Just got a couple ducks from a friend and wondering if anyone has any insight on some great cooking tips. Thanks, Mike

I like to cook the legs and the breasts separate. The legs are often on the tough side and benefit from a long simmer. I usually take the ducks apart and use everything. The legs can either be simmered in red wine and stock much like you would for a coq au vin, or in their own fat as you would for confit. The carcass is great to flavor a sauce to be used with the breasts. Also, you will find an excess of fat all over the duck. Whatever you do, don't throw it away. Place it in a sauce pan with a splash of water and cook it on low heat to render it from the skin. When its sufficiently melted. Put it in a covered container in the frige. Its great to sauté potatoes or mushrooms in. A few sauces I like with my duck are port wine, green peppercorn, or Madeira/sherry (DRY). Many recipes are overly sweet. Try not to do that. Duck handles sweet well, but the current food trends seem to make everything overly sweet. A reduction of port wine will have a little sweetness to it, but I don't add any additional sugar. Also, sauté the breasts skin side down over medium heat to render as much fat away as you can without burning them. Leave them pink in the center and allow them to rest on giant croutons you prepared by sautéing the bread in the reserved duck fat. Rub the croutons with garlic and season with salt, pepper, and minced thyme leaves. By allowing them to rest on this way, the croutons will absorb any juices that run from the meat and will fully capture the flavor of the duck. I like to drink a Burgundy with my duck. I think pinot is the perfect grape for duck. Dan J.

I do magret (breast of Muscovy Duck) by pan-searing and making a green peppercorn sauce. For a whole fresh duck, my favorite way is to put garlic slivers in little slits through the skin and then rub the duck with varying spices. I then put it on a spit and use the grill rotosserie with a rear mounted burner specially made for that purpose. It comes out great every time.

Thank you both! These both sound tasty! I now have 4 ducks and I think I will try both of these. Cheers! I will post back after dinner tommorow.