Thoughts From Becca

Every few weeks or so, if I've had the afternoon at home, I like to poach a duck for Sunday dinner. This is not a treat, it is everyday duck. And, from the poaching I get > 5 meals (> 20 portions) which certainly makes it economical. #1 Poached Duck For poaching the whole duck, I have many variations depending on the season: bay leaves, mirepoix (2 parts onion, 1 part carrot, 1 part celery) peppercorns and/or ... white wine, lemons, oranges, fresh ginger root, juniper berries, quatre epice ... endless options To serve on the Sunday, I remove the duck from the stock, rest, and remove the 2 breasts Slice the breasts to serve with a variety of vegetables ( a favourite is sweet potato / kumara mash or souffle) depending on the flavours of the stock base - or - sliced in a composed salad #2 Stock After I've removed the duck, I strain the stock twice (don't season until finished dish) Soups (of many varieties) are the obvious first choice for a second duck dish using the...