Duck

TV chef Andrew Zimmern’s version of the famous North African savory spiced pie swaps duck for the traditional pigeon and multiple layers of crackly phyllo dough for the classic warka pastry case.

Because a single duck rarely has enough meat to feed more than two or three people, Jacques Pépin prepares two ducks side by side when serving this classic dish to guests. And because he's roasting whole ducks, he cooks them until they're well done, which results in the crispiest skin and best flavor.

Recipes from Essential Pépin by Jacques Pépin. Copyright © 2011 by Jacques Pépin. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

People think duck is intimidating to cook, but this recipe is very simple. To make it even easier, substitute five-spice powder for the coriander, cinnamon, star anise and cumin.

According to Andrew Zimmern, the key to these tender braised duck legs is the balance between the sweet (apples and honey) and the acidic (salt and vinegar). "Taste for that balance before you serve the dish—sometimes a drizzle of your favorite Banyuls or aged sherry vinegar works wonders at the table, he says." Bonus: this dish tastes better the next day and also freezes well.

"Infusing olive oil is a great way to add more herbs to your life," says Jovial King. (Herbs are rich in antioxidants and phytonutrients.) In this main-course salad, Marcia Kiesel rubs the oil on duck breasts and shallots before grilling them and also uses it in a vinaigrette.

Duck is often paired with something sweet, as in canard à l'orange. Jean-Georges Vongerichten tops it here with chopped sugar-coated almonds. The sugar burns slightly as the meat is broiled to form a bittersweet crust that pairs beautifully with the juicy richness of the duck.

"If Mexico hadn't shared its chiles with China, would we have spicy Chinese food?" asks chef José Andrés. His Vegas spot, China Poblano, with dishes like these Asian duck tacos, shows how more and more chefs are combining seemingly unrelated cuisines. Store-bought confit duck legs make these tacos really easy. Another shortcut: crisping the skin in a microwave.

Chef Laurence Jossel created this stripped-down version of the classic French stew, with creamy white beans, luscious store-bought duck confit, smoky French garlic sausage and slab bacon. Letting the beans rest overnight develops their flavors.

In this dish, Chef Andy Arndt combines naturally fruity Pinot Noir with a bit of honey to make a lightly sweet sauce—a lovely accompaniment to these crispy-skinned duck breasts.

After experimenting with miso paste and flavorful Spanish marcona almonds, Stephanie Izard created a delectable nutty-sweet butter that she serves with meaty seared duck breasts.

"I've been making this dish for a while," says Rajat Parr. "It's basically India meets France. The first time I went to France I went straight to Burgundy. The first five times I went to France I went straight to Burgundy. I took my first trip in 1997 because of a 1986 Domaine François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Clos I tried when I was working as a bartender at Rubicon in San Francisco. I was like, Oh my gosh, what is this wine?"

Paul Grieco is one of the few sommeliers to serve wines from Sicily's Frank Cornelissen, who favors a hyper-natural approach and the use of amphorae for red wines. Chef Marco Canora's pasta with braised duck is just the thing with Cornelissen's red; this version calls for duck confit.

More and more specialty-food stores are selling duck confit legs, but in a pinch, rotisserie chicken works well, too.

David Bouley serves Long Island duckling with a sticky glaze made from chestnuts and acacia honey, as well as with wheat berries, garlic chives and gingery cabbage. Streamline the recipe by preparing just the honey-glazed duck breast and the ginger-and-garlic Savoy cabbage with chives.

You can match rich meats with tannic reds.

Chef Paul Kahan has a great trick for heightening the flavor of duck breasts: He ages them on the bone in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Boneless duck breasts can be aged using the same method, although the results won't be as dramatic; if you're short on time, use unaged duck.

Inspired by Sharifi's spices and by tagine blends from Morocco, New Orleans chef John Besh created a flavoring mix of cinnamon, star anise, black pepper and sugar to sprinkle on the duck breasts. The spices provide terrific aromas, while the sugar gives the meat a burnished crust in under 10 minutes of cooking.

Andy Nusser's secret for cooking duck is to slowly sear it over low heat, which crisps the skin while keeping the meat tender. He likes duck best with a sweet-tart sauce like this cranberry mostaza (mustard) with a hint of red wine vinegar.

A bright citrus pan sauce is all that's needed to round out this simple roast duck, cooked to a rich caramel brown. To render the fat and ensure a crisp skin, the duck is first steamed; Marcia Kiesel scatters a handful of coriander seeds over the steaming water, which releases their orange-like scent.

This zippy salad is a great way to use incredibly moist and flavorful duck confit, which is cured in salt, then poached in fat. Tossing the salad with cracklings (duck skin crisped in a pan) adds superb crunch.

To complement Long Island wines, Katie Lee turns to a classic Long Island ingredient, duck. She coats the meat with her favorite spice rub—a blend of coriander, chile powder and cumin—then cooks it on the grill until the skin gets crispy.

This festive duck roast is stuffed with a delicious sweet-and-sour cherry filling.

In this super-simple recipe, duck legs are braised until meltingly tender.

Traditional southwestern French flavors—meaty duck breasts, duck cracklings, toasted walnuts and nut oil—pair with sweet, tangy raspberries and slightly bitter frisée to make this completely original salad.

Butter is a blank canvas for big flavors, which is why culinary director Justin Chapple adds toasted whole spices like fennel, caraway, and coriander. He grates the chilled compound butter over slices of pink, pan-seared duck breast to infuse every bite.

Arroz caldo, the Filipino answer to congee, is a savory, comforting rice porridge typically made with chicken. At LASA, Los Angeles chef Chad Valencia steps up the dish by using duck confit—duck legs slowly cooked in duck fat until tender—and a broth infused with ginger and leeks. Juice from a calamansi, a cross between a lime and a kumquat, adds brightness here, though you also can use fresh lime.