Steamed and Pan-Roasted Duck with Honeyed Quince Compote

- One 5-pound Long Island duck
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons 5-spice powder
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup dry sherry
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup vegetable oil, or as needed
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Honeyed Quince Compote
- Spicy Duck Glaze
Instructions:
If you have leftovers, pan-roasted duck will keep for several days. Instead of reheating it, I prefer to treat it like the rare ingredient it is and use it to enhance other dishes.
- Remove the paper sack containing the gizzard, heart, and liver from the cavity of the duck and discard or reserve for another use. The neck may be in the sack or in the cavity of the duck; in either event, discard it too or reserve for another use. Rinse the duck inside and out. Pat dry. Cut off the last two segments of the wings and discard. Cut off the fatty flaps around the neck opening and trim the fat from around the opening of the body cavity. Discard the trimmings. Carefully poke the skin of the bird all over with a fork or skewer. Try not to penetrate beyond the fat layer into the meat—if you go too far, the meat juices will run out during cooking as well as the fat. Approaching the skin from a sharp angle instead of straight in will help.
- Mix the ginger, 5-spice powder, honey, and sherry together. Rub the mixture all over the duck, inside and out. Sprinkle the duck liberally with salt and pepper, inside and out.
- Set the duck breast side down on a rack, preferable a V-rack, in a roasting pan. Add 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil on top of the stove. Lower the heat to a simmer. Cover (use foil if your roasting pan doesn’t have a lid) and steam for 30 minutes. Flip the duck and steam for another 30 minutes. Remove the duck from the pan and allow to cool.
- Cut the duck into 4 pieces.
- Heat an. -inch layer of vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. The pan must have a thick heavy bottom so it conducts the heat evenly; hot spots will cause the duck skin to burn. A nonstick pan will help alleviate the chance of sticking, but it's not necessary if the pan is heavy and you wait to add the duck until the oil is quite hot. If the oil is not hot when you add the duck pieces, the skin will stick and burn. Sprinkle the duck pieces liberally with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, almost smoking, add the duck pieces skin side down—do not disturb them once you have set them in the pan—allow them to sear for 1 minute, then adjust the heat to low, cover the pan, and cook until the meat is tender and the skin is crisp, 50 to 60 minutes. Check every 15 minutes to be sure the skin isn’t burning. Pour off excess fat as it accumulates. An instant-read thermometer should read 180°F when inserted into one of the thighs when the duck is finished.
- Meanwhile, make the Honeyed Quince Compote and the duck glaze if using, and keep warm.
- Place a duck breast and leg/thigh piece on each plate. Place 2 honeyed quince quarters on each plate, if using. Sauce the duck with the glaze, if using. Serve immediately.