How to cook a duck?

[InletBchDweller]

Because it's such a fatty meat, the trick with duck is not to let it get too moist while it's sitting in the fridge waiting for you to cook it. Get rid of the plastic wrap, dry it with a paper towel and cover it loosely before you refrigerate it. It needs to be perfectly dry before it goes into the oven if you like the skin crisp. I have a GREAT roast duck with sour cherry sauce recipe if you're interested...

great first post! Yes, please post it. sour cherries, yum!

 

[goleudy]

Roast Duck with Sour Cherry Sauce

Thanks for the kudos! I LOVE duck, and it's not easy to cook, so I'm more than happy to share what works

Roast Duck with Sour Cherry Sauce
Serves 4

1 large duck (6 pounds in weight)
1 x 12 oz jar of Morello cherry jam (try to find one with a high fruit content)
1 1/2 oz dried sour/tart cherries
15 fl oz red wine
salt and fresh ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the duck on a roasting rack in a roasting tin. Prick the fleshy parts with a skewer to help the fat escape. Season well with salt and pepper. Put the duck in the oven on the highest shelf for 30 minutes.

After the first 30 minutes, reduce the heat to 350 degrees and continue to roast the duck for another two hours. Duck creates a LOT of dripping, so from time to time remove some of the fat which is accumulating in the pan. If you like roasted potatoes or parsnips, it's wonderful to cook them in.

15 minutes before the end of the cooking time measure the wine into a jug and add the dried cherries to pre-soak. Then take a tablespoon of the cherry jam a pass it through a sieve. Remove the duck from the oven and brush it all over with the sieved jam to make a glaze. Return the duck to the oven for the final 15 minutes.

Remove the duck from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes. In the meantime, spoon off any excess fat from the roasting tin then place it over direct heat on the stovetop and stir in the wine and soaked cherries. I like to scrape the sides of the tin to get all the crispy bits Turn the heat on the stovetop up enough to let it bubble and reduce it mixture to about 2/3's of it's original volume. Whisk in 4 tablespoons of the Morello cherry jam and let it cook for a couple of minutes.

Carve the duck and serve with the sauce over each portion.

It may seem like a long time to cook a duck, but it's essential if you like it crispy!

Enjoy and please let me know how it goes!

I'm off to make cranberry and port wine sauce...

 

[chefed]

Salt and pepper the cavity.
Combine 1 1/2 oranges quartered with skin on, 1 onion quartered, 1 rib of celery, 2 sprigs thyme, 2 bay leafs and 1 cinnamon stick. Stuff the cavity with this mixture.
Pat the duck dry and let it sit in the fridge overnight (at least 12 hours) so that the skin is dry the next day. This will ensure that you get a crisp skin, otherwise the moisture will cause it to be soggy.
Before roasting, make a dry rub of zest of 2 oranges, 3 sprigs of thyme, 2 TBL fresh cracked pepper and 1/2 cinnamon stick ground. Chop all of these together with a knife so it is well mixed and rub the bird with the combination. Sprinkle the body with Kosher Salt.
Roast at 400 degrees for 20 minutes then turn it down to 325. Baste every 30 minutes with the fat drippings. Cook at 325 for 1hr 15 minutes or to an internal temp of 160 in the thigh.
Let it rest for 20 minutes before cutting.
You can let it rest while you are driving it over to my house for dinner!!