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John Besh’s
Chappapeela Farms Duck
& Oyster Gumbo
“The most exciting roux
I’ve ever made was out
of duck fat that I saved
after roasting the bird. It’s
the perfect base for my
gumbo.”
—John Besh
more RECIPES
WHAT YOU WILL NEED HOW TO PREP
2 ducks (2½ to 3 lbs. each),
quartered
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons herbes de Provence
1 cup rendered duck fat or lard
(or vegetable oil if you must)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 onions, diced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 pound andouille sausage, diced
½ pound smoked pork sausage,
chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 quarts chicken or duck stock
2 cups oyster liquor
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoon Creole seasoning
2 bay leaves
2 cups okra, diced
(frozen works fine)
3 cups oysters
Tabasco sauce
1 quart cooked
Jazz Man Louisiana rice
½ cup chopped green onions
Preheat oven to 450°F. Liber-
ally season the ducks with salt,
pepper, and herbes de Provence.
Slowly roast in preheated oven
until most of the fat has rendered
out and the skin is nice and crispy,
about 2 hours. Remove the ducks
from the oven, and reserve the
fat. Once cool, pick all the meat
and skin from the ducks, and cut
into roughly 1½-inch pieces. Re-
serve. To make the roux, heat 1
cup of reserved duck fat (or lard)
in a pot over medium heat, add
the flour, and allow it to slowly
cook to a light golden brown.
This should take about ½ hour.
Adjust heat if necessary (if cook-
ing too fast) and allow the roux
to further brown, stirring often,
until it resembles the color of
milk chocolate. This should take
approximately another 5 min-
utes. Stir in the onions, and cook
until the roux takes on a deep
dark chocolate color. This should
take another 5 to 10 minutes.
Add the duck, celery, sausages,
and garlic, and cook to com-
bine for 5 minutes, stirring fre-
quently. Add stock, oyster liquor,
Worcestershire, Creole season-
ing, bay leaves, and okra, and
bring mixture to a boil. Lower
heat and simmer until flavors
marry, occasionally skimming the
fat that rises to the top, about
1½ hours. Add the oysters, and
continue to simmer for another
5 minutes. Season the gumbo to
taste with salt, pepper, and Ta-
basco sauce. Serve over rice in a
large flat soup bowl, and garnish
with chopped green onions.
(serves 8-10)
Emeril’s
Whole Roasted Duck with Candied Kumquats
This basic, foolproof method for a crisp and flavorful farm-raised domestic duck is the perfect way to showcase
the uniquely delicious flavor of kumquats. By piercing the skin and poaching the duck first, much of the excess
fat is removed, affording a crispy skin and a juicy roasted duck. The remaining poaching liquid is rich and flavor-
ful and can be frozen for later use in soups, stews, and sauces. Feel free to make the simple kumquat sauce to
serve alongside roasted pork, too.
Bring the stock to a simmer in a
large stockpot. While the stock
is heating, use the tip of a small
sharp knife to pierce the ducks’
skin in a number of places with-
out piercing the meat. Carefully
lower the ducks into the sim-
mering broth, fully submerging
them. Place a heatproof plate or
a small pot on top of the ducks
to keep them submerged, and
simmer for 45 minutes. While the
ducks are poaching, place the
kumquats in a 1-quart saucepan
and add enough water to cover
them. Bring to a medium simmer
and cook for about 5 minutes.
Drain, and discard the cooking
liquid. Set the kumquats aside. In
HOW TO PREP
the same saucepan, combine the
1½ cups water with the sugar,
cinnamon stick, and allspice ber-
ries, and bring to a boil. Reduce
the heat to a simmer, and add
the vanilla pod and the scraped
seeds. Simmer for about 5 min-
utes. Then add the kumquats and
cook until they are tender and
slightly translucent, about 8 min-
utes. Remove the pan from the
heat, and transfer the sauce to a
heatproof, nonreactive bowl. The
sauce may be served warm or at
room temperature. Preheat the
oven to 500°F. Carefully remove
the ducks from the poaching liq-
uid and transfer them to a rack
set in a shallow roasting pan. Us-
ing paper towels, pat the ducks
dry. Season them with the salt
and pepper. Place the pan in the
oven and roast the ducks for 30
minutes. Remove the ducks from
the oven and let them rest for 15
minutes before serving. Pass the
kumquat sauce at the table.
(serves 4-6)
4 to 5 quarts duck stock, chicken
stock, or water
Two 5 1/2 pound ducks
(innards, wing tips, and extra
fat removed)
1 pound kumquats,
sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cinnamon stick (3 inches long)
1/4 teaspoon whole allspice berries
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out
and reserved
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground
black pepper
Recipe by Emeril Lagasse, from FARM
TO FORK, HarperStudio, New York,
2010, courtesy Martha Stewart Living
Omnimedia, Inc.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED