Hmmm…I’ve never tried making any kind of duck dish, or goose either for that matter, but all the mentions in this thread have me intrigued now… 
It’s pricey, but the very easiest way to cook duck is to buy a breast. Score the skin liberally, and cook it, starting skin side down to render most of the fat and make the skin crispy and delicious. (Or remove the fatty skin and throw it away after cooking if you are my husband and dislike eating fat.) I pour off the fat part way through doing this, and again at the end. (I keep the fat for cooking vegetables.)
When it’s done to your liking (i like it still fairly rare) remove from the heat, let it rest 10 minutes, and slice into pretty medallions to serve. I slice it about 1cm thick.
Thanks! So this is the list I have so far for things I’ve never made, but will likely try this Fall / Winter:
- Beef Wellington
- Boeuf Bourguignon
- Duck
- Chefguy’s Green Chili Stew (I’ve made chilis and stews plenty of times, but this particular recipe sounds very tasty)
And, if I get really ambitious:
I’ve long wanted to make an authentic pho broth from scratch, and Tokostsu broth sounds like a similar process. This recipe I found sounds pretty authentic, at least in terms of process-- the rolling boil for 12 hours. The article itself contradicts the link preview text that says it’s easy to make at home… 
This is a descent into madness.
Speaking of ramen, another thing I’ve been wanting to try is making my own ramen noodles from scratch-- stretching and folding the dough over and over until the noodles are thin enough, then the alkaline bath. But I suspect if I ever do try this I’ll have a contribution for the “Amateur home chefs: what dish have you made once but will never do again?” thread 
My fave movie ever… Thank you for the link,
I have a former friend ( got born again, which strained but didn’t break the relationship, then fell down the MAGA-hole) who was a far more skilled amateur cook than I, who had his own dedicated sushi knives and gear, who was a fellow ramen enthusiast, sushi fan, homebrewer, etc. He also enjoyed making his broths and stocks from scratch to good effect. He also made ramen noodles from scratch ONCE. 
You are wise!
I feel like there are a lot of dishes worth making once, for the experience. I’m glad i made puff pastry once. I’m glad i helped my husband make bagels once. Not gonna do either again.
I don’t find bagels difficult and used to make them all the time. I’ve reduced my intake of simple carbs so they’re mostly off the menu now.
Roasting a goose is dead simple. For many years, it was my family’s traditional Christmas dinner, part of the annual rotation (turkey for Thanksgiving, goose for Christmas, prime rib for New Year’s, ham for Easter). Just elevate that sucker in a roasting pan on a rack, prick it all over liberally with a fork to release the fat and remember to pour off the fat periodically. I used to do some other things to it to season it before roasting, but not much.
I’d do it still, but finding a good goose is difficult. We used to buy ours fresh from the Hutterites when I lived in Montana. Haven’t found a really decent goose since I left there.
Potatoes roasted in goose fat are ambrosial!
Hmmm - each to their own, of course, but I’ll offer an alternative easy way. I buy duck legs (in the UK this is everything from the thigh down). Put the regulation thousand holes in them, give them a salting, then roast them on a rack for an unreasonably long time, 90 minutes or so (some recipies say 2 hours). Crispy skin and tender meat. Guidance from Gressingham, major duck producer.
But what I really came here to say is, now I have my own medlar tree, I’ll be making jelly from my own fruits this year; and one thing that you see recommended is: after boiling and straining the fruits for jelly, you can use the remaining pulp to make medlar chutney. I really must get myself organized and do that.
j
At least in most stores in the US southwest in my experience, you are lucky to find any duck, and then it’s a tossup between finding (expensive) individual duck breast and whole frozen duck. Certain upscale places (like whole foods) will sometimes have whole duck in the cold case, but it’s inconsistent except around major cooking holidays. But they’ll at least consistently have the frozen duck breast, which is more than I can say for the local Kroger!
My best chance for consistent duck purchase is the frozen whole duck at my local (though waaaay across town) Asian market. Which is probably for the best, it’s a lot easier to justify purchasing now when it’s cheaper than beef - and I should probably stick to leaner meats.
So true! So, two issues with a while duck are that you need to carve it and you need to find something to do with the leftovers. 
And it takes longer than cooking a boneless breast, and i often start supper too late. But really, duck is easy and forgiving.
Assuming ‘whole’ duck ( ) I submit that I don’t know what you mean by “leftovers”. As I said, one duck = one person as long as it’s me! And if there were, mysteriously, somehow leftovers, then it means I’ll have an even more luxurious, unctuous stock for my soup!
I see no problems.
I serve 3 and have leftovers. Depending on my source, i sometimes get moulard ducks, which are larger (and less fatty) than pekin ducks. But i feel like one little duck is more than my family eats for dinner.
OK - you’re going to have to forgive my ignorance about buying duck in the US.
j
I can find fresh duck breast at one fancy farm store near me, and fresh whole duck at a Wegmans not too far away. I can also find frozen whole duck at the farm store, at one of the local supermarkets, and from a local farm that delivers meat monthly. I’ve seen duck hindquarters, but they charge as much for that as the breast (much more per pound than for whole) and there’s a lot more bone, so it feels like a bad deal.
Hmm - I just checked my local store’s website
Breast fillet: for £8.00 for 397g, but currently on offer for £6
Leg: £4.80 for 462g
I would guess, allowing for bone, leg meat is cheaper than the regular price for breast fillet, and about the same as the offer. I would also guess that breast is slightly fattier - but that is just a guess.
j
Did you use all the lemons in the tagine or did you have some left? If you found additional uses for them, I’d love your recommendations.
I’ve still got a bunch after making a moderately good (but not remarkable) fish recipe that used one preserved lemon. I’m not sure what to do with the rest of them. I guess I should make a tagine (lamb might be good!) but then I will still have a bunch. (I preserved them because we have two trees - limes, actually, but almost indistinguishable from lemons - that just won’t stop producing.)
Of course. I just wanted you to know your comparative duck abundance was envied here in the duck-deprived areas of the states. I’m guessing that the usual eaters of duck here are historically those with a closet full of Fudd-wear (ie hunters) and that outside of the Chinese-American and French restaurants, I almost never see it on the default menu.
Which is a crying shame. And a self fulfilling cycle - few places serve duck → few people eat duck → few people serve duck due to low demand.
Oh well, I’m planning on buying one as a treat for myself for the Winter holidays, either around Xmas or New Years. Back to the thread, it’ll be a well punctured whole duck, oven roasted, basted with hard apple cider, served with from scratch challah bread and stuffing made from apples, duck fat/cider drippings and deliberately dried additional challah.
[ well, kinda back to the thread, it’s a dish I’ve made before, but normally only every other year or so, since the wife doesn’t eat meat ]
Heh, it was very easy to do, the only thing was time. IIRC I prepared everything in a few minutes, but had to wait a month. I only made enough for the one tagine.
When I cook sometimes I specifically make enough (stew, soup, pulled pork) for many meals. Other times, like with a tagine, it’s all about presentation and I specifically make just enough for the two of us.
If I did have lemons left, I’d have used them up by adding them to any meal.
I’m always jealous of people with lemon/lime/avocado trees. I’d be squeezing fresh lime juice into everything.
Cheers!
That’s what we do! And give away as many as possible. And make lime pie, “lemon” poppy seed cake, rosemary-lime chicken, mixed drinks with lime juice … yet I still have a quart or so of juice in the freezer and 50-60 limes on the trees.