My husband and I love our Holiday meals. This year we spent our Christmas Day at friends so, Turkey was served for us and I didn't need to worry about making a full Christmas meal. For us though, Duck is a tradition, we had our traditional Roast Duck Dinner last evening. We'll make our own Turkey on New Years Eve.Duck doesn't yield as much meat as a Turkey or a Free Range Chicken, it does yield an immense amount of flavour the day it's made and the left overs are always a treat. Although we are both watching our diets more closely these days, there are still several recipes involving Duck that I wish to share, so I'll be making good use of the leftovers from this meal to ensure I convey how versatile it is as an ingredient in other dishes. I won't be making a Duck Confit with the legs though, the meals this past week have been exceptionally decadent.
**This recipe is Gluten and Lactose free, for many of my friends which have to watch their diet.
Festive Roast Duck with Cranberries
Preheat your oven to 375 F
Depending on the weight/size of the duck, you may need 2 to 3 hours for cooking. 22 minutes per pound is what is recommended.
5 - 6 Cloves, Whole * do not crush or grind! These will be pressed into the skin of the Duck.
1 TSP Cinnamon1/2 TSP All Spice
1/2 TSP Rosemary
1/2 TSP Basil
1/2 TSP Fresh Ginger, Grated
1 TSP Pink Pepper Corn, Whole
1/4 TSP Salt
1/4 TSP Pepper
Grind or crush the above spices and use to sprinkle over the Duck before you place in the oven.
1/4 Cup Honey
2 TSPS Garlic Powder
Blend Garlic and Honey together in a small container. Leave aside until the duck has cooked for one hour.
1/2 Cup Red Wine
1 Large Celery Stalk
1 Medium Yellow Onion
1 Cup Fresh Whole Cranberries
Wash the Duck and remove the giblets
Lightly season the cavity with Salt and Pepper
Slice the Celery and Onion lengthwise, place in the cavity of the duck.
Slit the fat on the Breast and make one large slit on either side of the cavity, fold the tail end upward and into the cavity. Cross the legs and secure by pushing the tips of the legs into the slits.
Fold the wings to the back of the Duck.
Add the cloves, press the sharp ends into the skin of the duck.
In a roasting pan with a lid, place on a wire rack, add a 1/4 cup of water to the base of the pan, cover and place in the oven.
Reduce heat to 325 F
After one hour, remove Duck, add your Garlic and Honey mixture over the skin, don't forget to include the legs. Add the Red Wine to the base of the roasting pan.
Replace the cover and put back in the oven.
After the second hour, remove the cover and let the duck finish browning off.
Check Temperature. The internal temperature of the duck needs to be 175 F when it's done roasting. If the temperature is not yet there, put back for 15 minutes or more.
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| Broiled Finish |
Our roast Duck took 2 1/4 hours to finish off. Prior to serving I broiled the duck slightly at 375 F to ensure the skin was crispy.
NOTE: If you have not added cranberries to the fat in the drippings, flip the duck and return it to the oven for 15 more minutes, so the skin gets crispy in it's own fat.
Remove from oven and let set for ten minutes while you serve up your side dishes.
For us, as it's the Holiday season and I'm not done celebrating the seasonal spices I love so much, I added yams to our potatoes and roughly mashed them in with a hint of Nutmeg, Garlic and a teaspoon of Butter. Asparagus with Onion was our choice for vegetables, lightly seared and we added the cranberries over top of our plates, a little too liberally, but there was a wonderful flavour to the sauce.
There are some beautiful spice blends and ingredients you can add to a duck while it roasts. For us, this was our Holiday Meal, the mixture of spices including the clove creates an aroma and taste that definitely brings Christmas home for us. More recipes with roast duck are coming, but only as I make them. Sorry!!! It's taken me 1 year as of today to create 160 posts about my creations and trading.
I have posted about Duck Stock and Homemade French Onion Soup using the stock as a base of the soup. I have included the licks if you wish to try it. I will be making a different soup this time as I added the Cranberries, Honey and Clove. The flavours in the stock are very robust and homey, and would not translate as well into an Onion or Mushroom soup, in my opinion.
French Onion Soup - Duck Stock
Duck and Butternut Squash Ravioli
Other recipes in the works, which I will be making this week are a Holiday Turkey and new ideas for left over Turkey. Since so many of my friends and neighbours have dietary concerns, I started to post recipes which are gluten or lactose free.
I do have new projects in the works for January, which will take time away from my blogging, but I have covered so much in this first year, that I am satisfied that any new cook would be able to use my blog to create an incredible array of fresh and delicious homemade meals easily.
I hope you enjoy knowing not only what you are eating, but the freedom to create a wide variety of food that simply never gets boring! Happy New Year!!!
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