_duck Cooked To Cut Up Recipes

ROAST DUCK

Steps:

• Unwrap the ducks and allow them to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. With a fork, prick the skin without piercing the meat. This will allow the fat to drain off while the ducks cook.
• Meanwhile, in a very large stock pot which can hold the 2 ducks, heat the chicken broth with 1 tablespoon of kosher salt until it boils. Add the ducks very carefully and bring the stock back to a boil. If there isn't enough stock to cover the ducks, add the hottest tap water to cover. If the ducks float to the top, place a plate on top to keep them immersed. When the stock comes back to a boil, lower the heat and simmer the ducks in the stock for 45 minutes.
• When the ducks are finished simmering, skim off enough duck fat from the top of the stock to pour a film on the bottom of a 14 by 18 by 3-inch roasting pan. This will keep the ducks from sticking when they roast. Carefully take the ducks out of the stock, holding them over the pot to drain. Place them in the roasting pan, pat the skin dry with paper towels, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and the pepper. If you have time, allow the ducks to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow the skin to dry.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. (Be sure your oven is very clean or it will smoke!) Roast the ducks for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow them to rest, covered with aluminum foil, for 20 minutes. Serve warm.

EASY ROAST DUCK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Remove giblets and neck from duck cavity and discard or reserve for another use. Cut off excess fat from duck cavity.
• Place duck, breast side down (wings up), on a rack in a roasting pan; add water to come just below the rack. Sprinkle duck with pepper and brush with a little soy sauce.
• Roast 30 minutes, undisturbed. Prick the back all over with point of a sharp knife, then flip bird onto its back. Sprinkle with pepper and brush with soy sauce again. Add a little more water to the pan if the juices are spattering (carefully--you don't want to get water on the duck).
• Roast 20 minutes, then prick the breast all over , and brush with soy sauce. Roast 10 minutes; brush with soy sauce. Roast 5 or 10 minutes more if necessary, or until duck is a glorious brown all over and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thigh measures at least 155 degrees. Let rest 5 minutes before carving and serving.

_DUCK, COOKED: TO CUT UP

Steps:

• Cut off the legs at the thigh joints, the wings at the shoulder joints. Split duck in half along the backbone. Carefully separate breast meat from bone, using a cutting and tearing action. Cut breast meat in 2-inch strips. With a cleaver, chop legs and upper wings in 2-inch sections. To serve: Place neck on platter. Arrange wing, leg and breast sections to approximate original shape of duck.The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.

_CORNSTARCH PASTE: TO THICKEN WITH

Steps:

• Blend the specified amount of cornstarch, cold water (and whatever seasonings may be called for in the recipe) to a smooth paste. Add gradually to the pan when directed and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until the sauce thickens and is smooth. When the dish contains a fragile ingredient such as fresh bean curd, it's advisible to thicken the sauce first and then add that ingredient.NOTE: If the cornstarch paste is prepared in advance, always re-stir before using. Otherwise it will separate, with the solids sinking to the bottom.The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.

_DUCK, COOKED: TO BONE AND CARVE

Steps:

• Cut off legs at the thigh joints. Slip out leg bones and cut meat in 1- or 1 1/2-inch strips. Cut off wings at shoulder joints. With a sharp knife, make a vertical incision along the center line of the breast. Slip the knife in to separate meat and bone. Cut meat in 1- or 1 1/2-inch strips.The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.

SHREDDED ROAST DUCK

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325. Remove giblets and neck from duck cavity, and discard or reserve for another use. Cut off excess fat from duck cavity. Place duck on a rack in a deep roasting pan, breast-side up, and season with salt and pepper. Then slide the pan into the oven and cook, undisturbed, for 2 hours.
• Remove duck from oven, and use the point of a sharp knife to prick the skin of the bird, all over the breasts and thighs. Return bird to oven, and cook for 1 to 2 more hours, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thigh measures around 155 degrees.
• Increase oven temperature to 450, and cook until the duck is golden and crisp, 15 to 30 minutes.
• Carefully remove the roasting pan from the oven, and transfer the duck to a cutting board. (Let the fat in the pan cool, then store it, covered, in the refrigerator. It is an excellent medium for roasting potatoes.) Allow the duck to rest for a few minutes, then shred it, using two forks to pull the meat apart. Add your favorite barbecue sauce, to taste, or your favorite hoisin sauce, to taste. Keep warm.

_DUCK: TO BONE

Steps:

• Chop off the lower wings. Cut carefully downward along the spine, working close to the bone. Separate meat from bone without tearing either meat or skin. Lift one leg of duck and move it in all directions to loosen the thigh joint. Insert the knife point, hitting thigh joint lightly but firmly until joint and pelvis separate. Repeat with the other leg and with both shoulder joints to loosen. In the fleshier portions, such as breast and thighs, alternately cut and pull the meat away from the bones, to separate the flesh from the carcass. When meat and bones are completely separated, draw the bony neck out as far as possible through the skin. Chop neck off. Draw out the windpipe and esophagus. Remove as much tail bone as possible, but do not chop off tail. Carefully remove oil sacs near the tail. Wash duck in cold water. Hang by tail to drain thoroughly.The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.

_BEEF: TO TENDERIZE

Steps:

• Dissolve 1 teaspoon baking soda in 2 tablespoons water. Spread over beef. Let stand 1 hour.Or: Combine 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon peanut oil, a pinch of sugar and a dash of pepper. Add mixture to beef shreds or slivers and toss. Let stand 1 hour. Or: Pound stewing beef lightly with the side of a cleaver blade or bottom of a glass, and pierce all over with a fork. Combine 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons sherry and 1 teaspoon salt. Rub into meat. Let stand 1 hour, then braise. Or: Add 1 tablespoon brandy for every 2 cups of liquid in which red-simmered beef will cook.The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.

_CHICKEN, COOKED: TO CUT UP

Steps:

• With a sharp cleaver, remove the legs and wings at their joints. Chop each thigh, bones and all, in 2 pieces each drumstick in 2 pieces. Cut off the lower or bony part of each drumstick. Chop each wing in 2 or 3 pieces. Chop the neck in 3 pieces. Split the bird lengthwise down the spine and through the breast. Remove each half of the breast, cutting it first into quarters, then into slices about 1 inch thick (bones and all). Chop the upper and lower back in 3 pieces each. Lay these down on the serving dish. Then place the neck, wing and leg sections, skin-side up, approximately back in their original positions. Finally, place the slices of breast meat down the middle in 2 neat rows to reconstruct the natural shape of the chicken. (An easy way to do this: as the chicken is chopped, section by section, scoop up the pieces with the broad cleaver-knife blade and slide them directly onto the serving platter.)The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.