Braised Duck With Onion Recipes

BRAISED DUCK LEGS WITH PEARS AND PEARL ONIONS

Steps:

• Trim excess fat off duck legs, render and save for cooking or discard. Season duck with salt and pepper.
• Melt half of the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed casserole over medium-high heat. Brown duck evenly, about 4 minutes per side. Drain off excess fat, if desired. Transfer duck to a plate.
• Melt remaining butter in the casserole. On medium heat brown onions, stirring frequently, until golden, about 3 minutes.
• Add the garlic, celery and rosemary sprigs and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is just soft , about 3 minutes. Add the brown sugar and stir until dissolved.
• Deglaze with vinegar and add remaining ingredients, except pears.
• Return duck to casserole. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer gently, uncovered, for about 30 minutes, or until wine is reduced by one third.
• Cover and simmer for about 1 hour, until duck is tender.
• Add the sliced pears , cover and simmer for a further 30 minutes , until pears are tender.
• Adjust seasoning. Serve duck with the sauce.

BRAISED DUCK WITH SPICED LENTILS AND LIME ONIONS

Steps:

• Cut the duck in quarters and remove the drumstick tips. Season with 1 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper, rub all over with the garlic and place a piece of cinnamon stick on each quarter. Let sit at room temperature 45 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Transfer the duck to an ovenproof frying pan along with the chicken or other fat. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, cover with foil and transfer to the oven. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• When cool enough to handle, lift the duck from the fat and remove and discard the skin. Cover with a wet towel until serving time. To reserve, store the duck in the cooking fat and refrigerate up to a week.
• To reheat the duck, remove from the fat if necessary, and place on a rack in a tightly covered pan. Warm in a 325 degree oven for about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, to make the lime onions, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over high heat. Saute the onions, stirring frequently, until just wilted (but not browned). Toss with the lime juice and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and l/2 teaspoon pepper. Keep warm. The onions can be made a day in advance and refrigerated. Reheat before serving.
• To serve, spread a bed of lentils on each serving plate. Top with a piece of duck and smother with the warm onions. Serve immediately.

BRAISED DUCK WITH ONION

Steps:

• Rub duck with salt, soy sauce, brandy and garlic and marinate for 30 minutes.
• Heat oil and fry sliced onions until soft but not brown, remove. Add duck and brown all over.
• Put back onion, add water, cover and simmer for 1 hour, add marinade and simmer for 20 minutes more or until duck is tender.
• Dissolve cornstarch with a little water and add to gravy.
• Boil until gravy thickens and serve duck whole with gravy in sauce boat.

RED-WINE-BRAISED DUCK LEGS WITH ROASTED PEARS AND ONIONS

Steps:

• Trim excess fat from duck legs, reserving fat for the sautéed kale. In a large bowl marinate duck legs in wine with bouquet garni, covered and chilled, 2 hours.
• Transfer legs to a plate, reserving wine and bouquet garni. In a heavy kettle large enough to hold legs in one layer heat oil over moderately high heat until hot. Pat legs dry with paper towels and season with salt. Cook legs, skin sides down, 20 minutes, or until skin is crisp and mahogany-colored, removing fat from kettle as it rendered with a metal bulb baster (or very carefully pouring it off). Turn legs and cook until browned on other side, about 2 minutes, transferring as browned to a plate.
• Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons fat from kettle and sauté vegetables with salt to taste, stirring occasionally, until tender and lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Add duck legs, skin sides up, with parsley sprigs and reserved wine and bouquet garni and simmer, covered, 1 1/2 hours, or until tender. Braised duck legs may be prepared up to this point 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. Reheat mixture over low heat, adding 1/3 cup water, before proceeding with duck preparation.
• Make roasted pears and onions during last hour of duck braising:
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• In a shallow baking pan large enough to hold onions and pears in one layer melt butter in oven and swirl pan to coat. Add onion halves, cut sides down, and quarters, and bake 30 minutes. Add pears, cut side down, to pan and bake 20 minutes, or until pears and onions are tender and lightly browned. In a cup stir together lemon juice, honey, and salt and add to onions and pears, tossing to coat.
• Transfer duck legs to a warm plate and keep warm, covered with foil. Discard parsley sprigs and bouquet garni and strain liquid into a 1-quart measuring cup, reserving vegetables. Let liquid stand until fat rises to top and skim and discard fat. Return liquid to kettle and simmer until reduced to about 2 cups. Add beurre manié, a little at a time, whisking, and boil 2 minutes. Stir reserved vegetables and minced parsley into sauce and heat through if necessary.
• Serve duck legs, with sauce spooned over them and garnished with parsley sprigs, with roasted pears and onions.

BRAISED DUCK

Steps:

• Salt and pepper the duck liberally on both sides.
• Place each half, skin side down, in a large, heavy-bottomed (preferably cast-iron) pan.
• Wedge the thyme and garlic under the skin.
• Cover the pan with its lid or with foil, and place it over low heat.
• Braise for one hour (duck should crackle and sizzle gently; skin should be golden and crisp; most fat should be rendered).
• Turn duck.
• Cover pan.
• Braise for another hour, until duck bottom is well browned and meat is quite tender.
• Remove duck to a cutting board; with a poultry shear, halve the halves.
• Place two tablespoons of the reserved fat from the pan into a clean saute pan, and heat the pan to medium high.
• Place duck pieces skin side down, and saute for 3 to 5 minutes, just until skin turns crisp and dark.
• Transfer to a dish.

BRAISED DUCK WITH ONIONS

Steps:

• 1. Soak dried mushrooms. 2. Wipe duck inside and out with a damp cloth then rub soy sauce into skin. Cut scallion stalk in 2-inch sections crush ginger root. 3. Heat oil in a large heavy pan. Brown scallions and ginger lightly then discard. Add duck and brown lightly on all sides. Pour off excess fat. 4. Turn duck breast-side down in pan. Add sherry, remaining soy sauce and enough water to half cover bird. Bring to a boil then simmer, covered, 1 hour, turning occasionally for even cooking and coloring. 5. Meanwhile slice onions, bamboo shoots and soaked mushrooms. Heat remaining oil in another pan, and stir-fry onion until soft and translucent. 6. Add bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and onions to duck, and simmer, covered, until bird is tender (about 30 minutes more). Remove duck, leaving liquids in pan. 7. Let bird cool slightly. With a cleaver, chop duck, bones and all, in 2-inch sections, or carve, Western style. Arrange on a serving platter with vegetables. Keep warm. 8. Bring liquids in pan to a boil and stir in sugar. Meanwhile blend cornstarch and remaining cold water to a paste then stir in to thicken duck liquids. Pour over duck and serve. The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.