DUCK is something I usually enjoy more at this time of the year rather than the summer as it is so wonderfully rich and succulent. It is incredibly versatile for a bird - I love it roasted, braised, pangrilled or of course cooked in fat as a confit.

Duck, which is a very good source of protein and iron, is classified as poultry but unlike other birds is often served rare for maximum flavour and texture.

While duck has a higher fat content than either chicken or turkey, its meat has a deliciously rich flavour, and the layer of fat on a duck means that it freezes well and remains succulent.

Duck tips � To remove excess fat when roasting a whole duck, I always prick the skin all over with a skewer, and pour a kettle of boiling water over it (or even boil the whole duck in water for a few minutes) then dry it and sprinkle with salt. If you want the skin to become crispy, roast the duck on a rack in a tray.

The excess fat can be drained regularly during cooking, which you can save for your next batch of duck confit, or roast potatoes .

� If I am stuffing the duck before roasting, I love to put lots of chopped sage in the stuffing; sometimes I add some cooked apple and orange rind too.

� A pan-grilled duck breast can put people off duck because of its thick layer of fat, but it is actually very simple to cook the breast and end up with virtually no fat, and gorgeous crispy skin. I would recommend cooking the duck breast by first of all making a few long but very shallow incisions through the fat but not down to the meat. Then sprinkle the skin with salt (this will help draw out some fat) and place the breast, skin-side down on an un-heated grill pan or frying pan. Then put the pan on a low heat and very slowly allow it to cook the duck until the skin is golden.

As it cooks very slowly the fat will render out - this may take from 10 to even as long as 20 minutes, depending on the heat, then turn over and continue cooking for a few minutes on the other side. If it is placed on a hot preheated pan, the skin will be dark before any fat has had time to render out, and it will remain fatty - so the cool pan is the trick here.

Braised duck legs with onions and thyme leaves Serves 2 This delicious duck recipe was given to Darina Allen by John Desmond of Island Cottage, his wonderful restaurant on Hare Island, just off Baltimore in west Cork.

This is a perfect recipe if you have already removed the breasts from the duck for pan-grilling.

Two duck legs 600g medium sized onions, peeled and quartered Half tsp fresh thyme leaves Sea salt and pepper Preheat the oven to 225�C, gas 8. Season the duck legs all over with crushed sea salt. Heat a tiny drop of olive oil in a casserole pot and cook the duck, skinside down, over a medium heat until well-browned, then turn over and brown on the other side.

Remove the duck legs to a plate, increase the heat and toss the quartered onions in the duck fat until slightly golden, pouring off some of the excess fat.

Sprinkle with the thyme, season with salt and pepper, then put the duck legs back on top of the onions. Cover and cook in the hot oven for one hour, or until the duck is cooked and tender, and the onions are soft and juicy.

Classic duck confit Serves 4 This is a traditional French way of preserving duck and goose. This recipe takes a long time so you may not find yourself making it very regularly, but it is the most delicious way to cook duck, so definitely worth trying once. First the meat is salted, then it is cooked long and slowly, in fat, then can be stored in the fat for months, or eaten immediately.

Four duck legs, or two legs and two breasts One garlic clove One tbsp sea salt One tsp coarsely ground black pepper A pinch of nutmeg One tsp thyme leave One broken-up bay leaf 900g duck or goose fat One bay leaf Two sprigs thyme Six garlic cloves, unpeeled Rub the duck legs all over with a cut clove of garlic.

Mix the salt, pepper, nutmeg, thyme and bay leaf together and rub the duck legs with the mixture.

Put into a dish, cover and leave overnight in the fridge.

If you have bought the duck or goose fat in a tin or jar, fine; but if the fat is still attached to the bird you need to render it first.

So remove every scrap of fat possible from the duck or goose, then put it in a shallow ovenproof dish in an oven preheated to 120�C, gas 1, for about an hour, until the fat has rendered out.

Next day, or at least eight hours later, melt the fat in a saucepan large enough to hold the duck legs. Clean the salt cure off the legs, wipe dry and put them in the fat - there should be enough to cover the duck pieces.

Add the herbs and garlic, bring to the boil, and simmer over a low heat until the duck is very tender (the meat should almost be coming away from the bones), about one to 1 1/2 hours. Remove the duck legs from the fat and strain it.

If you want to keep the duck for another day, and it will keep for months, then put it in a bowl (traditionally an earthenware jar was used) and pour the strained fat over it, so that the pieces are completely submerged.

Store somewhere cool until you need it.

If you want to eat the duck straightaway, saut� it on a hot pan, till the skin is crispy. If the duck was cold going onto the pan, make sure it is hot in the centre, you can always put the pan in a hot oven for about 10 minutes to heat the duck, once the skin is crisp.

Duck breasts with spinach and port and rhubarb sauce Serves 4 If you can find large duck breasts, two will serve four people. If they are smaller, you will need three or four duck breasts. The sweet sharp flavour of this port and rhubarb sauce complement the duck perfectly.

2 x 360g large duck breasts 350g baby spinach, stems removed, washed 20g butter For the sauce 25-50g caster sugar (quantity may vary depending on sharpness of rhubarb) Three stalks rhubarb, roughly diced 150ml red port 150ml chicken stock To make the sauce, put the sugar and rhubarb in a medium-sized pan and cook over a low-to-medium heat for five minutes. Add the red port and bring to the boil for two minutes.

Add the chicken stock and cook, uncovered, until rhubarb starts to thicken slightly - this is your sauce.

Using the blade of your knife, make three or four long but shallow incisions (you don't want to go through to the meat) through the skin of the duck breasts - this will allow the fat to render out while cooking.

Next place the duck breasts, skin-side-down, in a un-heated grill-pan or frying pan, turn the heat on to low and cook until skin is a golden brown, this might take 10-15 minutes.

Turn the duck breasts over and cook them for another four-10 minutes, depending on how wellcooked you want them.

Remove the duck from the pan, transfer onto a plate, and put somewhere warm to rest for four-five minutes.

In a separate pan, saut� spinach in a little butter until soft. Using the back of a slotted spoon, squeeze excess moisture out of spinach (discard) and keep spinach warm.

Place spinach on a serving plate, slice duck and arrange in a fan shape around the spinach.

Drizzle the warm sauce around the plate and serve.

Teriyaki duck salad Serves 2 This is a light, easy and lovely way to enjoy duck.

Serve as a starter or as a light main course.

Three tbsp soy sauce One garlic clove, crushed 5cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and chopped 55g soft brown sugar Two tbsp honey Two tbsp sesame oil One small duck breast - score the skin by making three or four long but shallow incisions One small orange, peeled and sliced One very small red onion, sliced Quarter of a red pepper, diced Two tbsp olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 120ml Greek-style yoghurt Two heaped tbsp chopped mint or coriander One clove garlic, crushed Squeeze of lemon juice For the teriyaki salad, mix two tablespoons of soy sauce, the crushed garlic, half the fresh root ginger, the sugar, honey and sesame oil together in a bowl.

Add the whole duck breast and leave to marinate for 30 minutes, or even an hour if you have it .

Heat a grill-pan or frying pan. When it is very hot, add the marinated duck breast. Pan-fry for four-10 minutes on each side, depending on how wellcooked you like it.

Remove from the heat and allow to rest for a couple of minutes. Slice the cooked duck breast into long slices.

Make the rest of the salad by putting the remaining ginger into a bowl with the sliced orange, red onion, red pepper, one tablespoon of soy sauce and the olive oil. Mix well and season to taste.

Pile the salad onto a serving plate, and place the sliced duck on top.

For the yoghurt sauce, put the yoghurt in a bowl, add the chopped mint, or coriander, and crushed garlic clove, add a squeeze of lemon juice and season.

Mix well and serve as an accompaniment to the duck salad.