Duck week – a retrospective

I am duck obsessed. I figured that little misadventure a few weeks ago, fuelled by the madness from a busy rotation, deserved a little recognition. It was my first time cooking a whole duck and I vowed to use every single part of the bird – true peasant cooking style.

I braised the head, neck and flippers, slow cooked the wings, make a duck stock from the carcass and used the carcass meat for pulled duck, pan seared then baked the breasts and legs, paired with different sauces and spices. The only part I lost was the rendered duck fat from trimmed skin. The skin got burnt and the duck fat melted through plastic. Oops.

Was the rest a complete success? Absolutely not. The fat underneath the skin wasn’t always rendered properly, and the duck breasts were a tad over done. But this little experiment opened a new door to trying more techniques, plating, and blogging. So here I am. I see more ducks on the horizon.