We’re going to make an incredible dry age duck dish! We’re going to dry age a duck on the crown and glaze it with a spruce tip honey, the legs are confit and then rolled into a rouleax before they’re glazed and served with a duck skin crisp and sweet and sour spruce tips, the final component is confit potato filled with a duck liver cream. To bring everything together we’re serving the dish with an incredible duck sauce.
The duck recipes
The brine
Ingredients
- 20 g ginger
- 2 liters water
- 50 g honey
- 80 g nitrite salt
- 6 bay leaves
- 4 g coriander seeds
- 2 farm ducks 1.5 kg a piece
Instructions
- Start by slicing the ginger in thin slices. Then pour the water in a pan and also add the honey, the nitrite salt, the bay leaves, the slices ginger and the coriander seeds. Bring this to a boil of a medium heat.
- Once it has boiled turn off the heat and let it cool down out of the fridge.
- Meanwhile we can butcher the ducks. I use these lovely farm ducks that weigh about a kilo and a half a piece.
- Make an incision behind the wings and break the joints. Now cut the wings off. Then make an incision on the legs and break those joints as well.
- Also cut the legs off. After that break the bottom part and remove it. Keep all the trimmings in your fridge for later. We use it for the sauce.
- Now submerge the duck crown with the legs and wings in the cold brine and let it brine in your fridge for 24 hours. Be sure to cover the pan so the top part stays submerged as well.
- The next day you can take the duck out of the brine. Keep the wings and legs in your fridge, we’ll cook these later on.
- Now the next step is to submerge the crowns very shortly in some boiling salted water. This takes only a couple of seconds and directly after you need to cool them down in ice water. We do this to tighten the skin and disinfect the outside insuring a proper dry aging process.
- After 3 minutes take the crowns out of the ice water and place them on a drying rack. Then insert a meat hook in the membrane just below the top of the skin. This so no meat or skin is damaged.
- Hang or place them in a dry ager and let them dry age for 2 weeks. If you don’t have a dry ager, let them sit uncovered in your fridge for 3 days. Obviously this is not the same, but still very good!
The duck sauce
Ingredients
- 3 kg duck carcas & bones
- 4 onions 700 grams of sliced onions
- 150 g carrot
- 150 g celery sticks
- 100 g leek
- 1 bulb garlic
- 6 bay leaves
- 3 g coriander seeds
- 3 g black pepper
- 200 g white wine
- 200 g white port
- cold cubes of butter
- sherry vinegar
Instructions
- Spread the duck carcasses on an oven tray and toast them at 200 °C for about 45 minutes. You want a lovely golden color all around.
- Once that’s done place them in a big pot. The fat that’s left in the tray you can pass through a fine sieve and keep for later. This is great for pan frying or to confit.
- Now pour half a liter of water on the tray and let it soak in the oven for a couple of minutes. This will help to release all those delicious flavors.
- Now pour the water in the pan and submerge the duck bones completely with cold water.
- Bring this to a simmer on a medium high heat and skim any foam or protein off with a ladle.
- Meanwhile we can cut the vegetables. Cut the onions in half and clean them. Then slice them in thin slices, you’ll need 700 grams. Now cut the carrot in half and slice it as well. Do the same with the celery. Then slice the leek in half and wash it well. Now cut it in thin slices.
- When the water is at a simmer add the cut vegetables together with the garlic that’s cut in half, the bay leaves, the coriander seeds, the black pepper, the white wine and the white port. Let this simmer on a low heat for at least 8 hours. If needed add a bit more water to ensure all ingredients stay submerged.Â
- After that pass the sauce through a fine sieve and let it drip for at least 30 minutes to be sure you don’t waste a single drop.
- Bring it to a simmer once more and let it reduce for at least 2/3. While it’s reducing remove any fat or protein that’s floating on top. This will ensure a clear end result.
- Once you’re happy with the flavor while stirring add a couple cubes of cold butter. This will thicken the sauce and give a creamy flavor.
- I also added a drizzle of sherry vinegar to balance the flavors and make the sauce a touch lighter. Then pass the sauce through a fine sieve once more and keep it in your fridge for later.
Glazed duck leg
Ingredients
- 4 brined duck legs
- 100 g melted duck fat
Instructions
- First place the brined legs in a vacuum bag. I also did the same with the wings. Then add the melted duck fat in each bag. First let this set before vacuuming the bags a 100%. I do this in my Henkelman AURA vacuum machine. A partner of the channel.
- Now lay the bags on an oven rack and cook them sous-vide at 85 °C. The wings for 4 hours and the legs for 6 hours.Â
- Once the wings are cooked remove them from the bag. Then gently hold them and pull both the bones out. Now I’m not using these for this dish, but if you pan fry one or both sides till crispy they are so delicious! A perfect garnish or snack!
- Now remove the legs from the bag and let them cool down for a couple of minutes. Then clean them by separating the meat from the bones and skin. The skin you need to keep for later, we use it to make a crisp.Â
- Now transfer the cleaned meat into a bowl and season it with 2 or 3 tablespoons of the duck sauce. Gently knead this to pull the meat apart and mix the sauce.
- Then cover your worktop with 2 or 3 layers of plastic wrap and press it down with a kitchen towel to insure it’s tight.
- Divide the meat on the wrap and use the wrap to roll it into a tight rouleaux. Use the sides to make the roll even tighter and then make a knot on both sides. Let it set in some ice water for a couple of hours. Make sure it’s enough water so it can float, this way no dent forms on the bottom.
- Once fully set use a sharp knife to portion it to the desired size. Then remove the wrap and keep them covered in your fridge for later.
The duck skin crisp
Ingredients
- 50 g cooked duck skin
- 75 g chicken stock
- 25 g tapioca powder
- 1 g salt
- 1.5 g baking soda
Instructions
- Mix the cooked skin with the chicken stock, the tapioca powder and the salt. Blend it till smooth and thickened. The friction will create heat which will cook the tapioca. This takes a couple of minutes.
- Now pour it in a bowl and add the baking soda. Mix it well and then transfer it into a piping bag. Let it cool down in your fridge.
- Once cold you can spread it or pipe small dots on a silicon sheet.
- Place another sheet on top and bake them at 180 °C for 12 to 15 minutes. Then let them cool down and keep them dry and covered for later.
Duck liver cream
Ingredients
- 1 shallot 75 g of sliced shallot
- 2 cloves garlic
- 20 g butter
- 2 g salt
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 150 g unforced duck livers
- 50 g madeira
- 40 g cognac
- 0.8 g gelatin 0.5 leaf
- 80 g cream 35% fat
- 20 g egg yolk
- reduced beetroot juice
Instructions
- Cut the shallot in half and clean it. Then slice it in thin slices, you need 75 grams. Now do this same with the garlic.
- Melt the butter till it stops bubbling and then add the shallot with the garlic. Season it with the salt and the leaves from the thyme. Pan fry everything on a medium high heat till a nice golden color has formed.
- When that’s the case add the unforced duck livers and pan fry these for another 2 minutes.
- After that deglaze the pan with the madeira and the cognac. Flambee this and let it reduce for 90%.
- Then spread it on a tray and let it cool down in your fridge.Â
- Meanwhile soak the gelatin in cold water.
- Now mix the cream with the egg yolk and while stirring heat it up till the temperature is 85 °C. Once thickened turn off the heat and dissolve the gelatin.
- Pour it into a blender and also add the cold cooked livers. Now blend it till smooth and then transfer it into a bowl.
- The texture and flavor is so good, but the color is quite grey and brown. To fix this I colored the cream with some very reduced beetroot juice. You only need a drizzle and mix it well. Once you’re happy with the color cover the cream and let it set in your fridge.
- Then transfer it into a piping bag and keep it covered in your fridge for later.
The spruce tip honey
Ingredients
- 100 g spruce tips
- 500 g honey
Instructions
- Transfer the spruce tips into a blender and blend it for a couple of seconds. You only want to break the tips so they infuse faster and stronger.
- Now mix the spruce tips with the honey. I use a lovely organic and local honey. Heat this up till the temperature is 60 °C. Stir it every now and then to prevent it from burning.
- Once it has reached the desired temperature pour it into a preserving jar and close the lid without the sealing ring. Then label the jar and let the honey infuse for 3 days at room temperature. Be sure to mix it every day.
- After the three days you can drain the honey on a fine sieve. Use a ladle to press all the honey so you don’t waste a single drop.
Sweet and sour spruce tips
Ingredients
- 400 g sugar
- 400 g white wine vinegar
- 8 g salt
- 150 to 200 g spruce tips
Instructions
- Mix the sugar with the white wine vinegar and the salt. Mix it well till all the sugar has dissolved.
- Then add around 150 to 200 grams of spruce tips. Make sure all the tips are submerged and if needed add some more white wine vinegar, sugar and salt. Just use the same quantities.
- Now cover the jar with a cloth and close the lid without the sealing ring. Then let it infuse for at least 24 hours in your fridge.
- Once infused you can keep it covered in your fridge for many weeks. They still have a lovely texture and are incredibly flavorful!
Spruce tip salt
Ingredients
- 100 g spruce tips
- 200 g coarse salt
Instructions
- Mix the shoots with the coarse salt and blend it till your happy with the texture.
- Then spread it on a metal tray and dry the salt at 60 °C for around 2 hours. Unfortunately you do loose that vibrant green color, but the flavor is still so good!
- Keep it dry and covered for later.
The confit potato
Ingredients
- 2 waxy potatoes
- flavored duck fat bay leaves, thyme & garlic
Instructions
- Begin by peeling the potatoes and portion them to the desired thickness. Now cut it with a round cutter. Then cut the inside with a slightly smaller cutter, just because not to cut it all the way.
- After that make a small incision at the level where you cut the potato. Be gentle so you don’t break it and then you should be able to remove the inside leaving you with a nice potato cup.
- Now let’s do the remaining slices with the new tool. This tool cuts both the inside and outside at once. Because of this the potato is even thinner and it's so much more precise.
- It also comes with a tool to cut the inside out. Honestly I love this thing! Such a time saver.
- Now submerge the potatoes in some flavored duck fat and confit them for around 20 minutes on a medium heat.
- Once soft, but still with some texture you can remove them from the fat and keep them covered in your fridge for later.
How to finish the dry aged duck
Instructions
- The ducks have been dry aging for 2 weeks, so we can start to finish the dish! Begin by making tiny holes in the skin with a couple sharp needles. We do this to help render the fat and make the skin even crispier.
- Now add a drizzle of oil in a pan and pan fry the duck on a medium high heat. You want a lovely golden brown color all around. Just keep it moving to create an even color.
- Then place the crown on a metal tray and brush a layer of the honey on top. Now cook the duck in an oven at 110 °C for about 10 more minutes. Halfway you need to brush another layer of the honey on top.
- Once cooked let it rest for at least 15 minutes at 45 °C. While the duck is resting we can finish the other components.
How to finish the dish
Instructions
- Pour a drizzle of oil in a pan and pan fry the confit duck legs in both sides till golden brown. When you’re happy with the color place them on a tray and cover each on with some of the duck sauce. Place it in the oven for a couple more minutes and glaze it in between.
- Now fill the reheated potato with the duck liver cream and decorate the top with some chive flowers. Then sprinkle some of the pine salt on top.
- Once the duck legs are properly glazed sprinkle the duck skin crisp on top.
- Now to finish the crown torch the skin for a couple of seconds. This will make it crispier and give it some more heat. Then brush it with a final layer of honey before cutting the breasts of the bones.
- Just insert your knife on the spine and follow the bone to get the best end result. Then trim the sides and portion the breasts to the desired size.
- Now sprinkle some pine salt on the skin and it’s ready to be served! Then place the glazed leg on a preheated plate together with the confit potato.
- Put 3 of the sweet and sour pine shoots on the glazed leg before placing the dry aged duck next to it. Then finish the dish with that incredible sauce!
The pairing
As a pairing we serve this lovely bottle of Château Lagrange red wine from the 2021 vintage. It originates from the Pomerol appellation in Bordeaux, France, and is owned by Jean-Pierre Moueix. In 1953, the legendary Jean-Pierre Moueix acquired the nine-hectare property.
The estate’s heavy, iron-rich clay soils provide the absolute perfect playground for the Merlot grape. The unique 2021 vintage marries classic balance with modern finesse. The wine reveals a vibrant, deep flavor with life and elegance. It has aromas of fresh plums, dark cherries, and wild hedgerow berries drift softly with remarkably dense, refined, and velvety tannins.
