Roast Duck
This roasting technique is unique to duck. For the skin to turn crisp, the thick layer of fat that covers the breast needs to be rendered. That’s the reason for the slow roasting at a low temperature (300°F as opposed to 450°F for chicken). This allows the duck enough time in the oven to render the fat before the breast meat has finished cooking, producing a duck with crisp, golden skin. To offset its richness, duck is often coated with a tangy glaze. In this recipe, the classic duck à l’orange, which put French-style duck on the American map, has been updated with a glaze that combines the flavors of pomegranate, honey, and orange.
Recipe information
Yield
Serves 2
Ingredients
For duck
For glaze
For garnish
Preparation
Step 1
Prepare duck Heat oven to 300°F. Remove neck, heart, gizzards, and any excess fat from cavity and cut away excess skin from the neck area. Rinse duck under cold water and dry thoroughly inside and out. With a very sharp knife, score the skin over the breast in a crosshatch pattern. Cut diagonally into the skin, making sure not to cut into the flesh. Prick the skin with the tip of the knife all over, especially in the fattiest areas (this will ensure the best rendering for crisp skin). Season with salt and pepper inside and out. Tie legs together with kitchen twine and fold wing tips behind duck’s back.
Step 2
Roast Place duck breast side up on a V-shaped rack set in a deep roasting pan and roast 1 hour. Remove duck and prick the skin over the breast and the fatty deposits around the thigh area with a sharp knife, then turn it over, so breast side is down, and roast for 1 hour more, spooning fat out of pan as needed. Turn duck over again and prick skin in any spots that aren’t rendering as quickly as the others, then roast another hour. Prick the skin, turn breast side down, and roast until almost all of the fat has rendered from under skin and duck is cooked through, about 1 hour more. (Total roasting time should be about 4 hours.)
Step 3
Meanwhile, make glaze Combine honey, pomegranate molasses, and orange juice in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes.
Step 4
Glaze duck and crisp skin Once duck has finished cooking, increase oven temperature to 400°F, turn duck breast side up, and roast 10 minutes. Brush with some of the glaze, and continue to roast until the skin is golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes more (keep a careful eye through this step because the sugar in the glaze can burn quickly). Let the duck rest for 10 minutes.
Step 5
Caramelize fruit Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Brush orange and lemon wedges with some of the remaining glaze and cook until caramelized, about 3 minutes per cut side.
Step 6
Serve Transfer duck to a platter and surround with caramelized fruit (for squeezing over the duck). Garnish with parsley, if desired. Or carve (see instructions opposite) and then slice thinly; divide among plates, and serve with caramelized fruit.
ABOUT DUCK
Step 7
Most duck sold in supermarkets is Pekin duck. These ducks were brought to Long Island, New York, from China in the late 1800s, and as a result the area became renowned for duck production. Today, the majority of ducks bred for meat are Pekin and are raised in the Midwest; duck labeled Long Island–style is the same variety.
Step 8
Muscovy ducks are larger and have a stronger flavor than Pekin ducks, and their livers are often used to make fois gras. Likewise, moulard ducks—which are a cross between Muscovy and Pekin ducks—are often bred for fois gras. Mallard ducks are a wild breed, but are occasionally raised on farms. All of these breeds are much less common than the Pekin duck, and are usually available only at specialty shops.
Step 9
“Magret” is a term used for the breast meat of a duck raised for fois gras—usually a mallard or moulard duck. In French, magret means “the lean portion from a fat duck.” Magret is delicious when it is cooked so that the fat renders and the skin becomes crisp, but the meat remains medium rare.
