Pepe's Ducks is a fabulous local business success story run by a lovely Hawkesbury-based family. It has been delighting food enthusiasts with its premium-quality duck products for years and supplies restaurants across Sydney. In fact, when I first moved to the Hawkesbury, it was one of the delightful culinary secrets my mother-in-law shared with me, so it's high time I shared some recipes showcasing duck.  

Hawkesbury locals can buy duck products directly from the processing plant at 17 Walker Street, South Windsor. Make sure to phone up to leave your order first (02) 4574 6000.

We recently hosted a French exchange student, Hippolyte, so French cuisine has been at the forefront of my mind for a while now. That, coupled with the celebration of Bastille Day in mid-July, inspired me to create that French classic—Confit of Duck (or Confit de Canard in French).  

Health Benefits of Duck Fat

It involves cooking the duck long and slow, submerged in duck fat. Far from a heart attack waiting to happen, duck fat is full of heart-healthy unsaturated fatty acids, which can reduce blood sugar levels and cholesterol and decrease the risk of heart disease.

You can boast to your guests that this sophisticated recipe took more than 36 hours to make, but it's surprisingly simple. This dish's "set and forget" nature allows it to marinade and subsequently cook to perfection while you go about your day. This recipe is perfect for a dinner party because Pepe's sells Maryland pieces in packs of ten. Alternatively, after the slow cooking process, you can freeze unneeded Marylands portions and quickly finish them off later for a wow mid-week meal. 

I'm including last month's duck soup recipe in the article, which inadvertently dropped off the printed version. My apologies for any inconvenience.

Confit de Canard

This recipe is adapted from a RecipeTin Eats recipe and a Delicious Magazine recipe. You can use a variety of herbs as aromatics. Use what you have on hand. I served it with potatoes roasted in some of the duck fat I used to cook the duck and French beans in butter and garlic and sprinkled with toasted flaked almonds.

Serves 10

Cook time: 

24 hours marinade

8 Hours Slow Cook 

40 minutes final cook

Ingredients: 

Duck

10 Duck Marylands pieces

1.2 litres of Duck Fat (Pepe's sells this in large tubs as well)

The Aromatic Cure

4 Tb cooking/kosher salt  

2/3 cup thyme sprigs, lightly torn

1/3 cup tarragon, lightly torn

2/3 cup sage sprigs, torn roughly

2/3 cup rosemary sprigs, broken up (sticks and all)

2/3 cup oregano sprigs, roughly torn

1  large head of garlic, smashed with skin on, but cloves separated

2 French eschallots

2 Tb black peppercorns

2 Tb Pimento/Allspice berries 

2 Tb coriander seeds

12 star anise

4 bay leaves

2 tbsp juniper berries

15 whole cloves

Method: 

1. In a mortar and Pestle, quickly pound the coriander seeds, peppercorns, pimento, juniper berries, star anise, and cloves a few times to bruise and release the aromatics.
2. Put the duck in a large bowl and use your hands to rub the salt into the flesh.
3. Mix all the aromatic cure ingredients, except the eschallots and garlic, and add them to the duck, massaging them into the flesh. 
4. Roughly line the base of one or two large non-metallic roasting trays with the eschallot. Then add some of the dry cure and some garlic, put the duck pieces on top (snugly fitting the tray/s), add the remaining dry cure and garlic, cover, and put in the fridge to cure for 12-14 hours.   
5. After curing, preheat the oven to 100ºC (or 80ºC fan). Remove the duck, rinse it under the tap, and pat dry with a paper towel. 
6. Melt the duck fat in a saucepan over low heat (or even in the microwave)—it won't take long. 
7. Snugly fit the duck skin-side-up into a high-sided metal roasting pan or two. (I could fit all ten snugly into my roasting pan). Pour the duck fat carefully over the duck pieces and ensure they are fully submerged. Then, warm the roasting pan directly onto the stovetop until the fat bubbles gently. Turn off the stove and place a piece of baking paper directly onto the fat, gently pushing it with tongs to remove any air bubbles. 
8. Cover snugly with aluminium foil and put in the oven for 8 hours and 15 minutes. To check for done-ness, turn over a piece to check the meaty side – the meat should be fall-apart tender. 
9. At this point, you can store the duck pieces until ready to serve. Strain the fat from the meat juices and store the duck pieces submerged in duck fat in a non-metal container in the fridge for about five days. You can also freeze them for a couple of months. I have frozen mine after vacuum-sealing them in bags. To complete the final stage of cooking, you will need to melt the fat and remove the duck.

Crisping The Duck

1. Preheat the oven to 240°C (220°C fan) and place a rack over a deep roasting pan. Remove the duck from the fat, let the excess oil drip off, and gently pat away any residual oil with a paper towel.
2. Pour 2.5cm of boiling water into the roasting pan and place the duck on the rack, skin side up. The steam from the water keeps the duck moist and catches fat drips so the oven won't smoke.
3. Roast the duck for 40 minutes until the skin turns a light brown and becomes crispy. Rotate the pan for even browning. 
4. Alternatively, you can crisp it up by heating a non-stick frying pan and crisping the duck for 5-6 minutes. 

Asian Duck Breast Soup with Somen noodles

You can grab the five-spice powder and noodles from Hartley's Asian Supermarket in Richmond. This simple Asian-style soup is effortless and a great starter recipe for those new to cooking duck. It's easy enough for a mid-week meal but pretty enough to serve guests. 

If you like heat, add chopped red chillies or Siracha sauce to the table for people to help themselves; or for some sweetness, add a dollop of hoisin sauce according to taste.

Serves 4

Cook time - 30 minutes

Ingredients: 

4 duck breasts, skin on

1 1/2 tsp five spice powder

1 teaspoon peanut oil

200g dried somen noodles

1 bunch of Buk Choy/ Pak Choi or Chinese broccoli leaves

For broth: 

1 litre of good quality or home-made chicken stock

3 whole star anise

5 spring onions, chopped

1 bunch coriander chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 200C. Trim excess fat from the duck breasts (leaving the skin on). 
2. Sprinkle the duck breasts on both sides with the five-spice powder, salt, and pepper. 
3. Heat the oil in a large heavy-based frypan, and add the duck breast, skin side down and cook until the skin is brown and crisp (around 3-5 minutes). Cook the other side for another 3 minutes, then transfer the breasts to a baking tray (skin side up) and cook in the oven for 8-10 minutes until cooked to your liking (Duck is best pink in the middle as an FYI). Once cooked, remove from the oven and rest for a few minutes while you finish the soup.
4. While the duck is in the oven, bring the stock and star anise to the boil in a small saucepan and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the spring onion and the coriander and leave on a slow simmer while you cook the noodles.
5. Cook the noodles in a pot of boiling water or according to the packet. Drain and divide them among four bowls, topping each with the leafy greens. Ladle the soup into each bowl to wilt the greens, and top each bowl with a sliced duck breast. Garnish with chopped red chillies.