Sauce For Duck And Ham Black Cherry Port Redcurrant Jel Recipes

SAUCE FOR DUCK AND HAM : BLACK CHERRY, PORT & REDCURRANT JEL

Steps:

• (Some cans of cherries have a lighter, less sweet syrup, some have a thicker, sweeter syrup than others, so please taste sauce as instructions below indicate, and adjust).
• Drain the cherries in a sieve over a bowl, and keep at hand.
• In a pot, measure off the water and stock powder OR use 1/4 cup chicken broth.
• Add all the ingredients, from the 1/4 cup water down to the pinch of ground cloves -- BUT do NOT add the cornflour and water.
• Use 2 - 3 tablespoons lemon juice to start, but keep extra juice in case you need to add more to the sauce when you taste it.
• Stir the sauce over medium heat until the redcurrant jelly dissolves, then boil quite vigorously until about 1 cup liquid is left. As you start out with about 1 3/4 cup, this does not take long.
• If in doubt about the amount as it boils down, pull off heat, cool slightly, and pour into a Pyrex or heat-resistant measuring cup. I simply tilt the pot, and take a guess.
• Pour sauce back into pot.
• Mix the cornflour with the water, add to the sauce, and bring to a simmer while stirring. Let the sauce thicken, and remove from heat. Do not boil longer than a minute, as the cornflour might split.
• Taste for seasoning: you will almost certainly want to add more lemon juice. I did not add salt, but a pinch will probably improve the taste.
• Add about 3/4 cup of the cherries in the sieve.
• Number of servings will depend a lot on how the sauce is used on the meats.

DUCKLING WITH PORT-WINE AND RED CURRANT SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Remove giblets and necks from the ducklings. Rinse everything with running cold water and drain. Pat ducklings dry and cut each into quarteers; trimming excess skin and fat.
• Place a rack in roasting pan. Place duckling quarters, skin side up on rack and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in oven for about 2 hours or until ducklings are golden and tender.
• While bird is roasting, place giblets and neck into a pot with enough water to cover. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. Drain, reserving 1 cup of broth.
• In saucepan, combine the port-wine, orange juice, lemon juice, mustard, ginger, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup currant jelly and the reserved broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. In a small bowl or cup mix 2 tablespoons flour and 1/4 cup water. Gradually stir into simmering liquid in saucepan. Cook until sauce thickens slightly and is smooth.
• In a cup, stir 1/4 cup red-currant jelly and 1 teaspoon of water until smooth. About 10 minutes before duckling is done, brush duckling quarters with jelly mixture.
• To serve, arrange the duckling on a warm platter with oranges and olives as garnish. Serve the sauce in a gravy train or small bowl.