Crispy duck breast tip...........

[dickymint]

For years I have tried and failed to get crispy duck skin without a thick layer of oozing mushy fat underneath. I found the solution the other day.

1. Score the skin quite deeply.
2. Put breasts into boiling water for about 10-15 minutes on a strong simmer.
3. Remove and pat dry - you will see loads of blisters on the skin - burst these and pat dry.
4. Put in the fridge for at least an hour.
5. When absolutely cold. Fry fat side down as usual until crisp then do the other side for a couple of minutes.

Enjoy.


PS. I used a vegetable stock with some halved onions to do the boiling and used this stock as a base for a noodle soup.

[bint]

Did you watch the Heston Blumenthal episode where he tried to get the perfect crispy duck? Usully I find his programmes fascinating, this just went on and on and as far as i can tell, the result was far too fiddly for any 'normal' person to make. Which was generally his intention.

[Tuscan Tart]

I did crispy duck breasts once, never again, far too much faffing around. I bought the bamboo pot things and a trivit, steamed them first for about 6 hours, and then deep fried them in hot oil. Far easier to buy one.

[biglepton]

There is a far easier way that avoids the breasts losing their flavour whilst boiling:

Score the duck breasts and place on a grid over the sink, skin up. Pour a kettle of boiling water evenly over the skin. Pat dry, sprinkle skin with sea salt immediately and refrigerate. When you are ready cook them, place a metal handled, thich bottomed frying pan on the hob. Hob should be off and pan cold. Place breasts skin side down into cold pan and turn hob onto a low heat. Putting the cold breats into a cold pan and then putting on low heat will allow the fat between to skin and meat to slowly render out without over-cooking the duck or burning the skin. When you are happy that enough of the fat has gone, transfer pan to top of very hot oven, skin up. Serve as soon as skin is crispy!

[TIGA84]

dickymint said:

For years I have tried and failed to get crispy duck skin without a thick layer of oozing mushy fat underneath. I found the solution the other day.

1. Score the skin quite deeply.
2. Put breasts into boiling water for about 10-15 minutes on a strong simmer.
3. Remove and pat dry - you will see loads of blisters on the skin - burst these and pat dry.
4. Put in the fridge for at least an hour.
5. When absolutely cold. Fry fat side down as usual until crisp then do the other side for a couple of minutes.

Enjoy.


PS. I used a vegetable stock with some halved onions to do the boiling and used this stock as a base for a noodle soup.

Much easer way than that matey. Put it in a cold pan to start, the fat will render as it heats up to temperature, then simply pour away the excess an allow to crisp up.

[Thudd]

I believe the cold pan is the key.

[dcw@pr]

TIGA84 said:

dickymint said:

For years I have tried and failed to get crispy duck skin without a thick layer of oozing mushy fat underneath. I found the solution the other day.

1. Score the skin quite deeply.
2. Put breasts into boiling water for about 10-15 minutes on a strong simmer.
3. Remove and pat dry - you will see loads of blisters on the skin - burst these and pat dry.
4. Put in the fridge for at least an hour.
5. When absolutely cold. Fry fat side down as usual until crisp then do the other side for a couple of minutes.

Enjoy.


PS. I used a vegetable stock with some halved onions to do the boiling and used this stock as a base for a noodle soup.

Much easer way than that matey. Put it in a cold pan to start, the fat will render as it heats up to temperature, then simply pour away the excess an allow to crisp up.

great tip

[rupert the dog]

Thanks for the cold pan tip, I've never tried that. Next time.........