Make something old, new! Just take your favorite recipe and use duck in place of pork, beef or chicken. Duck’s flavor can stand up to any spice, seasoning or ethnic profile. Duck is a versatile protein that adapts to a variety of flavor profiles for culinary adventurers everywhere. Treat your taste buds to duck dishes with flavors from Tex-Mex to Mediterranean and other cuisines from around the world. The possibilities are endless. By properly cooking duck, you can eliminate up to 70% of the fat, which leaves a delicious, crisp skin.

Holiday season is coming. There are more and more family gathering times. Even though this year will be a little different since we probably won’t have a huge family gathering. But preparing a dinner for a small family group like 5-6 people is still not a easy job. Here is an idea – cooking one dish and serve all! Let’s plan a duck dinner. One whole duck serves 3-4 people. If used in a salad, stir-fry or casserole, one whole duck will feed 5-6 people.

Simple, easy and quick. A whole duck dinner will please everyone on the table without having too much pressure and too many efforts. Taking a look of what you can do!

Whole Roast Duck with Balsamic Vinegar & Honey Glaze

For an alternative to traditional duck with orange sauce, use this recipe’s tangy balsamic vinegar and honey glaze.

1. Make sure duck is thoroughly defrosted, if frozen. (Defrost in refrigerator for 2-3 days.) Start a large pot of water (deep enough to submerge a whole duck) on the stove, bringing to a rolling boil. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Remove duck from bag. Remove orange sauce packet (if included), giblets and neck from interior. Save giblets and neck for making stock. Remove excess fat from body cavity and neck. Rinse duck inside and out under cool running water. Pat duck dry. With a large sharp fork, prick the skin all over (approach at an angle) being careful not to pierce the meat (if meat is pierced, it will dry out). Carefully put the duck in the pot of boiling water; boil for 10 minutes. This will help render out some of the fat. Remove duck and let cool. Pat duck dry.
3. Mix the salt, pepper and paprika. Rub the duck inside and out with the spice mixture. Place the duck on a rack in a roasting pan breast-side up. Stuff the orange quarters, whole head of garlic (top trimmed) and cut celery pieces into the cavity of the duck. Fold the neck skin under, covering the cavity. Secure with a skewer.
4. Place the roasting pan in the oven. After 15 minutes, lower the oven temperature to 350F. After 45 minutes, remove duck from oven. Remove any fat that may have collected in the bottom of the roasting pan. Carefully turn duck over, place back on rack in roasting pan, and return to oven for 35 minutes. At the end of the 35 minutes, remove duck from oven, remove any fat that may have accumulated, and carefully turn duck back over so breast side faces up. Return to oven. If you have a 5-pound duck, cook for another 15 minutes; for a 6-pound duck, cook for another 20 minutes (total cooking time should add up to about 22 minutes per pound). Be careful not to overcook. The internal temperature should be 180F at the thickest part of the leg and thigh joint. Remove duck from oven.
5. Transfer duck to a cutting board and let stand 15 minutes. Remove oranges and celery from cavity and throw away. Remove head of garlic; roasted head of garlic can be used as a great spread for bread.
6. Carve duck and serve.

Peking Duck

Directions

1. If duck was frozen, make sure it is completely thawed. Rinse duck inside and out. Pat dry.
2. Make honey sauce. Combine water, honey, lemon slices, soy sauce, and rice wine; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Keep sauce hot.
3. Take a meat hook and put through the neck part of the duck. Hold the meat hook, and dip the duck into the hot honey sauce. Let drip a few minutes, and dunk the duck again. Then over a baking dish, spoon the rest of the hot honey sauce over the duck, making sure to cover the duck completely. Continue to baste the duck until you’ve used all the liquid in the pan.
4. Hang the duck in a cool, dry well-ventilated place with a bowl beneath to catch any drips. Let the duck dry for five hours or overnight. Note: If you don’t have a place with great air circulation, dry the duck in an unheated room with a fan blowing on it.
5. After drying the duck, the skin will be very tight and dry to the touch. Remove the hook. Place the duck, breast side up on an oiled rack, so air can flow around the duck while it’s cooking. Place the rack in a roasting pan that has 2-3 inches of water in it, so the fat can drip into the water and not splatter in your oven or on the duck.
6. Place the pan in a 475 degree F oven and roast for 15 minutes, then turn the heat down to 350 degrees F and continue roasting for another 1 hour, 10 minutes more. If you like, turn the breast meat side down about 30 minutes into roasting. When done, remove from oven and let sit 15 minutes.
7. While the duck is cooking, make scallion brushes. Trim off the roots and the top green part, leaving about a 4 inch piece. Make 1 inch lengthwise slits into the white end of each to create a brush. Put in ice water for 20 minutes. Drain, then refrigerate.
8. Carve the duck and separate the meat and the skin. To serve, use the scallions to brush hoisin sauce on the pancakes. Add duck skin, meat and scallion. Fold one end over and roll up.

If you’re still a little shy about cooking with duck, Maple Leaf Farms have a great line of fully cooked duck products that simply need to be heated and served. Maple Leaf Farms have done all the work for you.

Maple Leaf Farms will offer a special sale on some products to the public beginning Black Friday and ending on Cyber Monday, including duck breasts and duck fat. Checking out Maple Leaf Farms’ high-quality duck products at http://www.mapleleaffarms.com/.

For more than 60 years, Maple Leaf Farms has produced safe, high-quality foods in a thoughtful and responsible manner. Through the years, they have preserved the ideas they were founded upon: contribution to local communities, responsibility for the environment, respect for others and insistence on high quality. Today, Maple Leaf Farms fourth generation family-owned company leads the market with innovative, value-added duck products of superior quality.