Quiltingboard Forums - GlendaM - Regarding The Last of the Summer Wine

I'm new to these boards; I sew, quilt, and have 2 1/2 vintage machines. I've been reading many, many old threads and trying to learn my way around this wonderful forum.

I read the "What did Santa Bring" thread and your response about the BBC program The Last of the Summer Wine.

I've sent you a private message that I hope will be useful. And, since this is a recipe section, I'll add my "Drunk Duck" recipe. It's long and complicated, but so worth the time.

Aromatic Duck
aka Carol's Drunken Duck

Makes four servings...

1 duckling (about 5 pounds), fresh or frozen (thawed)

2 teaspoons black peppercorns

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 bay leaves, crumbled or snipped small

6 whole cloves (I add about 1/2 t. of cinnamon and Chinese 5-Spice, too.)

1 Tablespoon coarse Kosher salt

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1 Tablespoon brandy (I use one "airline size" bottle, so maybe 3 Tbls?)

1 garlic clove, peeled (I use 4 or 5)

5-6 large, neat red cabbage leaves for presentation. Curly kale or parsley would work, too.

1. Cut off the wing tips and freeze them with the giblets for future stock making. Pull out and discard any loose interior fat. Rinse the duckling inside and out and pat dry.

2. Mix together in a spice mill (or mortar and pestle) the pepper, thyme, bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, 5-Spice, and salt. Grind to a fine texture. Combine them in a small dish with the brown sugar and brandy.

Place the duck in a heavy plastic bag. (I used a 2-gallon size zip-lock.)

Rub half the spice/brandy mixture inside the duck, and the remainder on the outside. Place the garlic in the duck's cavity.

Close the bag tightly, set it on a platter or in a larger baking dish (to catch any leaks) and refrigerate for 24 hours, rubbing the surface and squeezing in the spices whenever you open the fridge. Turn the duck over, still in the bag, a few times, too.

3. After 24 hours, remove the duck from the bag and lightly pat it dry. Set it on a cake rack set over a platter and return, uncovered, to the refrigerator for 24 hours, turning once. (For the draining stage, I set my duck on a vertical chicken roasting rack and did not have to turn it to drain. It dried out well.)

4. After 24 hours of draining, pat the duck with paper towels if any moist spots remain. Let it reach room temperature, which takes about two hours.

Preheat oven to 300F. Using a large needle and white cotton thread, sew the neck and tail openings closed . Set the duck on its side on a regular roasting rack set in a roasting pan.

5. Roast 45 minutes. Then, with the large needle prick the fatty parts on the upper side; do not prick deeply enough to pierce the flesh. Using wadded-up paper towels to protect your hands, hold the duck's legs and turn it to the other side.

6. Increase the heat to 350F and roast 30 minutes.
Then prick the fatty parts on the upturned side and turn the duck onto its breast.

7. Roast 25 minutes longer.
Agin,prick the upturned side (which would be the duck's back now) Turn the duck breast upward.

8. Increase the heat to 400F and roast for 30 minutes longer, or until the duck is deeply browned and most of the fat has melted off. Remove from the oven and let cool 1-2 hours before carving and serving.

9. To serve: Using a heavy cleaver or poultry shears, cut through the flesh and bone of the duck to make about 12-14 serving pieces. (I did not cut mine this small, probably 10 pieces.) Cut carefully, keeping the skin neatly intact on each piece. Spread the cabbage leaves on a platter or wooden bowl and arrange the duck on them.

NOTE: If you prefer duck that is sizzling hot, you can easily heat the pieces. Arrange the cut pieces in a pan in a single layer, cut side down, and roast in a preheated 350F oven for 15 minutes, or until hot.

– This came from an older library book I had checked out when I lived in Delaware in 1990. It was a history – history of game and waterfowl, a history of restaurants in the late 1890s-to early 1900s, a history of commercial hunting to provide those restaurants with meats, and a history of cooking techniques –interspersed with recipes. I copied the recipe but I failed to note the name of the book or the author.

I've made this recipe several times; it camefrom a restaurant in New York City in the late 1800s. It is similar to Peking Duck but not as complicated to prepare.

When I make it again I am going to add a couple preparation steps from the Peking Duck recipes I've found. Mainly, I will loosen the skin from the bird as much as possible, without tearing or removing it, and then pour a large quantity of boiling water over the duck it to tighten the skin and begin the rendering process. Then I'll prepare and cook it as described above.