I've never cooked a duck, except when making rillettes.

Mostly because I've never particularly liked it. But now I've acquired one
and am planning to have it for Christmas dinner.

I'm looking for a really great recipe. I'm a very experienced cook, and not
looking for "easy"--I'm looking for great.

Any suggestions? (Just about any style would be fine: Cajun, Asian, French,
Hungarian, you name it.)

Janet wrote:
> I've never cooked a duck, except when making rillettes.
>
> Mostly because I've never particularly liked it. But now I've acquired one
> and am planning to have it for Christmas dinner.
>
> I'm looking for a really great recipe. I'm a very experienced cook, and not
> looking for "easy"--I'm looking for great.
>
> Any suggestions? (Just about any style would be fine: Cajun, Asian, French,
> Hungarian, you name it.)

Don't make the Frugal Gourmet's Peking Duck. My mom and I did it, and it
was just not very good.

It's the only duck I've made, though, so I don't have any Do's, just
that one Don't.

Serene

--
42 Magazine, celebrating life with meaning. Issue 2 is here!
http://42magazine.com

"I tend to come down on the side of autonomy. Once people are grown up,
I believe they have the right to go to hell in the handbasket of their
choosing." -- Pat Kight, on alt.polyamory

Janet > wrote:

> Any suggestions? (Just about any style would be fine: Cajun, Asian, French,
> Hungarian, you name it.)

You do not say what kind... wild or domesticated?

My very favourite recipe, canard au sang (with blood) require a duck
which has not been bled - this is something that you would not be able
to replicate in America (and in many other places), unless you can shoot
or (preferably) strangulate your own duck.

Failing that, simply roasted duck, wild or domestic, can be very good
indeed.

Otherwise, here are a couple of relatively unusual but very good
recipes. The one with Sauternes, a sweet wine, is actually very popular
in France - so much so as to be offered, jarred, in supermarkets. It is
not very sweet and has a taste all of its own and it is very good indeed
- and not at all what one would anticipate by just reading the
ingredients.

Then, there is a very good Scotch recipe for wild duck with peaches and
whisky.

Yet another great - and elaborate - recipe is the Tuscan pappardelle
all'anatra (or all'aretina), an Arezzo pasta dish with the duck ragù
made from scratch.

Still another, totally different but even more elaborate recipe, is the
Chinese duck steamed in wine.

So, here's a recipe for (domestic) duck stew in Sauternes from _Bistro
Cooking_ by Patricia Wells. I would replace Golden Delicious apples
with more tart ones, such as Granny Smith, though.

Civet de Canard au Sauternes (Duck Stew in Sauternes)

1 duck (3 to 4 pounds; 1.5 to 2 kg), well rinsed, patted dry, cut into
8 to 10 serving pieces, at room temperature
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 carrot, peeled and finely minced
1 onion, finely minced
2 cups (50 cl) Sauternes
2 cups (50 cl) duck stock or chicken stock, preferably homemade
Bouquet garni: 12 parsley stems, 8 peppercorns, 1 imported bay leaf,
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon fennel seed tied in a
double thickness of cheesecloth
4 Golden Delicious apples
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces; 45 g) unsalted butter

1. Season the duck breast pieces and duck legs liberally with salt and
pepper. Heat the oil in a nonreactive deep-sided skillet over medium
high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the duck breasts
and brown on the skin side only. Brown the legs on both sides. Remove
the duck from the skillet. Add the carrot and onion and brown for 3 to
4 minutes.

2. Return the duck to the skillet. Add the wine, stock, and the
bouquet garni. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer gently about 40 minutes.

3. Remove the duck pieces to a dish and keep warm. Strain the sauce
through a fine-mesh sieve. Pour the sauce over the duck. Adjust the
seasoning, if necessary.

4. Peel and core the apples; cut lengthwise into eighths. Melt the
butter in a large skillet. Add the apples and sauté over medium heat
until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes.

5. Divide the apples among 4 heated dinner plates. Place a piece of
duck on each plate and cover with the sauce.

Yield: 4 servings

__________________________________________________ _________________

And here is a is a wonderful Scotch recipe for wild duck from the
October 1987 issue of Decanter. The recipe and comments are by Jill
Cox, the wine suggestions are by David Sheppard (notice that the wines
and vintages mentioned correspond to the time of the publication).

Duck Dundee

Wild duck should be hung for a week before cooking. This is
paper-wrapped wild duck flavoured with garlic and peach slices soaked in
whisky, cooked slowly in its own juices.
Use fresh peaches if possible, or tinned white peaches. Sprouting
garlic may not be available, so substitute spring onions and garlic
cloves.
Serves 4

4 tbsp whisky
4 peaches, peeled, stoned and sliced
3 cloves sprouted garlic or 1 clove garlic and 2 spring onions
salt and fresh ground black pepper
half a lemon
juice of half a lemon
1 tsp pink, green and white peppercorns
1 tbsp fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Pour whisky over peach slices and leave for 2 hours while duck is being
prepared. Sauté garlic or onion in oil for 1 minute.
Remove any fat from duck cavity, season inside and insert half a
lemon. Rub salt and lemon juice into the skin. Brown on all sides in
oil. Drain and pat dry with kitchen paper.
Place duck in the centre of a large sheet of greaseproof paper. Tuck
whisky soaked peach slices around bird, sprinkle over peppercorns,
parsley, garlic, and season with black pepper.
Enclose in greaseproof paper, screwing ends tightly secure. Place on
a trivet in a deep-lidded ovenproof dish with water in the base of the
dish.
Cover and cook (325°F/160°C/Gas 3) for about 2 hours, or until meat
is tender and juices run clear.

Suggested wines: Be careful with the flavour mix of the Duck Dundee.
Try the new softer-style Barolos. Or from Australia, a Coonawarra
Cabernet Sauvignon or a Victorian (Western District) Shiraz. I
recommend the Taltarni Shiraz 1982. Alternatively try a good Rioja such
as Contino. For the adventurous, another possibility would be a full,
oaky Australian Chardonnay.

__________________________________________________ _________________

And now, here are the magnificent pappardelle all'anatra. The dish is
especially popular in and around Arezzo and is often called pappardelle
all'aretina... I remember a very nice version served at Buca di San
Francesco in Arezzo... The recipe is from
<http://e-rcps.com/pasta/rcp/p_def/duck.shtml> and it is
really very well presented. It is from the most admirable _Flavors of
Tuscany_ Nancy Harmon Jenkins.

DUCK SAUCE WITH RIBBON PASTA
Pappardelle all'anatra

Tuscany
Preparation - Difficult
Serves 4 - 6

Pappardelle sulla lepre is the original, an old-fashioned dish of
homemade ribbon pasta with a rich sauce of stewed hare. It is
definitive of Tuscan country cuisine - that is, when you ask other
Italians about Tuscan food, pappardelle sulla lepre is the second dish
that comes to mind (the first is always beans). "The most famous Tuscan
pasta asciutta," says an old gastronomic guide in my library, "and
possibly the only autocthonous one." Since most recipes are of the
"first catch your hare" genre and include specific quantities of blood,
heart, lungs, and liver of the beast, and since not many people, in
Italy or elsewhere, have access to a freshly killed young hare these
days, our recipe instead is made with duck.

Pappardelle all'anatra is associated with Arezzo, capital of the
easternmost province of Tuscany. An ancient Etruscan town dominating
the high mountain valleys that surround it, Arezzo represents the sober
side of the Tuscan character, old-fashioned, conservative, practical,
close-mouthed, but with a rich culinary tradition. The sauce, which
actually benefits from being prepared a day ahead and refrigerated until
you are ready to use it, is rich and gamy, even when made with duck
instead of hare. Traditional cooks add an even boskier flavor with
about 1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms soaked in warm water until they
soften. The water is strained through a sieve directly into the sauce,
while the softened mushrooms are rinsed to rid them of any grit or sand,
then coarsely chopped and added to the sauce with the tomatoes.

In the recipe, I've described a process used by restaurant chefs, who
cook the pasta until about two-thirds done, then stir it into the sauce,
adding a little of the pasta water, to finish cooking, so that the pasta
itself absorbs flavors from the sauce. If you prefer a more
traditional, less complicated cooking method, simply cook the pasta
fully, drain it, and toss with half the sauce, then serve with the
remaining sauce piled on top. Pappardelle are rather wide strips of
pasta with ruffled edges (sometimes with a ruffled edge on one side
only). If you can't find them, use any wide ribbon pasta.

As with other recipes, if pancetta is not available, substitute blanched
slab bacon, and if the duck you buy comes without liver, use a couple of
chicken livers in its place.

1 duck, weighing about 2 1/2 pounds, with its liver
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 small carrots, scraped and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4 large fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped
2 oz diced pancetta (about 1/4 cup)
1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes, or 2 cups peeled, seeded, and diced sweet,
ripe, fresh tomatoes
1/3 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup or more chicken or duck stock, if desired, or water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 T finely chopped wild mint (nepitella) or pennyroyal
1 lb pasta, preferably pappardelle or wide ribbon noodles
About 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

If possible, have the butcher chop the duck into 4 to 6 pieces (two
wings, two legs, and the body halved). Remove any clumps of fat from
the duck cavity.
Discard the fat or render it and refrigerate for cooking fat. (Duck fat
is great for sautéing potatoes.)
Coarsely chop the duck liver. Set the duck and its liver aside.
Chop the celery, carrots, onion, sage, and pancetta together to make a
coarse paste. Over medium-low heat, gently sauté this mixture in the oil
until the vegetables are thoroughly softened, about 15 minutes.
Push the vegetables out to the edge of the pan, add the duck pieces (but
not the liver), raise the heat to medium-high, and brown the duck pieces
on all sides, turning frequently. Add the wine, a little at a time, and
cook rapidly, stirring occasionally, until it has thrown off its alcohol
and is reduced to a few tablespoons in the bottom of the pan.
Drain the tomatoes, reserving the liquid in the can, and chop the
tomatoes coarsely.
Add them to the pan with the liver and parsley, lower the heat till the
sauce is just simmering, and cook, covered, for 1 hour. Check the sauce
from time to time to see if there is sufficient liquid, adding a little
of the reserved tomato juice if necessary. (If you're using raw
tomatoes, add either a little chicken or duck stock or plain water).
After 1 hour, taste the sauce, adding salt and pepper as desired, and
the mint.
Raise the heat slightly and cook the sauce, uncovered, an additional 30
minutes to thicken it, again adding tomato juice, stock, or water if the
sauce becomes too thick.
When the sauce is ready, remove the duck pieces and set aside. Set the
sauce aside or refrigerate to cool.
While the sauce is cooling, remove the duck meat from the bones and
discard the bones and the duck skin.
Chop the duck meat coarsely.
Remove and discard any visible fat on the surface of the cooled sauce
and put the sauce through a food mill, using the coarsest disk. Return
the sauce to the pan, add the duck meat, and set the pan over medium
heat to warm for serving.
Taste again and adjust the seasoning.
When ready to serve, bring 4 quarts lightly salted water to a rolling
boil. Add the pappardelle and cook until it is just al dente, tender but
with a little bite. Drain and immediately turn the pasta into the
simmering sauce, stirring to coat the pasta. Cook another 2 to 3
minutes until the pasta is tender and impregnated with the sauce. Turn
into a warm serving bowl and serve immediately.
Pass the Parmigiano separately to be sprinkled in small quantities over
the pasta.

__________________________________________________ _________________

And finally, here is an amazing recipe from the erudite and admirable
_The Art of Chinese Cuisine_ by Hsiang Ju Lin and Tsuifeng Lin. It is
not really complicated but still anything but simple to make. By the
way, when the authors mention oil, I think they mean the film of duck
fat on the surface of the liquid, as no oil of any kind is used in the
recipe.

Simplicity: Duck Steamed in Wine

In the course of a feast, the host may say repeatedly, "There is nothing
to eat! This is just a home meal." He continues to deprecate the
talents of the cook. "He cannot cook. He can only make coarse food."
When a magnificent, expensive, great bowl of duck appears, he says,
"This is only a little duck, cooked with a little wine."

The following recipe is an extraordinary combination of duck and wine,
in which each spoonful of wine tastes of duck, and each fibre of duck
tastes of the wine. The duck is cooked in the rice wine _Shaoshing_
(from Chekiang), resembling pale dry sherry, in a sealed casserole
placed in boiling water, in other words, a _bain-marie_. The boiling
point of wine is lower than that of water, so after a while the wine
will begin to boil. For this reason, the casserole must be sealed or
covered tightly to prevent undue evaporation. The second important
point is the clarification of the soup. Every trace of oil must be
removed so that the soup attains the clarity of brandy. Every bone must
be removed. The wine causes the meat to separate into fibres, so that
finally it resembles a bowlful of unearthly noodle soup, consisting of
very fine strands of duck meat in a crystal-clear broth. A small
bowlful of this would be strong enough to revive the dead.

Duck Steamed in Wine

A 5- to 5 1/2-lb. duck
1/2 level teaspoon pepper
2 1/2 level teaspoon salt
2 pints (5 cups) or 2 bottles Shaoshing wine or pale dry sherry

Clean the duck, removing the fat pads on either side of the body cavity.
Wipe the duck dry inside and out. Rub it both inside and outside with
the pepper and 2 level teaspoons salt. Let it stand for 4 to 16 hours
(preferably overnight) in the refrigerator. The bloody liquid should be
discarded.

Wipe the duck dry and place it in a casserole with a close-fitting lid.
If necessary, double the duck back on itself, breaking the spine, so
that it will be a compact body completely immersed in wine. Pour over
it 1 1/2 pints (3 3/4 cups) Shaoshing wine or sherry, reserving the
remaining 1/2 pint (1 1/4 cups). Place the casserole in a pan of water,
and cover the casserole with its lid. If the fit is not tight, cover
the lid with overlapping lengths of cellophane or foil, tied securely
with string. Add water so that it will come to within 2 inches of the
edge of the casserole. Bring the water to the boil, keeping the lid of
the pan on tightly. Keep the water simmering for 3 1/2 hours, adding
boiling water to the pan as necessary. Without undoing the casserole,
let it cool overnight to room temperature.

The duck meat is loosened from its skin, fat and bones. The meat is
fibrous and has a pinkish tinge. Gently remove all the skin and all the
bones, by hand. The meat falls into delicate fibres, which should be
moved aside, and the bones lifted out. Remove every bone and every bit
of skin. Gently rake the fibres to reveal odd bits of fat, bone and
skin. Remove these. Remove the floating fat and skim off the oil until
a clear stock is distinctly visible beneath a thin layer of oil. With a
ladle, pass the top portion of the soup through a very fine-meshed
sieve, or through cheesecloth places over a coarse sieve. Let the
strained broth fall back into the casserole. Gently rake the duck meat
again by hand or with chopsticks, so that pieces of fat will float to
the top and can be sieved out. This step is of crucial importance to
the final quality of the soup. Add the reserved 1/2 pint (1 1/4 cups)
wine or sherry and the remaining 1/2 level teaspoon salt. Seal the
casserole again, bring the water around it to the boil and simmer for 1
to 1 1/2 hours. Serve in the casserole.

Victor

Janet wrote:
> I've never cooked a duck, except when making rillettes.
>
> Mostly because I've never particularly liked it. But now I've acquired one
> and am planning to have it for Christmas dinner.
>
> I'm looking for a really great recipe. I'm a very experienced cook, and not
> looking for "easy"--I'm looking for great.
>
> Any suggestions? (Just about any style would be fine: Cajun, Asian, French,
> Hungarian, you name it.)

I had tried duck many times and had many failures. I am a decent cook
and usually learn from mistakes, but my ducks got worse and worse until
I finally swore off cooking duck. I had talked about my duck problems
with my wife' cousin, who is an excellent cook. A few years ago he
served us duck that was terrific and he gave me this recipe.

Duck a l’Orange

Duck Stock: (Make in advance)
Duck Giblets and neck 1 sliced onion
1 sliced carrot 1 ½ tbsp. Cooking oil
2 cups chicken broth 2 sprigs parsley
1 bay leaf ¼ tsp. Thyme

Chop the duck pieces into 1 ½ “ pieces and brown them with the
vegetable in the oil. Discard oil and add liquid and herbs and enough
water to cover the duck pieces. Simmer partially covered for 1 ½ hour.
Strain and pour off grease. Makes about 1 cup

4 Navel Oranges
Remove the zest with a peeler and cut into julienne for q5 minutes in a
quart of water. Drain and pat dry on a paper towel.


Roasting the duck:
Oven 425
Season the cavity with salt and pepper and add a third of the prepared
orange peel. Prick the skin around the thighs back and lower breast.
Roast breast side up for 15 minutes. Lower temperature to 350 turn duck
on one side and roast for 30 minutes, then on the other side for 15
minute, then breast side up.. Total cooking time is 80-100 minutes.

Sauce base:
3 Tbsp. Granulated sugar ¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 cups duck stock 2 Tbsp. Arrowroot blended with 3 Tbsp. Port.
The rest of the orange peel

While duck is roasting, prepare the sauce base. Make a sweet and sour
caramel by boiling sugar and vinegar over moderate –high heat until it
turns into a mahogany brown syrup. Remove from heat and add ½ cups
duck stock and simmer for a minute to dissolve the caramel then add the
rest of the stock. Stir in the arrowroot mixture and orange peel and
simmer 3-4 minutes until sauce is clear, limpid and slightly thickened
and set aside.

Cut the four oranges into neat, skinless segments and place in a covered
dish. When duck is done, discard trussing and set it on a platter.
Return it to warm oven. Remove as much fat as possible from the pan and
add `/2 cup port to deglaze the pan. Reduce to a few tablespoons. Strain
this liquid into the sauce base and bring it to a simmer and stir in 2-3
Tbsp. Orange liqueur. Add a few drops orange bitters or lemon juice to
balance flavours. Just before serving, stir in 2 Tbsp. Butter and pour
sauce into a serving bowl.

Place a line of orange slices along the duck and heap the rest at one end.

"Dave Smith" > wrote in message
m...
|
| I had tried duck many times and had many failures. I am a decent cook
| and usually learn from mistakes, but my ducks got worse and worse until
| I finally swore off cooking duck. I had talked about my duck problems
| with my wife' cousin, who is an excellent cook. A few years ago he
| served us duck that was terrific and he gave me this recipe.
|
| Duck a l’Orange
|
| Duck Stock: (Make in advance)
| Duck Giblets and neck 1 sliced onion
| 1 sliced carrot 1 ½ tbsp. Cooking oil
| 2 cups chicken broth 2 sprigs parsley
| 1 bay leaf ¼ tsp. Thyme
|
| Chop the duck pieces into 1 ½ “ pieces and brown them with the
| vegetable in the oil. Discard oil and add liquid and herbs and enough
| water to cover the duck pieces. Simmer partially covered for 1 ½ hour.
| Strain and pour off grease. Makes about 1 cup
|
| 4 Navel Oranges
| Remove the zest with a peeler and cut into julienne for q5 minutes in a
| quart of water. Drain and pat dry on a paper towel.
|
|
| Roasting the duck:
| Oven 425
| Season the cavity with salt and pepper and add a third of the prepared
| orange peel. Prick the skin around the thighs back and lower breast.
| Roast breast side up for 15 minutes. Lower temperature to 350 turn duck
| on one side and roast for 30 minutes, then on the other side for 15
| minute, then breast side up.. Total cooking time is 80-100 minutes.
|
| Sauce base:
| 3 Tbsp. Granulated sugar ¼ cup red wine vinegar
| 2 cups duck stock 2 Tbsp. Arrowroot blended with 3 Tbsp. Port.
| The rest of the orange peel
|
| While duck is roasting, prepare the sauce base. Make a sweet and sour
| caramel by boiling sugar and vinegar over moderate –high heat until it
| turns into a mahogany brown syrup. Remove from heat and add ½ cups
| duck stock and simmer for a minute to dissolve the caramel then add the
| rest of the stock. Stir in the arrowroot mixture and orange peel and
| simmer 3-4 minutes until sauce is clear, limpid and slightly thickened
| and set aside.
|
| Cut the four oranges into neat, skinless segments and place in a covered
| dish. When duck is done, discard trussing and set it on a platter.
| Return it to warm oven. Remove as much fat as possible from the pan and
| add `/2 cup port to deglaze the pan. Reduce to a few tablespoons. Strain
| this liquid into the sauce base and bring it to a simmer and stir in 2-3
| Tbsp. Orange liqueur. Add a few drops orange bitters or lemon juice to
| balance flavours. Just before serving, stir in 2 Tbsp. Butter and pour
| sauce into a serving bowl.
|
| Place a line of orange slices along the duck and heap the rest at one end.


Dave, this is amazing. I had also sworn off of duck, until during a ten
year stay in Toronto a friend gave me almost exactly this recipe. I have
used it numerous times, and I have also turned it, with obvious mods,
into a roast turkey and ultimately a great roast goose. Thank you so much
for offering it, you have brought back wonderful memories and given your
readers a superlatively flexible recipe for any of the fabulous birds that we
quite often swear at. This works, and it is really beautiful. Thanks again.

pavane

On Dec 20, 1:17 pm, "Janet" > wrote:
> I've never cooked a duck, except when making rillettes.
>
> Mostly because I've never particularly liked it. But now I've acquired one
> and am planning to have it for Christmas dinner.
>
> I'm looking for a really great recipe. I'm a very experienced cook, and not
> looking for "easy"--I'm looking for great.
>
> Any suggestions? (Just about any style would be fine: Cajun, Asian, French,
> Hungarian, you name it.)

I've recommended tea-smoked duck before. It's certainly within the
range of an experienced cook and rewards the efffort by being
delicious and a little bit exotic. I once posted a recipe from Madame
Wong's cookbook, adapted for use with a chicken, but can't find it
today. No doubt you could find a bunch of recipes for it on the
net. -aem

Dave Smith wrote:

Serene reported problems making Peking Duck. If you want *NOT* easy
Peking Duck is the way to go. It's a 2-3 day ordeal done right. The
result is fabulous but it's so much work the last time I did one was
about 1980.

> I had tried duck many times and had many failures. I am a decent cook
> and usually learn from mistakes, but my ducks got worse and worse until
> I finally swore off cooking duck. I had talked about my duck problems
> with my wife' cousin, who is an excellent cook. A few years ago he
> served us duck that was terrific and he gave me this recipe.

My wife does not like duck when she cooks it but she loves it when we
eat at Chinese places. I've watched her cook it and explained to her
again and again what the problem is. She roasts it rare and the result
is terrible, greasy and tough. When I do the roast there's no such
problem. The solution is trivial. Cook the damn thing until it's done
already. Rare duck sucks so don't make it rare.

Use a fork to poke a grillion wholes in the duck that penetrate the
skin but that do not penetrate the body cavity so the fat can melt
out. Put on a roasting rack that holds the bird up off the bottom of
the roasting pan so it can drip. Oven no more than 325F so it roasts
slowly. Squeegee out the rendered oil every 30 minutes, and rotate the
bird every time you remove the rendered oil. Do not remove the bird
from the oven until there's been a 30 minute basting period with
almost no oil produced. The result is a non-greasy delicious bird with
the meat falling off the bone. A baste will help keep it from drying
out.

> Chop the duck pieces into 1 ½ €œ pieces and brown them with the
> vegetable in the oil. Discard oil and add liquid and herbs and enough
> water to cover the duck pieces. Simmer partially covered for 1 ½ hour.
> Strain and pour off grease. Makes about 1 cup
>
> 4 Navel Oranges
> Remove the zest with a peeler and cut into julienne for q5 minutes in a
> quart of water. Drain and pat dry on a paper towel.
>
> Roasting the duck:
> Oven 425
> Season the cavity with salt and pepper and add a third of the prepared
> orange peel. Prick the skin around the thighs back and lower breast.
> Roast breast side up for 15 minutes. Lower temperature to 350 turn duck
> on one side and roast for 30 minutes, then on the other side for 15
> minute, then breast side up.. Total cooking time is 80-100 minutes.

Interesting that the duck is cut into pieces and parboiled to reduce the
fat then roasted hot after that. Yet another way to reduce the fat out
while cooking. But how does the duck go from cut into inch and a half
pieces to whole again to be roast? Roast in pieces works great.

> Sauce base:
> 3 Tbsp. Granulated sugar ¼ cup red wine vinegar
> 2 cups duck stock 2 Tbsp. Arrowroot blended with 3 Tbsp. Port.
> The rest of the orange peel
>
> While duck is roasting, prepare the sauce base. Make a sweet and sour
> caramel by boiling sugar and vinegar over moderate €“high heat until it
> turns into a mahogany brown syrup. Remove from heat and add ½ cups
> duck stock and simmer for a minute to dissolve the caramel then add the
> rest of the stock. Stir in the arrowroot mixture and orange peel and
> simmer 3-4 minutes until sauce is clear, limpid and slightly thickened
> and set aside.
>
> Cut the four oranges into neat, skinless segments and place in a covered
> dish. When duck is done, discard trussing and set it on a platter.
> Return it to warm oven. Remove as much fat as possible from the pan and
> add `/2 cup port to deglaze the pan. Reduce to a few tablespoons. Strain
> this liquid into the sauce base and bring it to a simmer and stir in 2-3
> Tbsp. Orange liqueur. Add a few drops orange bitters or lemon juice to
> balance flavours. Just before serving, stir in 2 Tbsp. Butter and pour
> sauce into a serving bowl.
>
> Place a line of orange slices along the duck and heap the rest at one end.

Rendered duck or goose fat rules! Reserve the oil for other purposes,
don't discard it. Best egg frying oil i've ever tried.

Janet wrote:
> I've never cooked a duck, except when making rillettes.
>
> Mostly because I've never particularly liked it. But now I've acquired one
> and am planning to have it for Christmas dinner.
>
> I'm looking for a really great recipe. I'm a very experienced cook, and not
> looking for "easy"--I'm looking for great.
>
> Any suggestions? (Just about any style would be fine: Cajun, Asian, French,
> Hungarian, you name it.)

One of my favorites is an Irish recipe for roast duck with
apple stuffing. I haven't put it on the computer yet so I
don't have it right now.

Here are 2 others I have made and really loved:

SPICY LACQUERED DUCK

1 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons dry sherry
2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon oriental sesame oil
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 duck, about 5 pounds, thawed if frozen, rinsed

Combine first 9 ingredients in medium bowl; whisk to blend. Place duck
in jumbo resealable plastic bag. Pour in soy mixture. Seal bag; turn
to coat duck. Refrigerate 2 days, turning occasionally. Preheat oven
to 400F. Drain duck well; discard marinade. Arrange duck, breast side
up, on rack set on rimmed baking sheet. Pat duck dry inside and out
with paper towels. Roast duck 45 minutes. Turn duck over. Roast until
tender and glazed deep brown, about 15 minutes longer. Insert long
wooden spoon into main cavity of duck and tilt, allowing juices to drain
onto baking sheet. Transfer duck to platter. Let rest 15 minutes before
serving. (Source - Bon Appetit) Notes: Marinate the duck two days ahead.

FESENJAN
(Persian Duck in Walnut and Pomegranate Sauce)

1 4-5 lb. duck
salt
pepper
8 T. butter
2 onions, grated
2 c. walnuts, finely pulverized
1/2 c. pomegranate syrup or juice
3 T. sugar
1 t. cardamom
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
2 1/2 c. water
1 T. lemon juice
3/4 c. chopped walnuts
tangerine sections

Wash, pat dry, and quarter duck. Rub well with salt and pepper. Brown
in 4 T. butter. Remove to a Dutch oven. Saute onions in remaining 4 T.
butter. Lower heat and add pulverized nuts, pomegranate syrup (or
juice), sugar, cardamom, salt, pepper, water, and lemon juice. Cook
over low heat until will blended. Pour over duck. Cover and cook over
low heat for 45 minutes or until tender. Baste several times. Skim off
fat. Remove duck to heated platter and pour sauce over. Sprinkle with
chopped nuts. Garnish with tangerine sections. (Add fresh pomegranate
seeds to garnish when in season.) Serve with chelo (a Persian rice
dish). Serves 4.

Kate

--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?

In article >,
"Janet" > wrote:

> I've never cooked a duck, except when making rillettes.
>
> Mostly because I've never particularly liked it. But now I've acquired one
> and am planning to have it for Christmas dinner.
>
> I'm looking for a really great recipe. I'm a very experienced cook, and not
> looking for "easy"--I'm looking for great.
>
> Any suggestions? (Just about any style would be fine: Cajun, Asian, French,
> Hungarian, you name it.)

I actually prefer it fairly plain. Lightly spiced and roasted on a rack
so it does not braise or rest in the drippings.

Sometimes "simple" is truly great!

A bit of lemon peel, dill weed, maybe some tarragon and a smidge of
garlic and fresh ginger.

That's it.

Duck stands magnificent in flavor with little embellishment.
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>

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In article >,
ffu > wrote:

> 2 Duck, Long Island, (about
> -- five pounds each)
> 2 Grapefruit
> 1/4 c Sugar
> 1/3 c Vinegar, red wine
> 3 c Duck stock ** OR
> 3 c Veal stock **

Oh yuck.

You hate the taste of duck meat so much you have to drown it in sugar
and vinegar???

:-(
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>

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