Duck, Duck, Goose! (Actually, just Duck).

All lame titles aside, the one attribute about Duck that gets to me the most is how you could make some of the world's finest dishes with it......

........ and you could simply buy it frozen at your local Asian supermarket! Unbelievably awesome.

The Duck (or Anas Platyrhynchos if you would like to impress your friends), is only one category of species among the many families of birds. Unlike your average poultry such as the chicken or turkey, I admire this majestic creature for its incredibly high count of fat packed in its underside. As ducks enjoy flying in flocks near bodies of water, Ducks can be classified as game birds (another trait of this animal that had to make me try this bird). 

Remember those hundreds of birds you shot back in the 1990's with this video game?
(Picture From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_Hunt#mediaviewer/File:DuckHuntBox.jpg)

What's more painful: The fact that it's sold frozen, or literally having your hand stuck to this incredibly cold piece of duck?

This particular cut of the Duck is "the breast". Found on the underside of this mallard, the breast is the most traditional part that is extracted from the bird for many contemporary dishes in the culinary industry such as "Duck a L'Orange" and a braised dish commonly known as "Duck Confit". In many cases, many butchers leave the skin of the breast intact, as it contains much succulence in between the meat (fat). When scored & rendered, the delicious fats are considered to be a valuable ingredient which should be stored & reused (if you decide to waste & throw out the duck oil, the culinary gods will never forgive you for such a crime). 

"Duck a l'Orange", served with orange vodka reduction sauce & garnished with orange zest with cucumbers. Plating designed by Ruby Nguyen. (photo taken May 8th, 2014)

"Duck a l'Orange", made in the 12th grade. I still think Ruby plated it better than I did.
(photo taken on May 8th, 2014)

Delving into the cooking methods of the Duck breast, you can treat the breast just as you would with any form of poultry. Duck can be Pan-Fried or Grilled over a stove (just like that) for doneness, or you could intensify the flavours & juices through more complex methods such as braising it in its own abundance of oils. Braising in particular, is accepted as the most optimal form of preparing the game bird, as the Duck renders a freakishly large quantity of fat as you cook it. Since braising requires one to cook the mallard in its own fat, it is just incredibly perfect to use all of its natural fats under its skin (without the need to purchase the fat separately). It saves money! Also, Duck fat can be difficult to find alone without buying any part of the Duck.

The Duck is an amazing specimen for experimenting dishes with, and one thing that you must keep in mind when purchasing any part of this game bird is to make sure the skin is intact for its fat, and to examine the meat for its redness (redness identifies its blood, juices, freshness & tenderness). Although Duck can be hard to find at many places, Duck is a VERY common bird featured in many Asian dishes (you could even call it a staple in most Chinese dinners!). Duck can be found fresh at local butcheries and frozen at Asian supermarkets.

Happy Hunting! (You see what I did there?)