Shanghai Duck
1. Trim excess skin and excess fat from duck. Skin neck. Rinse, including giblets and neck, thoroughly. Drain and pat dry with paper towels.
2.Place duck in large pot. Sprinkle inside with salt. Using basting brush, coat outside of duck with 1 tbsp.(15 ml) soy sauce. Let stand 1 hour, turning once.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.(204 C.)
4. Remove oven racks. Oil one and return it to oven in the middle position. Pour 1 inch water into a large, flat broiler pan. Place this on lowest level of oven.
5. Take duck out of pot, reserving pot with marinade for later use. Place duck, breast side up, on oiled oven rack. Roast 30 minutes or until skin is brown.
6. Allow duck to cool 10 minutes for easier handling.
7. Place an asbestos pad on burner. On it place the reserved pot and marinade. Add star anise, scallions, sugar, remaining soy sauce and enough water to half cover the duck, about 4 cups(946 ml). Bring sauce to boiling, stirring constantly.
8. Add sherry, the roasted duck (breast side down) giblets and neck. Boil 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook 1 hour.
9. Turn duck over and cook 1 1/2 hours longer, or until duck is very tender. Baste with sauce several times during cooking.
10. Carefully remove whole duck and place on a large heat-proof platter. Keep warm in a low oven about 255 degrees F.(107 C).
11. Skim fat off liquid and discard star anise. Add oil; mix well and pour sauce into the duck. Serve hot. There should only be about 3/4 cup of sauce. If there is too much liquid, boil it down.)
Makes 6-10 servings.
Suggested Menu (for 8): Crabmeat Stuffed Mushrooms, Chicken Broth, Shangai Duck, Stir-fried Spinach or Watercress (arrange this around platter with duck before serving), Dry white wine, such as Pinot Chardonay or a very dry sherry served slightly warm, Fresh fruit and tea or coffee.
Source: Great Cooking Ideas
Wild Duck Gumbo
In a Dutch oven over medium heat, brown duck in batches in oil. Remove and set aside. Discard all but 2/3 cup drippings. Add flour to drippings; cook and stir over medium heat until brown, 12-14 minutes. Add sausage, onion, green pepper, celery, parsley and garlic. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add next eight ingredients; mix well. Add duck; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 60-75 minutes or until duck is tender. Remove duck. Cool. Debone and cut into chunks; return to pan. Simmer 5-10 minutes or until heated through. Remove bay leaves. Serve with rice. Yield: 16 servings(4 quarts).
Source: Taste Of Home
Duck Aux Cerises
If ducks are frozen, let them defrost, still wrapped, in the refrigerator for 48 hours. Wash duckling cavities. Salt and pepper inside and out. Prick skins all over with a long-tined fork. Place ducks on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast in preheated 350 degree F. oven for 1-1/2 hours. Remove fron oven. Cool and cut into serving portions (see Comment). Drain cherry juice into a small saucepan. Add lemon juice, sugar and gingerroot, and bring to a boil. Mix Marsala wine with cornstarch. Stir into sauce. As soon as sauce clears and thickens, remove from heat and stir in cherries.
Place duck portions on a rack in a shallow baking dish. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F. oven for 30 minutes, or until duck is very crispy and dry. Pour heated cherry sauce over duck and serve. Yield: 6 servings.
Comment: Duck always benefits from this precooking, cooling and rebaking system. The cooling process seems to release most of the oil from the duck and the second cooking crisps it beautifully. I prefer cutting each duck into 6 portions. Divide each half into 3 portions. Serve two portions per person.
Source: The Coupon Saver's Cookbook
Quick Duck a L'Orange
"This is the easiest and fastest way to do duck that I know of, but start it well ahead of time as the duck must cool after the first roasting. Be sure the duck is very crispy before serving (see Comment in above recipe)."
If duck is frozen let it defrost, still wrapped, in the refrigerator for 48 hours. Wash duck inside and out, pat dry. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper inside and out. Prick surface with a fork. Place on a rack and roast in a preheated 350 degree F. oven for 1-1/2 hours. Remove from oven, cool completely, and cut each breast into 2 portions and each thigh into 2 portions, forming 8 small pieces. Place the portions on a rack in a shallow baking dish. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes before serving. Brush with marmalade sauce about 15 minutes before removing from the oven. Yield: 4 servings.
Marmalade Sauce:
Mix Marmalade, lemon and orange juices and salt and pepper to taste. Heat, stirring, until marmalade has melted. Stir in duck fat and wine. Brush over duck pieces. Yield: about 1-1/2 cups.
Source: The Coupon Saver's Cookbook
Roast Wild Duck with Sausage Stuffing
In saucepan, melt butter; saute onions and celery until transparent and yellow. Add bread cubes and seasoning. Toss lightly to coat with butter. Remove from heat; add pork sausage. Combine milk and egg; drizzle over bread mixture. Stir lightly to blend. Pack into salted cavity of bird. Close filled cavity with skewers or toothpicks. Place in roasting pan and brush with melted butter or margarine. Place in preheated 325 degree F. oven. Bake for a total of 1-1/2 to 2 hours,or until bird is tender, brushing with butter every 10 to 15 minutes for 3/4 of an hour. Cover roasting pan for last hour of cooking.
Wild Ducks Baked In Sauerkraut, with Duck-Leg Gravy
Make sure the ducks are very clean---wash them thoroughly and pat dry. Combine the vinegar, 4 cups wine, water, and fresh thyme in a large container and marinate the ducks in this . Refrigerate overnight. The acid in the marinade will draw out the blood.
Remove the ducks from the marinade and discard the liquid. Separate the duck legs from the breast by pressing them down and outward so that they break at the joint. Make an incision between the breast and the leg, and cut through the back. Set legs aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Season the breast with the dried thyme, sage, pepper, and salt. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and brown the birds evenly on all sides. Remove from skillet, set aside, and discard oil.
Stuff each duck with about 1-1/2 cups of sauerkraut and place in a roaster. The sauerkraut will draw out the wild flavor and keep the ducks moist without affecting the taste.
Place the duck legs, vegetables, garlic, and remaining 1 cup wine in a baking dish. Bake along with ducks in the oven for about 1-1/2 to 2 hours (2 hours will yield well-done ducks). Remove the ducks from the oven and discard the sauerkraut. Remove the duck legs from the vegetables, puree the sauce, and add Tabasco and additional salt to taste.
Slice the duck, top the slices with gravy, and give everyone a leg. Serves 6 to 8.
Source: Lee Bailey's Southern Food & Plantation Houses
Comment: Lee Bailey's menu included : Acorn Squash Soup, Wild Rice with Peppers, Glazed Carots, Turnips, and Onions, Popovers, Warm applesauce with Cream, Cinnamon-Pecan Squares, Wine, Coffee.