Bellerose and Duck

by Don | Sep 21, 2015 | Article

Duck is something people rather adore when they dine out, but somehow it gets a little neglected in the domestic kitchen. For under £10, you can buy a champion Donald or Daffy that will easily feed four people.The key to delicious duck is rendering the fat. If roasting, this will ooze out and collect in the tray – you can scoop it into a bowl and refrigerate to use next time you want crispy duck-fat potatoes. If pan frying, the same thing will happen; the clear fat will seep out and you can collect it for later. It’s imperative to render the fat, otherwise you’ll be biting in to a flabby, soggy, yucky duck. Quack, quack, no.

Duck is rather versatile and is popular in both classic French, and Chinese cuisine, so it lends itself to a variety of flavours. Our little duck was treated to a dry spice rub helped by my splurge at a Chinatown supermarket. The rub involved a mix of ginger, Szechuan peppers (the tingle is somewhat of a sensation on your tongue), dried chilli and salt.

Roast in the oven at 180 degrees until the skin is golden and the flesh cooked through (roughly 1 hour and a half, depending on the size of your duck).

Rustle up some veg of your choice; whatever you’ve got lying around, or whatever looks good and is in season – buying produce which is in season is paramount. Buy fresh and buy local wherever possible.

Matched with this quacking dish is the gorgeous Bellerose full-bodied blonde ale, dry hoped with American hops; its grapefruit zing and notes of lychee cut through the richness of the duck and work beautifully with the heat and spice.

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