Preparation

For 6 portions:

In the vegetable oil, sear the duck legs on both sides. Add the onion and garlic, and cook until they have given off their raw aroma. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 1 to 2 hours, or until the legs are very tender. Remove the legs and strain the braising liquid; this liquid is used to make the tamales. Be sure to remove as much fat as possible from the braising liquid before making the tamale dough. Remove the skin from the duck and remove the meat from the bones. Shred the duck meat. If desired, combine the shredded meat with 2 tablespoons of citrus zest and a little barbecue sauce.

For the tamale dough: Bring the braising liquid and oil to a boil. Rain in the masa harina and whisk well to avoid lumps. After about half of the masa has been added, the dough will become thick. Continue to add the masa and stir with a wooden spoon. Add the rest of the dough ingredients, except corn husks, and continue to cook over moderate heat until the masa becomes shiny and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cool completely before using. Soak the corn husks in hot tap water for 1 hour before using. Lay out a corn husk with the narrow side facing up. Tear off a small part of the corn husk, ¼-inch wide, to secure the finished tamale. Pinch off a small piece of tamale dough and roll in your hands until it reaches the diameter of a quarter. Flatten slightly, and place in the middle of the corn husk. Continue to flatten the tamale dough with your fingers while it is on top of the corn husk. Place 1 heaping teaspoon of the filling in the middle of the tamale dough. Fold over the sides, bottom and top to cover as much of the filling as possible. It’s not necessary to cover the filling completely. Wrap the 2 ends of the husks over each other, and then fold the bottom over the top. Secure the top of the tamale with the reserved corn husk strip. A granny knot works well. Hold the tamales chilled at this point. Steam 2 tamales for 5 minutes.

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Ingredients

6 ea.
moulard duck legs

2 tbsp.
vegetable oil

1 ea.
onion, roughly cut

3 ea.
garlic cloves, crushed

3 cups
chicken stock

2 cups
cara cara orange juice

0.5 bunch
cilantro with stems

6 ea.
thyme sprigs, fresh

2 ea.
bay leaves

15 ea.
whole black peppercorns

0.5 tsp.
salt

1 recipe
Tamale Dough (ingredients below)

1.5 qt.
braising liquid from the duck legs

0.5 cups
corn oil

4 cups
masa harina

1 tsp.
baking powder

1 tsp.
salt

0.25 tsp.
black pepper

1 pkg.
corn husks