To fuck or to cook?

[Sparklehorse]

Originally Posted by Adder

I don't know enough to give tips, as I have only tried to cook one once, but I can say: beware of the fat. There is way more fat than you would expect from a bird, which is why I assume Sparkle is wary of cooking it inside two othre birds with nowhere for the fat to drain.

I imagine flabby skin, lots of fat floating around, and grey-colored meat.

[evenodds]

Originally Posted by Sparklehorse

I imagine flabby skin, lots of fat floating around, and grey-colored meat.

And here I thought we were safe from the personal attacks.

Also, ew!

[Sidd Finch]

Originally Posted by Sparklehorse

I have thus far confined myself to cooking the boneless breasts. To prepare them, you just need to cut any remaining tendon and loose fat/skin off the meat side. Then score the skin-side in a diagonal cross-hatch style, deep enough to cut through the skin but not to the flesh. Salt and pepper both sides. Heat a skillet/saute pan on medium heat and add a little water. When the pan is warm enough to simmer the water, add the breasts. Turn the heat down to low or medium-low. Cook the breasts skin-side down for about 25 minutes without moving them. At that point, a lot of fat should be rendered out, the edges should be looking caramelized, and the skin should release from the pan. Internal temperature should be at least 120 (if you like the breasts rare) to 140 (well done). Flip them over and give the flesh side a quick browning. Remove from heat and allow to stand for 5 minutes.

At this point, I usually just spread a little marmalade (or some other jam that matches duck flavors) and then slice fairly thinly on a diagonal. Serve on top of greens and it's a feast! The duck fat can be saved and is a tasty fat to use to saute potatoes.

I've also made a cherry pan sauce* from Epicurious that was tasty but is a lot more work.

As for the confit, I've never tried making the full-blown version myself. I tried making a Sara Moulton short-cut version but it wasn't great. This store around the corner from me sells leg-thighs that are already confitted. They come frozen and I have just cooked them in a similar manner to the breasts, straight from the freezer. Basically, it's just browning the skin.

*There are a few different duck with cherry sauce recipes on the site but this is the one I have made.

I've done duck breasts in a similar way, though I don't use water -- I score the breasts with a knife and render the fat into the pan. (And then sometimes fry potatoes in the fat, for a side that is both delicious and low-cholesterol....)

You can make an easy, tasty sauce by simmering some berries (black or rasp) with some red wine, and maybe thickening with some arrowroot if it's too watery. Duck goes really well with any acidic fruit.

I've roasted whole duck a few times. The Robuchon cookbook had a really excellent recipe for this, that involved glazing the duck with spiced honey. It's not an easy dish -- among other things, you need to dismember the duck part-way thru cooking, so that you can cook the thighs and legs for some extra time while the breasts sit. But it's really, really good. (It also gives off a mother-lode of duck fat, which I shamefully failed to save last time I made this.)

[Sidd Finch]

Originally Posted by Sparklehorse

I imagine flabby skin, lots of fat floating around, and grey-colored meat.

I think you've all managed to convince me that cooking a turducken is not worth all the boning and other work.

Thanks for that. Wish you'd been around for consultation on the redhead issue, way back when....

[Sidd Finch]

Originally Posted by evenodds

And here I thought we were safe from the personal attacks.

Also, ew!

Don't worry, sweetie -- they haven't convinced me that boning you wouldn't be worth all the work involved.

[Replaced_Texan]

Originally Posted by Sidd Finch

I think you've all managed to convince me that cooking a turducken is not worth all the boning and other work.

Thanks for that. Wish you'd been around for consultation on the redhead issue, way back when....

I didn't weigh in on the turducken issue because I've never had it before. But I did read this blog post on the subject a few weeks ago, and it made me rethink that it might be more trouble than it's worth.

That you can buy a turducken from someone who probably knows better how to put it together changes the whole equation. We have more cajun specialty places around here than you do, but you can get them shipped.

[taxwonk]

Originally Posted by evenodds

I absolutely adore duck, but I have only eaten it in restaurants. Any tricks to preparing it at home?

Score the skin and cook it skin side down first, at relatively high heat, to render out as much fat as possible and get a nice, crisp skin. Then finish it off on a rack over a baking sheet to let more of the fat drain off.

Alton Brown did an episode of Good Eats a couple years back that had a method for preparing duck in a cast iron skillet that appeared to yield good results. Perhaps you can find it at foodnetwork.com or altonbrown.com.

If all else fails, buy two ducks and send the to me. I will rube them lightly with a delightful blend of herbs and spices, then smoke them over apple wood for 5 hours at low heat. After that I will send you back one of the ducks.

[Fugee]

Originally Posted by Sparklehorse

I imagine flabby skin, lots of fat floating around, and grey-colored meat.

I'd hope that as long as you have to bone the duck and chicken, you also take the skin and big globs of fat off. It's probably not possible to really defat a duck but taking the skin off should cut a lot out -- and there's no need for the skin if it isn't going to be on the outside to get nice and crispy.

But alas the photo instructions I found online showed the duck and chicken with skin. Why you'd want the skins on the inside is a mystery to me.

[taxwonk]

Originally Posted by Sidd Finch

Don't worry, sweetie -- they haven't convinced me that boning you wouldn't be worth all the work involved.

Sure, but after you stuff her with a whole duck and whole chicken, not to mention the dressing, she won't have energy to do anything but lie there.

[Fugee]

Originally Posted by taxwonk

Sure, but after you stuff her with a whole duck and whole chicken, not to mention the dressing, she won't have energy to do anything but lie there.

Neither will Sidd -- they'll be perfect together!

[evenodds]

Originally Posted by taxwonk

Sure, but after you stuff her with a whole duck and whole chicken, not to mention the dressing, she won't have energy to do anything but lie there.

Then it's totally not worth it.

I do not take my life into my own hands to get to class to not show off my increased flexibility and strength.

[Sidd Finch]

Originally Posted by evenodds

Then it's totally not worth it.

I do not take my life into my own hands to get to class to not show off my increased flexibility and strength.

You'll need both for me to get the turkey in.

Okay, ew.

[taxwonk]

Originally Posted by Sidd Finch

You'll need both for me to get the turkey in.

Okay, ew.

Dude. Not even Sebby would go there. Hang your head, motherfucker.

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Any opinions on the new style Cuisinart food processors? I have the older "classic" style, and I see that those can be had for something of a discount compared to the comparable newer "elite" style.

Gift item, cuisinart brand wanted, so please don't both with Bose/Tiffany sucks.

[Sparklehorse]

Originally Posted by taxwonk

Score the skin and cook it skin side down first, at relatively high heat, to render out as much fat as possible and get a nice, crisp skin. Then finish it off on a rack over a baking sheet to let more of the fat drain off.

I learned to go "low and slow" with duck breasts, both from the linked recipe (which actually overcooks the breasts, in my experience, if you follow their time recommendations) and from a cooking class I took a few years ago. I've accidentally cooked duck breasts at a higher heat (someone else's kitchen) and the fat splattered a lot more and they ended up more well-done inside and the skin was not as well rendered and crisped.

Originally Posted by Sidd Finch

I've done duck breasts in a similar way, though I don't use water -- I score the breasts with a knife and render the fat into the pan. (And then sometimes fry potatoes in the fat, for a side that is both delicious and low-cholesterol....)

I think, as mentioned above, the water's function is minimize the splattering effect from an otherwise empty hot pan meeting fatty skin.

Originally Posted by Sidd Finch

I've roasted whole duck a few times. The Robuchon cookbook had a really excellent recipe for this, that involved glazing the duck with spiced honey. It's not an easy dish -- among other things, you need to dismember the duck part-way thru cooking, so that you can cook the thighs and legs for some extra time while the breasts sit. But it's really, really good. (It also gives off a mother-lode of duck fat, which I shamefully failed to save last time I made this.)

That sounds delicious but how do you remove the breasts part-way through without ruining the bird and roasting your own skin?