Five Spice Duck with Ravioli and Broccoli Rabe

Ingredients

4 Servings

DUCK

5-pound ducks, thawed if frozen

1/2 tablespoons Chinese five-spice powder

1/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon (scant) ground ginger

1 tablespoon olive oil

RAVIOLI

9 ounces butternut squash or mushroom ravioli

8 ounces smoked bacon, chopped

1 large sweet onion (such as Vidalia or Maui), thinly sliced

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter

1 large bunch broccoli rabe (rapini), thick stems trimmed, tops coarsely chopped

Preparation

DUCK

Using heavy large knife, cut each duck lengthwise in half. Cut away backbone. Cut off leg-thigh pieces, then cut off breast pieces; trim excess fat. Remove bones from breast pieces. Transfer leg-thigh pieces and breast pieces to platter (reserve remaining duck trimmings for another use).

Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix Chinese five-spice powder, salt, ground black pepper, and ground ginger in small bowl. Rub spice mixture all over duck pieces. Heat olive oil in heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add leg-thigh pieces and cook until deep brown, about 4 minutes per side. Cover skillet and roast duck in oven until cooked through, about 45 minutes. Transfer duck to plate; cover with foil to keep warm.

Heat same skillet over medium-high heat. Add duck breasts to skillet; cook to desired doneness, about 10 minutes per side for medium.

 PREPARE RAVIOLI
Step 5
Cook ravioli in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Cook bacon in heavy large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towels. Discard all but 2 tablespoons drippings in skillet. Add onion to skillet; sauté until tender and golden, about 12 minutes. Add butter, then broccoli rabe and sauté just until broccoli rabe begins to wilt. Add ravioli; stir until heated through. Stir in bacon. Season with salt and pepper. Divide ravioli mixture among 4 plates. Arrange duck leg-thigh pieces atop ravioli. Thinly slice duck breasts and fan out alongside. 

Credit: Bon Appetite

Cooking duck confit may sound like something best left to restaurant chefs, but the process is simple, and results in tender, delicious meat that melts in your mouth with each bite. It's simple — just season the duck legs, then cook them slowly over several hours and you'll have a meal ready to serve with a salad, pasta, or roast potatoes. Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to a month, so feel free to double this recipe. And don't dare toss the leftover duck fat! Strain it, then store it in the fridge or freezer so you can scoop it out and use it to fry potatoes, sauté vegetables, or make another batch of duck confit.

• 4 (9-ounce) duck legs
  
• 1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt
  
• 1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
  
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme
  
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
  
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (about 2 tsp.)
  
• 12 black peppercorns
  
• 3 - 4 cups rendered duck fat (such as Mary's Rendered Duck Fat)

1. Trim excess fat from duck legs, and pat dry. Place salt, sugar, thyme, rosemary, garlic, and peppercorns in a large bowl. Add duck legs, 1 at a time, and rub well with salt mixture. Place on a large rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining 3 duck legs. Place a second large rimmed baking sheet directly on top of duck legs; refrigerate for at least 24 hours or up to 48 hours.
   
2. Preheat oven to 275°F. Scrape off salt mixture from duck legs, and rinse duck legs well to remove remaining salt mixture. Pat dry.
   
3. Melt duck fat in a medium saucepan over medium, and cook until gently simmering, about 5 minutes. Place duck legs in a small Dutch oven, and carefully pour melted duck fat over duck legs, adding enough duck fat to ensure legs are completely submerged.
   
4. Cover and cook in preheated oven until meat is very tender and easily pulls away from bone, about 3 hours. Remove from heat, and let stand, covered, at room temperature for 1 hour. Duck Confit may be covered and stored in duck fat in refrigerator up to 1 month. When ready to use, remove a duck leg from fat, and scrape off excess fat; ensure other duck legs are completely covered in fat before returning to refrigerator.
   

Credit: https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/classic-duck-confit

• CRACK, SEASON & WHISK. In a medium bowl, crack the eggs and season with salt and pepper, then add minced garlic (optional). Whisk the mixture until it becomes smooth and well combined, ensuring there are no traces of egg white streaks left.

• COOK OVER MEDIUM HEAT. Lightly coat a small nonstick skillet with olive oil or butter over medium heat. Once the pan is heated, pour in the beaten eggs and let them sit for a few seconds without stirring. Use a rubber spatula to gently move across the pan’s bottom, creating large, soft curds of scrambled eggs.

• LOWER HEAT & FOLD. Maintain the heat at medium-low and continue cooking by folding and stirring the eggs every few seconds. Make sure to scrape the spatula along the bottom and sides of the pan regularly to encourage the formation of more curds and to prevent any part of the eggs from becoming dry.

• REMOVE FROM HEAT & GARNISH. When the scrambled eggs are mostly set but still have a bit of liquid egg remaining, take the pan off the heat. Garnish with chopped fresh chives for extra flavor and presentation. Enjoy your duck scrambled eggs!
  

Credit:https://goodfoodbaddie.com