Day of the Duck, Part 1
Duck was something I never ate when I was growing up. It was only as an adult, and then only at restaurants, that I ever had it. On those rare occasions when I did sample it, I always found it quite good. Cooking duck, however, definitely felt beyond me. Way Beyond. But, a little less than a year ago--after I began a charcuterie course and learned some meat preservation basics--I decided to take the plunge. I ordered my first ducks and prepared them at home. We loved them. Rob was completely hooked on duck prosciutto and has been pestering me for more ever since.
Finally, last week, I ordered two more ducks from Sonoma County Poultry. They arrived packed in a case with 4 other ducks I had ordered for friends. Long-necked, big, and beautiful, they were perfect for what I had planned: duck prosciutto, duck leg confit, and stock.
I began by cutting them up into 6 pieces (I didn't separate the leg from the thigh), just as you would a chicken.
I skinned everything but the breasts and put the skin in a heavy-bottomed pot to render the fat. It is very easy to make purified duck fat. Just heat the skin over med-low heat for a couple of hours. Pay special attention to it for the first 45 minutes or so, stirring it now and again, taking care that it doesn't stick to the pan or burn. After that, keep the heat low and let it go for a couple of hours.
I boned the breasts (leaving the skin on). I placed all of the bones--spine, breast bones--along with the wings and giblets in a roasting pan and roasted them at 475F for 20 minutes.
In the meantime, I seasoned the legs for confit and got them in the fridge, where they will remain for the next two days.
For the duck breast prosciutto, I spread a thick layer of kosher salt on the bottom of a glass baking pan, nestled two pieces, skin side up, into the salt without allowing them to touch one another, and then poured more salt in the pan in order to completely cover them (and repeated the process for the other two breasts). They will stay snugged up in their salty bed until tomorrow.
Finally, I dumped the roasted bones, wings, and giblets into my big stockpot with some carrots, black peppercorns, salt, a quartered onion, and a couple of sprigs of fresh parsley. I covered the whole lot with water. I brought it to a boil, skimmed the foam, and will keep it simmering until bedtime.
My neighborhood friend Jessica--who has never prepared duck before, but has a little crush on duck prosciutto--came over to learn how to do all of this. She jumped right in and cut the duck up like a pro.
To be continued...
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