Maple Leaf Farms is sponsoring this contest and providing some awesome giveaways. Make sure to check it out and join in!
I've never had duck. Maybe I lead a sheltered life, or maybe I'm just a picky eater. It's not that I had anything against duck, it just never occurred to me to cook it. So when Ott,A told me about the recipe contest, I was all over it, ready to experiment. Here's what we had for dinner the first time I made duck:
Ducky-yaki (recipe follows)
Steamed Carrots
Mashed Potatoes (gravy made from duck drippings, not pictured because I don't like gravy)
Stuffing (made on stove top with duck stock) not pictured because I don't like stuffing!
It would have been great to have a shot of the fully cooked duck, but I didn't get to it before the husband started carving!
Ducky-yaki, or Teriducky if you prefer :)
What You'll Need:
1/3 of a large pineapple
1 (10 oz) bottle soy sauce
1/2 t ground ginger
1/3 c dry white wine (I used Huber's)
1 large clove garlic
Core and cut your fresh pineapple
You'll only need about a third of it, so go ahead and chop the rest of and give it to the drooling husband and kids. They're standing right outside the kitchen begging for it anyway!Yes, I know I need new cutting boards.
Pour into bowl and add remaining ingredients. Stir well.
Pour a cup of the mixture into a container with a lid. Put this in the fridge; you won't need it until it's time to cook the duck.
Pour remaining marinade into a Ziploc bag and put duck in with it. I was able to get the duck inside a gallon size Ziploc bag, but it took some work! Let it sit for 24 hours. I apologize for the lack of pictures, but honestly, I forgot to take pictures of it marinating.
Time to cook!
I cooked this in my table top roaster. I had heard that duck was a bit fatty and I would need to watch it during the cooking process. I also have my reserved teriyaki sauce that I would need to add and I thought this would just be easier.
I prepared the roaster by putting a baking rack covered in aluminum foil, then slit in several places, in the bottom. Then, preheat to 350. I scored the skin in a few places on the breast and sides, as well as the back. When it's ready to go, I put the duck inside and let her cook! Maybe I should have called this Ugly Duckling...it's not very pretty. Good thing it ends up being so tasty!
After about 2 hours, check the temperature in the thickest part of the meat. At this point, my duck was reading 160 degrees. Add the remaining teriyaki sauce and continue cooking. I let it cook until the temperature read 180. After resting on the platter for a few minutes, the husband carved away. I wasn't able to get pictures of this as I was working on the stuffing and potatoes.
The husband and I had never eaten duck, so we invited Audrey from Friday Night Dinner Date over to offer her opinion. She's a big fan of duck, and free food. I have to say, I really like duck! It has such a rich taste that went quite well with my marinade. The meat was so tender and juicy! I wasn't the only one...the husband and Audrey really like it as well. For dessert that night, we had Banana Eclairs. Super yum all the way around! A big thanks to Maple Leaf Farms for sponsoring this contest and making duck fans out of the husband and myself!
Full Plate Thursday
