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A Gift From the Chef – Chef Ryan Squires' Roasted Duck

A Gift From the Chef – Chef Ryan Squires' Roasted Duck

by Mireille Kilgour : December 7th, 2015

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The holiday season is time for giving, so we’re sharing with you a selection of handpicked festive recipes from our renowned restaurant partners. This one comes from Ryan Squires of Brisbane restaurant Esquire. There’s nothing quite like a roast at Christmas, and this roast duck recipe helps you keep that tradition alive while serving up something a little different.

Roast Duck Recipe

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Ingredients

Duck
100ml malt vinegar
Juice of 2 lemons
200g molasses (you can buy this at any Asian grocers)
2 pcs cinnamon quill

For Seasoning

10g roughly ground white pepper (we use a mortar and pestle)
50g honey
10g flaked sea salt
15g caster sugar
15g brown sugar
1tsp mace
1tsp mixed spice
1tsp all spice powder
1tsp ginger powder
3 cloves crushed garlic
2 pcs dried cinnamon quills

For Basting

30g molasses
60g brown sugar
1 tbsp water

Method

1. Remove the wing tip by cutting through the Joint. Discard.
2. Separate skin from meat. Do this by placing the needle tip of a bike pump underneath the skin somewhere near the wishbone (or if you have a empty cream gun canister you can use that – charge it twice) and pump it until the skin slowly comes away from the meat. Continue this until it is pumped up like a balloon.
3. For the seasoning, mix together really well the white pepper, honey, flaked sea salt, caster sugar, brown sugar, mixed spice, all spice powder, ginger powder, garlic, and dried cinnamon quills. If you taste it, it should be heavily seasoned and almost unpleasantly sweet. You have to remember that is is used to season the meat and to not be eaten itself.
4. Place this mix into the cavity of the bird.
5. Sew up the cavity.
6. Bring 5 litres water in a pot to the boil (something that can accommodate at least half of the duck).
7. Place malt vinegar, lemon juice, molasses, and 2 pieces of cinnamon quill in the water.
6. Drop the duck into the water and blanch for 30 seconds each side. Remove.
7. Hang in a fridge, closest to the fan for minimum 2 days but up to 5.
8. Preheat the oven to 200. Hang the duck in the oven. (If you can't hang it, place in a rack and rotate every 10 minutes.)
9. Cook for 15 minutes then baste with: molasses, brown sugar and water which has been brought to the boil and cooled.
10. Cook for a further 15 minutes. Rest for at least an hour to rest all the meats and to retain the juices.
A good tip: when you cut the duck up, strain any juices that come out from the cavity and use when serving.

Bio
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Mireille Kilgour

Mireille Kilgour has been an entrepreneur for 35 years in the hospitality sector. French born, she has been an accomplished business owner and operator for a number of Sydney venues. Leading the industry with high profile institutions such as Lamrock Café Bondi, she has endless passion for the industry, and now has the pleasure of supporting restaurants to fill their tables with the new Good Food Gift Card program.