Roast Duck with Apricots

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Sprinkle the duck with salt, pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon ginger, then rub with 1 tablespoon oil. Prick the skin with a fork or pointed knife in several places so that the melting fat can ooze out. Put the duck, breast side down, on a rack in a baking dish or roasting pan and into an oven preheated to 400°F.

   Step 2

   Cook for 1 hour, then pour off the fat and turn over the duck. Return the duck to the oven and cook for another hour, or until the juices run clear, not pink, when you cut into the inside leg with a pointed knife. The skin should be crisp and brown and the flesh still soft and juicy.

   Step 3

   Blanch the onions or shallots in boiling water for 5 minutes, and when cool enough to handle, peel off the skins and trim the roots. Sauté them in the remaining 2 tablespoons oil for about 15 minutes, covered, over a low heat until softened; shake the pan occasionally so the onions brown all over. Stir the remaining ginger and the cinnamon into the oil, add the butter and put in the apricots. Cook, covered, over low heat until the apricots begin to collapse. Add the lemon juice and honey and cook, stirring, for about 15 minutes, until jammy.

   Step 4

   Serve the duck accompanied by the apricots and onion relish.