Duck cooked with thyme is an elegant dish.
Because of its dear price and sometimes gamey flavor, duck can be an intimidating protein to home cooks, but it doesn't need to be so. Treat duck the way you would a chicken roaster or turkey, knowing that it may take one or two attempts to get it right, but also knowing that, with the right seasonings, you can cover up a number of mistakes. Thyme is a classic French addition to many recipes and when incorporated into a dish with duck, it infuses this exotic bird with a continental flavor.
Instructions
Whole Sprigs
1. Wash your hands thoroughly before and after preparing uncooked duck.
2. Make a small slit in the skin of the duck if you are roasting it, and using your fingers, gently separate the skin from the meat, leaving it connected at one end.
3. Insert whole sprigs of thyme underneath the skin, using several sprigs for a whole duck and only one sprig per breast if you're cooking them alone.
4. Add whole sprigs of thyme to the simmering liquid if your recipe calls for braising.
Crushed Thyme
5. Hold a sprig of thyme at its top in one hand over a paper towel.
6. Pull gently down the length of the sprig with your other hand, disconnecting the small leaves as you pull and allowing them to fall onto the paper towel.
7. Repeat with the appropriate amount of sprigs, depending on your recipe.
8. Grab two ends of the paper towel and pour the thyme leaves into a bowl.
9. Measure the desired amount of leaves, pour them into the palms of your hands, and rub your palms back and forth vigorously to crush them before incorporating them into your recipe.
Tags: paper towel, your recipe, knowing that, sprigs thyme, them into