North Croatian Roasted Duck Recipes

EVERYDAY ROASTED DUCK

Steps:

• Recommended equipment: kitchen twine, heavy-duty flameproof roasting pan with a flat wire roasting rack, a fat-separating measuring cup (2 cups or larger), poultry shears or heavy knife for splitting the bird.
• Arrange an oven rack in the middle of the oven; preheat to 400°.
• Remove all clods of fat from the duck cavities, and trim any loose flaps of skin; rinse the bird, including the giblets and neck; pat dry with paper towels.
• Sprinkle a teaspoon of salt inside the belly cavity; and push in the rosemary sprigs.
• With the breast side up, twist and fold the wing tips so they stay under the bird.
• Cross the legs over the cavity opening and tie the ends tightly with kitchen twine.
• Chop the duck neck into two or three pieces and scatter in the bottom of the pan, along with the giblets, under or around the wire rack.
• Set the duck, breast side up, on the roasting rack in the pan.
• Whisk the wine, lemon juice, and olive oil vigorously together until emulsified, and pour this all over the duck skin; sprinkle the remaining 2 teaspoon salt over the bird, making sure that the sides are moistened and salted as well as the breast.
• Roast the duck for an hour, breast up, then baste it all over with the pan juices, using a bulb baster or large spoon--tilt the roasting pan carefully to scoop up the liquid.
• Continue to roast for another 1 to 1 1/2 hours, basting the bird every 30 minutes or so, until it is dark gold and very crisp all over.
• Remove the duck to a platter, take out the rack and gather the giblets and neck pieces onto the platter, too.
• Carefully pour the hot juices from the pan into a fat separator and let the fat gather on top.
• Pour the good juices out of the separator into the roasting pan (if you don't have a separator, spoon off all the fat first, then pour in a cup or more of stock, so you have at least 1 1/2 cups liquid to deglaze the pan and cook into a sauce).
• Set the roasting pan over med-high heat on top of the stove, and bring the liquids to a boil, vigorously scraping up all the caramelized bits on the bottom of the pan.
• Let the juices reduce until slightly thickened and flavorful, then turn off heat.
• In the meantime, cut up the duck into small pieces to serve family-style; pile the cut pieces on a serving platter, along with the roasted neck and giblet morsels.
• Keep warm, and when the sauce is ready pour the pan sauce all over.

MLINCI (NORTH CROATIAN PASTA)

Steps:

• Make dough out of flour, egg, lard salt and some water. Leave it to rest not less than 30 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 8-10 little balls. Make thin surface out of each ball and put them into oven to dry (not more than 100°C).
• They must be dry and light yellow on both sides.
• Before cooking, crush mlinci into small parts (10 cm) and put them into salt boiling water.
• They should become soft very quickly, and when so, remove them with hollow spoon and put into hot poultry fat (from duck or turkey or chicken).
• Now fry them until all water evaporates and fat cover the pasta. Serve hot with roasted duck, turkey or chicken.

RENAISSANCE HVAR ROASTED DUCK WITH APPLES

Steps:

• Clean and season the duck and put sage and thyme sprig inside.
• Put the duck into roasting pot (or "peku") and roast it on 190°C, occasionally basting with lemon juice and water.
• When it is almost done (about 100 minutes) take the duck out and slice it into serving pieces.
• Make sauce out of wine and honey and roasting drippings, add sliced apples, return the duck slices and roast until all ingredients are soft (or 20-30 min.).
• Serve with homemade flour gnocchi.

BRAISED MUSCOVY DUCK

Steps:

• Cranberries can be used instead of cherries. Place all ingredients in a crockpot set on low, a covered roaster in a 200* oven, or a large heavy-bottomed pot on a very low burner, for approximately 12 hours, until the meat falls off the bone. To speed things up, start the crockpot on high or the other pots on a medium burner until the liquid begins to simmer, then cook as directed. If your pot doesn't have room for all the ingredients, the cabbage can be cooked separately, preferably in the pot liquor. Goes best with potatoes or noodles, and would probably be wonderful with spaetzle.