Duck with soy, ginger and honey gravy

This was amazing. I made some changes from this recipe, and I'm pretty chuffed with the results:

2 duck breasts, skin scored
Salt, cayenne pepper, pepper (to season duck)
1/2 cup chicken stock
2-3 tbsp honey
2-3 tbsp soy sauce
2-3 tbsp rice wine/rice wine vinegar (you could probably use wine vinegar too)
1 tbsp ginger, grated
1 tbsp tomato sauce or purée
Chilli powder/flakes to taste
1 tsp lemon juice (original calls for lime juice, though)

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Rub the salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper into the duck, then place skin down in a hot pan for about five minutes to brown, flip and cook for another minute or two, then put in the oven and cook for around 15-20 minutes (or to taste—duck can be cooked medium or even medium-rare). When ready, pour off the excess fat into a small pan and leave the duck breast to rest for a few minutes.

Heat your small pan with its duck fat and add the stock, honey, soy sauce, rice wine (vinegar), ginger, tomato sauce, chilli powder and lemon juice. Whisk while bringing it to the boil and then cook for about 5 minutes, still whisking.

Slice the duck breast into thin slices, serve the sauce over the duck.

We had this with a rice/quinoa/lentil mixture they sell in France, but it should go well with potatoes too.

It is lovely. Highly recommended.

Honey and mustard roast chicken with couscous stuffing

Make one portion of the couscous stuffing, and enjoy. The credits definitely go to food24's recipe.

One portion of couscous
1 whole chicken
1/4 cup Dijon mustard (or preferred, not-too-spicy mustard)
1/4 cup honey

Preheat your oven to 180 Celsius. Mix the honey and mustard. Smear over the chicken, stuff the stuffing into the cavity of the chicken, and then shove the chicken into the oven, breast down. Cook for 30 minutes, and then turn over and cook for another 60 minutes breast up. Serve with roast potatoes and assorted side dishes. Enjoy.

Tom Yum Chicken

Needs to be marinaded for a while (preferably overnight) but easy and tasty.

Tom Yum Chicken

4-6 chicken legs (thigh and drumstick)

Marinade: 

10 or so shallots
5 or so garlic cloves
3 or so tbsp Tom Yum paste
2 or 3 fresh chillis
1 tbsp pickled jalapenos (or equivalent something. Use something spicy)
3 or 4 lime leaves
2 tbsp honey
spices, salt and pepper to taste

Prepare the marinade by blending it all together with a hand-held blendy thing. Don't add any water, it's meant to be like this. Smear over the chicken (possibly scoring the chicken some to get the taste in) and then leave to marinade for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

When ready, wrap each piece in tin foil, shove in the oven at 200 degrees and leave to cook for 45min. If not done, use your discretion and cook for longer.

Serve with lemon and coriander.

Chickeney Garlicky Honeyey Orangey Gingery Goodness

I quite enjoy cooking, which most of you should know. I've tried some rather interesting recipes, some of which worked better than others, and some of which could have used a bit of tweaking. The suggestion was made to start a collection of things I've made or done or whatnot, with appropriate thanks to whomever I owe a full belly.

Any thoughts, comments, or tales of wretchedness following an attempt at a recipe, please let me know. Also, please email and tell me stuff, which I will possibly try, possibly not. If I do, you can be sure I will let you know...

First one I owe to a hairy Welshman. I haven't the foggiest idea of its name, so it is hereafter known as the chickeney garlicky honeyey orangey gingery goodness. Directions are for a wok, but I made it in a pot. Be careful with the sweetness - I slightly overdid the honey, which made it a bit sweet for my taste; but it was pretty fantastic otherwise.

Chickeney Garlicky Honeyey Orangey Gingery Goodness: (makes enough for about 500g of chicken, or about 4 people)

500g chicken breasts
2-3 tbsp clear honey
2 large oranges
ginger (2 thumb-sized pieces)
1 or 2 red onions and spring onions
egg noodles (1 pack should do)
3 or 4 garlic cloves
a generous amount of soy sauce
parsley
a carrot
chilli flakes
sesame oil (optional, didn't use as I didn't have it)

Fry the diced chicken in olive oil for a few minutes. Add the juice and zest of one orange and 2 or 3 tablespoons of clear honey, grated ginger (a thumb sized piece) and salt and pepper to taste. Fry until the juices have evaporated and the meat is cooked.
Cook noodles and drain. In a wok, heat olive oil and add the carrot (finely sliced into ribbons), onion and spring onions (chopped). Fry for a few minutes on a low heat. Add crushed garlic (3 or 4 cloves, depending on taste), another thumb sized grated piece of ginger, and some optional dried chilli flakes. Fry for a further minute. Add soy sauce (3 or 4 tablespoons, according to taste), and juice and zest of the other orange, and optional sesame oil (a tablespoon or two). Fry for another minute. Stir the parsley (chopped) and the previously cooked noodles, and fry for a bit more until fully mixed through.

When made for me before, it was fantastically brilliant - I made it and let it get a bit dry, so be careful about that.

Very tasty. Enjoy, taste, have fun.