I must admit, that duck was one meat that I never remembered experiencing as a kid. I fed them bread crumbs at the pond near our house, but never considered them an edible animal like the turkeys or chickens that adorned our dinner table on a weekly basis. In fact, I can distinctly remember my first experience eating duck at the delicious Peking Duck Special at a traditional restaurant Beijing on Thanksgiving in 2001. Appropriate, we thought, to at least be eating a bird on that very traditional holiday. If you have never tried Peking Duck, with its hoisin sauce and delicate rice pancakes, it is truly a treat worth experiencing. Travelling through China and studying Traditional Chinese Medicine opened my eyes to the unique flavors and health benefits of duck meat.
Depending on your location will depend on the availability (and price) of duck meat. Most specialty food stores will carry some form of packaged duck breasts, but beware that they can be pricey for the amount you get. New York is famous for its exportation of whole Long Island Ducks, which are large and last for several savory meals. It does have a slightly gamey taste and can get tough if over-cooked, although I find it quite delicious. Its versatile flavor can be a perfect compliment to many meals.
According to traditional Chinese Dietary Medicine, Duck meat is neutral in temperature and is therefore suitable for many constitutional types. It heavily nourishes the yin of the body, and regulates water metabolism by simultaneously nourishing the lungs, spleen and kidneys. Such symptoms as edema, excessive thirst or profuse sweating may be reduced by adding some duck meat to the diet. As we enter the winter season, hearty meats like duck and lamb can deeply nourish, warm and rejuvenate the body.
Some of my favorite ways to eat duck:
Roasted
By far the easiest way is to buy a whole duck, cover it with garlic and spices, stuff it with potatoes and shallots and roast it in the oven for a couple of hours. The skin will get nice and crispy and the meat perfectly tender. Serve it up with some fresh vegetables and you’ve got a gourmet meal.
Soup
Once the whole duck has been generously carved, a perfect way to utilize the nutrients left is to boil it up as soup. Throw the entire carcass into a pot of boiling salt-water to make a delicious duck broth. Add vegetables and spices of your choice. The left-0ver meat should fall easily off the bone adding extra protein to a very nourishing and delicious soup. Below is a duck stew that my colleague Grace and I made as a pre-Thanksgiving meal. We used turnips, carrots, yams, potatoes, shallots and squash which made for a delightfully sweet broth.
Duck Broth
Duck pizza? I said the same when I first saw it on the menu at Pairings - a lovely wine bistro in Minnetonka, Minnesota. But, let me tell you, this one is worth trying to re-create at home (or just stopping by if you are in the neighborhood). Goat Cheese, roasted duck breast, tart cherries, butternut squash and piles of arugula adorned a thin-crust pizza dough toasted with an olive-oil glaze. Amazing!