Roasted Duck

Chef: Mario Laliberté

Prep. time: 15 minutes    Cook time: 2 hrs.     Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 Pekin Duck (2.5-2.7 kg) (5.5-5.9 lbs)

Stuffing:

1/2 cup (225 ml) diced celery
1/3 cup (85 ml) diced onion
2 teaspoons (10 ml) butter
2 cups (500 ml) diced bread, with crust removed
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) salt
1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) crushed green pepper
1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) savory
1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) thyme
3 tablespoons (50 ml) olive oil

 
Moire-poix:

3 tablespoons (50 ml) chopped onion
3 tablespoons (50 ml) chopped celery
3 tablespoons (50 ml) chopped carrot
1 cup (250 ml) cider
2 cups (500 ml) poultry stock

- Sauté celery and onion in butter in a covered pan, and let cool.
- Mix together the cooked celery, onion, bread, egg and spices.
- Stuff the duck with the celery mixture. Tie wings and legs.  Place the duck in a roasting pan and baste with oil, arranging the neck and gizzard around the duck.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and roast for 1 1/2 hours, basting with drippings every 20 minutes.
- Thirty minutes before cooking is done, add the mire-poix (chopped  onions, celery and carrots).
- Remove the duck from the pan and keep hot. Reduce the drippings,
skim the fat, and deglaze the roasting pan using the cider.  Add the poultry stock, and cook for 20-30 minutes.
- Strain sauce through a sieve and serve hot over the duck.