Z,
My avatar suggests how I feel about duck hunting - the most fun you can have with your clothes on...
Your friend most likely has Mallards (Arkansas state bird?) in the freezer. Excellent table fare. I breast them and reserve the legs for gumbo type dishes - maybe confit with your new toys. I take the meat off the breast bone, 2 pieces per duck. usually marinade in some variation of red wine and brown sugar then cook quickly on a hot grill. Target temp is med rare. (You can use a glass of wine as a timer. Breasts on, pretty side down, sip wine, turn breast over, sip wine, remove breast.) Let rest and finish glass of wine. To serve I puddle a sauce on the plate, slice breast thinly and lay it down. Can fan breast, or keep it mostly together. Maybe a spoonful of sauce on top. Rice is traditional side, my veg of choice is asparagus (always).
The sauce can take a duck from good to stellar. I like one that is a little sweet and a little fruity, that compliments the flavor of the duck but does not obscure it. A good, simple one that everyone seems to like is combine red wine, brown sugar, orange peel and peppercorns, Use half for marinade and reserve half for sauce. Reduce sauce being careful not to turn it to candy. Strain and use. I've also had fun with balsamic reductions with berries or pomegranate. Sauces for game is something I would like to know more about.
Wood ducks, and teal are also excellent and I treat the same way. Gadwall, Wigeons and Pintails can be good cooked as above, in braised dishes or brined into pastrami.
Shovelers (also called spoonies) and Coot cannot be made fit to eat, though Huw could probably make them pretty...:chef2:
Should note that any fat on game will contribute to the gamey taste some has. Clean well. There is a piece of silverskin that runs along the bottom of the breast - I do what I can to remove it. And finally these ducks did not die of old age, there are pellet holes in them or you would not be cleaning them. Go into the holes with tweezers and ensure no feathers were carried inside with the pellets. The pellets will usually pass through the birds but a quick check for them does not hurt.
Next season you can offer to seal the ducks in your sealer. They will freeze much better than ziplocks. If invited I would be happy to show you how.:saythat:
Damn, now I've got to check my freezer. Enjoy.
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