- 1 4- to 5-pound duck, thawed if frozen, excess fat removed, backbone removed, duck quartered
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 pounds assorted wild mushrooms (such as chanterelle, oyster, and stemmed shiitake), cut into1-inch pieces
- 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
- 3/4 cup finely chopped celery
- 3/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
- 7 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 12-ounce bottle stout
- 6 cups low-salt chicken broth
- 4 teaspoons Emeril's Original Essence
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 5 cups freshly cooked white rice
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
- Heat heavy large pot over medium-high heat until hot, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle duck with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add to pot, skin side down, and sear until golden brown, about 8 minutes per side. Using tongs, transfer duck to plate.
- Add vegetable oil, then flour to drippings in pot; stir with wooden spoon to blend well. Reduce heat to medium and stir constantly until roux is chocolate-brown color, about 25 minutes. (If roux is still light brown after 20 minutes, increase heat to medium-high for final 5 minutes.) Add mushrooms, onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic to roux and cook until mushrooms and vegetables are soft, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes. Add stout; stir to blend. Add chicken broth, Emeril's Original Essence, bay leaves, thyme, cayenne, and remaining 2 teaspoons salt; stir to blend well. Return duck pieces to pot. Increase heat and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer uncovered until duck is tender, skimming foam from surface and stirring occasionally, about 1 1/2 hours.
- Using tongs, transfer duck to plate; cool until easy to handle, about 20 minutes. Remove meat from bones; discard bones and skin. Cut meat into 1-inch pieces. Spoon fat off top of gumbo. Return meat to gumbo; season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold. Cover and keep refrigerated. Bring to simmer before continuing.)
- Divide cooked white rice among 10 bowls. Ladle gumbo over. Sprinkle with green onions and parsley and serve.
- A dried herb and spice blend available at some specialty foods stores and in the spice section of some supermarkets. A combination of 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne can be substituted