Ducking the trend -- Whisk Wednesdays

Well, I did it...I roasted my very first duck and it was delicious! Mr. Tastebuds usually makes Duck a la Orange for New Year's Eve Dinner but I took over this year. And to tell you the truth I like my version of duck better then his! But we did not miss out on his cooking, he made his Duck for Christmas Eve Dinner!

The recipe called for Veal Stock which was a real learning experience and I will never and I mean never make beef stock again. I had some trouble finding veal shank bones and had to settle for veal neck bones but it was worth all the fuss. The Veal Stock was a fabulously scrumptious, full-bodied yet uniquely mellow stock! I am so glad I went to all the trouble of finding the veal bones....so worth it!!!

Shari, our fearless leader of Whisk Wednesdays, did a complete study of beef and veal stocks...well a picture tells it all. She also recommended The French Laundry At Home blog for directions on the Thomas Keller French Method for making veal stock. I love to make stock, so stretching out the process to 2 days was so much fun and the results were just wonderful. I was never impressed with my beef stock, although I always had some on hand. Granted homemade is always better then canned stock but still my beef stock was never what I thought it should be. So leaving my thinly veiled beef stock in the dust and replacing it with perfection, is just fine with me.

This post is supposed to be about this week's assigned recipe, Canard aux Navets (Roast Duck with Glazed Turnips). And don't be confused what looks like potatoes in the picture are actually the Glazed Turnips. My family has never liked turnips but we could have easily eaten 4 times the amount I actually made....just delicious and so easy.



Canard aux Navets (Roast Duck with Glazed Turnips)
Recipe adapted from Le Cordon Bleu at Home"

For the Duck:
2 ducks, 4 to 5 pounds each
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
2½ cups Brown Veal Stock
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 carrots, chopped coarse
2 onions, chopped coarse

For the glazed turnips:
3 pounds small white turnips
Salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons Brown Veal Stock

For the Duck Sauce:
½ cup dry white wine
1 Bouquet Garni
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
½ bunch watercress for garnish



Pseudo Peking Duck:

Since we usually have Duck for New Year's Eve dinner I use the leftover duck as our snacking food on New Year's Day while watching the Bowl Games. Just shred up the duck meat. Next cut some green onions into 4" sticks and then slice, lengthwise again to fine sticks. Serve with flour tortillas and plum sauce for a Make Your Own Pseudo Peking Duck. Place some shredded Duck in the middle of the tortilla, add a few sliced onions and some Plum Sauce. Fold up the torilla and you're all set. BBQ sauce can be substituted for Plum Sauce. Delicious...and so easy!


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