Roast Duck With Prunes And Juniper Berries Recipes

ROAST DUCK WITH APPLES AND PRUNES

Steps:

• Duck is a notoriously fatty bird. To diminish the fat and produce a crispy skin, begin by trimming the excess fat from the body. Rinse the duck thoroughly, inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels. Season the bird inside and out with a generous amount of salt and pepper.
• To prepare the stuffing: Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, celery seed, prunes, apples, and 4 sage leaves; season with salt and pepper; saute for 10 minutes until soft. Add the bread cubes and toss the mixture together to combine. Put the stuffing in a large mixing bowl and moisten it with a squeeze of lemon and the heavy cream; give it another toss and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the stuffing into the duck cavity. Rip off a foot long piece of aluminum foil and lay it on an insert rack fitted in a roasting pan, let a bit of the foil hang off the end. Lay the duck, breast-side up, on the foil; tuck the wing tips back under the duck, and fold the excess foil over the end of the duck with the stuffing. The foil will protect the stuffing from burning and falling into the delicious duck fat.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Roast the duck for 21/2 to 3 hours, rotating the pan every 20 minutes or so. It may seem like a bother, but it's the best way to ensure an even crispy skin. The legs will wiggle easily when the bird is done and an instant-read thermometer will register about 180 degrees F when inserted into the thigh.
• Take the insert rack out of the pan and set the duck on a cutting board to let it rest before carving. Now you have a whole lot of duck fat in the bottom of the roasting pan. Pour out all but a couple of tablespoons of the duck fat into a container and reserve.
• For the gravy: Place the roasting pan, with the couple of tablespoons of duck fat, on the stove over 2 burners set on medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour and stir to make a paste. Crank the heat up to high and add the wine, cook and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan, until the liquid is reduced slightly. Add the chicken stock and remaining 4 sage leaves, season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes until the gravy has thickened slightly.

ROAST DUCK WITH JUNIPER GRAVY

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C. Put a small roasting tray in the oven to heat up.
• Put the stock in a small pan. Slightly crush the juniper berries and add them to the stock along with the peppercorns. Simmer over a medium heat until reduced by two-thirds.
• Prepare the duck: score the fat on each breast by cutting across it with a sharp knife, taking care not to cut through to the meat. Season with salt. Put a heavy frying pan on the hob over a medium heat. Add the duck breasts to the pan, skin side down. Allow to sear for 10 minutes or so on a medium heat until nicely brown and a lot of fat has been released. Turn the breasts over and cook for 1 minute. Remove the duck from the pan and tranfer to the pre-heated roasting tray. (You can keep the fat for roasting potatoes). Roast in the oven for 6-10 minutes, depending on the size of the breasts - it should still be pink. When cooked, remove from the pan and leave to rest for 5 minutes.
• While the duck is resting, finish the sauce. Strain the sauce into a jug and discard the berries and peppercorns. Return the sauce to the pan and return to the heat. Add the butter a cube at a time and whisk into the sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
• To serve, slice each breast into 6 slices on the diagonal and serve on a bed of wilted spinach. Spoon over the sauce.

ROAST DUCK WITH PRUNES AND JUNIPER BERRIES

Steps:

• Bring 3 cups water, 20 juniper berries, and pinch of salt to boil in large saucepan. Reduce heat to medium; cover and simmer 10 minutes. Set juniper broth aside.
• Preheat oven to 450°F. Cut wing tips from duck; reserve. Sprinkle cavity of duck with salt and pepper. Place heart, liver, and gizzard in cavity, then 10 juniper berries, 4 thyme sprigs, and bay leaf. Tie legs together to hold shape. Place duck, breast side up, in roasting pan. Add wing tips and neck to pan. Pour 1 cup juniper broth over duck. Roast duck in center of oven until beginning to brown, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring remaining juniper broth to boil. Add prunes; cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until prunes are soft, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer prunes to small bowl.
• Tilt roasting pan; spoon off 1/2 cup fat from top of liquid. Pour 1/2 cup prune poaching liquid over duck. Turn duck, breast side down. Pour 1/2 cup prune poaching liquid over duck. Return to oven; roast 15 minutes. Turn duck, breast side up. Arrange prunes around duck; spoon pan juices over prunes. Drizzle vinegar over duck. Return to oven and roast duck until skin is crisp and juices run clear when thigh is pierced, about 20 minutes longer. Transfer to cutting board, breast side down; let stand 20 minutes.
• Discard wing tips and neck. Using slotted spoon, transfer prunes to bowl. Pour pan juices into medium saucepan; spoon off fat. Add thyme sprig. Boil until juices are reduced to 1 1/4 cups and thickened slightly, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Return prunes to juices to rewarm; season with salt and pepper. Turn duck, breast side up. Cut legs from duck. Cut off wings with some breast attached. Cut breasts from duck; thinly slice crosswise. Arrange duck on platter. Spoon juices with prunes over and serve.