Last spring I did my hunter's education through a guy at work and so I always see him. A week or so ago he asked if I wanted to go out for the opening day of Duck hunting season. I decided that should be fun, so I took yesterday off of work and woke up real early to head out to Farmington Bay just west of our house. We got there at about 6:10 and joined 300-400 other hunters that were out for a good time. We walked a till we found what looked like the perfect spot in the pitch dark, to slay some ducks. The season didn't open till 8:00, so after waiting in the marsh for an hour the season opened and it sounded like the start of the civil war. Despite the number of people there was plenty of room for that many people, and there seemed to be enough ducks to shoot at. The first two I shot ended up in the frag weed that is really tall and dense and so they were lost, but I dropped two right in front of us and went out and got them. After about 1/2 hour of endless blasting the ducks decided to hide for a while and the shooting tapered off, so at about 9:30 we packed up and left, with the promise to return and have some more fun! I am addicted. I brought them home and fried them and Carter really liked them, but they mostly tasted like some creature that eats crap off the bottom of lakes. I will look for a few other recipes to cook them up. If you have any send them my way. Nicole can't wait till I get my first duck call and go around the house learning that fine art.
2 comments:
The best way to eat duck is eat all the food around it and chuck the duck in the trash. Actually last week I ate the best sausage and duck gumbo...even Heather loved it. I'll look for the way to cook it up.
Ingredients
1 (4 to 5-pound) duck
4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups small dice onion
3/4 cup small dice celery
3/4 cup small dice green, red and/or yellow bell peppers
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 (12-ounce) bottle stout beer (recommended: Abita Turbo Dog)
6 cups dark chicken stock, or chicken stock or water
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
5 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 pounds andouille sausage (or other smoked sausage), cut into 1/2-inch rounds
Steamed white rice, for serving
1 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped parsley leaves
Directions
Rinse the duck under cold running water both inside and out. Remove any excess fat at the cavity opening and at the neck. Use a sharp boning or butcher's knife to cut the back on either side of the spine. Remove the spine and reserve for stock. Cut through the breastbone of the duck to give you 2 halves. Cut the legs from each half as well as the first 2 digits of the wings. Set the legs aside, and cut the breasts in half horizontally.
Season the duck with 2 teaspoons of Essence. Place a large Dutch oven over medium heat for 2 minutes, or until hot. Place the seasoned duck, skin side down in the pan and sear until golden brown, about 7 to 8 minutes. Turn the duck over and sear on the second side as well for an additional 7 to 8 minutes. Remove the duck from the pan and place on a platter while you make the roux.
Add the vegetable oil to the pan as well as the flour. Using a wooden spoon, stir the roux continuously over medium heat until the color of dark chocolate, about 20 to 25 minutes. Add the onions, celery and peppers and garlic to the roux and stir, gently until the vegetables are slightly wilted, about 4 to 5 minutes. Pour the beer over the vegetables and stir to incorporate. Add the stock/water to the pan with the thyme, bay leaves, Essence, cayenne pepper and the remaining 2 teaspoons of salt. Add the sausage. Stir the pot well to ensure that the roux and the stock are well blended. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the gumbo to a boil; then lower to a simmer. Return the seared duck pieces to the pan and cook (skimming any foam and fat that may rise to the surface), for 1 hour and 30 minutes. After an hour and a half, remove the duck pieces from the gumbo and place on a platter to cool. Once the duck is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and meat from the bones and add the meat to the gumbo. Discard the skin and bones and re-season the gumbo, if necessary.
To serve the gumbo, ladle 1 cup into a heated soup bowl with 1/4 cup white rice. Garnish with the green onions and chopped parsley.
Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
Yield: 2/3 cup
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