutting board. Let it rest 15 minutes before carving.
• While the duck is resting, put the potatoes, shallots, figs, and pears back in the oven to reheat.
• Cut up or carve the duck, and serve with the fruit stuffing, potatoes, shallots, figs, and pears.

DUCK CACCIATORE

Steps:

• Sprinkle the duck pieces with salt and pepper, then dust lightly with flour.
• Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the duck pieces on both sides until golden brown. Remove the duck to a plate and pour off most of the fat from the pot. In the same pot, over medium heat, add the garlic, carrots, celery, onions, and red wine. Scrape the pot to dislodge the brown bits stuck to the bottom. Next add the tomatoes and mushrooms, and stir. Place the duck on top of the vegetables and top with the butter and parsley. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 1 hour.
• Remove the duck and vegetables to a serving platter. Spoon over the juices and serve warm.

NANCY'S DUCK

Steps:

• Mix everything
• Medium heat, turning every 15 minutes. Cook 1 - 1.5 hours
• If get dry, add more beer

ROAST DUCK WITH CRANBERRY GLAZE

Steps:

• Rinse the cranberries carefully under running water and pick them over to remove any that have spoiled.
• Mix one cup of cranberries, the honey and one-half cup of water in a small saucepan and cook, simmering, until the cranberries are very soft. Strain through a sieve into a small bowl. The honey liquid is the glaze for the duck.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the gizzard, heart and liver from the duck and set aside. Put the orange peel, half the onion and about half a teaspoon of salt and pepper in the cavity. Paint the duck with a little of the cranberry glaze.
• Place the duck on a rack in a roasting pan and roast for 45 minutes. Every 15 minutes, paint the surface with a little of the cranberry glaze. Remove the duck from the oven and prick the skin all over with a fork to release the fat. Return to the oven and continue roasting, painting every 15 minutes with the glaze, for a total of two hours.
• While the duck is roasting, make a broth with the innards: Roughly chop the remaining half onion and the duck innards. Place in a small saucepan with the wine, another half teaspoon of salt and pepper and a cup of water. Simmer gently for an hour or more, until the broth is reduced to approximately one-half cup of flavorful liquid. Strain the broth and discard the solids.
• Mix the remaining half cup of cranberries with the remaining half cup of water, the sugar and the balsamic vinegar. Cook together for 10 minutes until the mixture is syrupy. Set aside.
• When the duck has finished roasting, remove it from the oven and set aside. It should be a beautiful dark-red color.
• Strain the pan juices into a glass measuring cup and carefully remove the duck fat that floats to the top. (Do not discard: duck fat is wonderful for roasting or frying potatoes.) Add the innard broth to the roasting juices and use this to deglaze the roasting pan, scraping up the roasting bits that have stuck to the pan. Strain the whole through a fine sieve and place in a small saucepan.
• Add the cranberry-vinegar syrup to the pan juices and broth. If there is any glaze remaining, add that to the mixture and bring the whole to a simmer just to warm it and mix everything together.
• Carve the duck if you wish, or send it whole to the table, together with the warm cranberry sauce.