Steamed Pan Roasted Duck with Honeyed Quince Compote

From In the Hands of a Chef: Cooking with Jody Adams by Jody Adams and Ken Rivard (New York: William Morrow).

One 5-pound Long Island Duck

Steaming Mixture
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
2 tablespoons 5-spice powder
¼ cup honey
¼ cup dry sherry
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup vegetable oil, or as needed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Honeyed Quince Compote (recipe follows; optional)
Spicy Duck Glaze (recipe follows; opitional)

DO AHEAD: The duck can be rubbed with spices, steamed, and cut apart a day before pan-roasting if you’re facing a time crunch on the day of serving, but don’t pan-roast it until you’re ready to serve it. In an ideal world, the best thing to do would be to rub the duck with the mixture of steaming spices and then let it sit uncovered in the refrigerator for a day before finishing the recipe. The Honeyed Quince Compote can also be made a day ahead, then warmed before serving.

Steaming

1. Remove the paper sack containing the gizzard, heart and liver from the cavity of the duck and discard or reserve for another use. The neck may be in the sack or in the cavity of the duck; in either event, discard it too or reserve for another use. Pat dry. Cut the last two segments of the wings and discard. Cutt off the fatty flaps around the neck opening and trim the fat from around the opening of the body cavity. Discard the trimmings. Carefully poke the skin of the bird all over with a fork or skewer. Try not to penetrate beyond the fat layers into the meat – if you go too far, the meat juices will run out during cooking as well as the fat. Approaching the skin from a sharp angle instead of straight in will help.

2. Mix the ginger, 5-spice powder, honey and sherry together. Rub the mixture all over the duck, inside and out. Sprinkle the duck liberally with salt and pepper, inside and out.

3. Set the duck breast side down on a rack, preferable a V-rack, in a roasting pan. Add 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil on top of the stove. Lower the heat to a simmer. Cover (use foil if your roasting pan doesn’t have a lid) and steam for 30 minutes. Remove the duck from the pan and allow to cool

Pan Roasting

4. Cut the duck into 4 pieces

5. Heat an 1/8-inch layer of vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. The pan must have a thick bottom so it conducts the heat evenly; hot spots will cause the duck skin to burn. A nonstick pan will help alleviate the chance of sticking, but it’s not necessary if the pan is heavy and you wait to add the duck until the oil is quite hot, almost smoking, add the duck pieces skin side down – do not disturb them once you have set them in the pan – allow them to sear for 1 minute, than adjust the heat to low, cover the pan, and cook until the meat is tender and the skin is crisp, 50 to 60 minutes. Check every 15 minutes to be sure the skin isn’t burning. Pour off excess fat as it accumulates. An instant-read thermometer should read 180 degrees when inserted into one of the thighs when the duck is finished.

6. Meanwhile, make the Honeyed Quince Compote and the duck glaze if using, and keep warm.

7. Place a duck breast and leg/thigh piece on each plate. Place 2 honeyed quince quarters on each plate, if using. Sauce the duck with the glaze, if using. Serve immediately.

Honeyed Quince Compote

¾ cup water
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus additional to make acidulated water
2/3 cup honey
½ teaspoon 5-spice powder
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
2 ripe quinces, peeled, cored, and quartered (if preparing ahead, store in water acidulated with lemon juice)

1. Combine everything except the quinces in a small nonreactive saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and add the quince quarters. Poach until tender (a knit should slide through the fruit easily), about 30 minutes. The fruit will have a lovely pink-orange hue.

2. Remove the quince pieces. Reduce the poaching liquid to a syrup, then return the quince pieces to the pan. Serve the quinces warm in their syrup.

Spicy Duck Glaze

¼ cup honey
¼ cup sherry
1 teaspoon 5-spice powder
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Combine everything except the lemon juice in a small nonreactive saucepan and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice. Pour over the duck just before serving.

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