Honey Spice Duck on Soybeans

Doesn't that sound great? *sigh* I thought so too.

So, we go and buy a duck. Frozen, because, to the best of my knowledge, unless you actually know someone who shoots ducks, that's the only way to get one in Dunedin.

The recipe calls for four duck breasts. But the only duck we can get is a whole roasting one, so I painstakingly cut it apart while my baby screams on the kitchen floor. (Not because of the duck - he was just having a cranky day.)

Recipe says to prepare the spice mixture, so I mix together the coriander, ginger, nutmeg and black pepper. Mmmm.

I score the skin of the duck pieces as best I can. Breasts are easy, but legs less so. Then it says to brown in a frying pan for 4-5 minutes. Which I did. Except the recipe calls for deboned breasts, and I have boned pieces (due to my dismemberment of a whole duck), so I kind of have to wing the timing a bit.

Reduce the heat and sprinkle spices on. Okay, this part is fine. Then baste honey, turning the duck frequently. Once cooked, remove and slice into pieces.

I didn't slice into pieces. (See above about bones).  We just ate them as pieces.

Warm soybeans through in the pan remnants. Then serve duck on bed of beans with sesame oil drizzled over it all.

But you see... I overcooked it. *WOE* I was so scared of it not being cooked because of the bones, that it ended up overcooked. And also, the duck really tasted kind of stale. I guess there's not a lot of call for duck in Dunedin. Who knows how long it had been sitting in that freezer.

*WOE*


So, not nearly as good as I had hoped. Alas. But hopefully if you try it you will learn from my mistakes, and it will be spectacular!

Ratings:
Me: Meh.
Husband: Thumbs up. (I think he was being nice to me though.)