Roasted and Braised Duck Recipe

With paper towels, wipe ducks inside and out. Place necks, gizzards and hearts in roasting pan.

Sever legs where thigh joint meets backbone; separate drumsticks from thighs and set aside. Cut off wings; setting aside first two joints, remove wing tips and place in pan.

Trim tops of breasts off wishbones; sliding knife under each breast along either side of breastbone, remove breasts and set aside.
Trim off fat and fatty skin from carcass and set aside; cut off and discard tailbones. Halve each trimmed carcass and place in roasting pan.

Duck Stock: Add onions and carrots to roasting pan; roast in 450F/230C oven until duck and vegetables are browned, about 45 minutes. With slotted spoon, transfer solids to stockpot; add celery, parsley, thyme, ginger, garlic, bay leaf, cloves, peppercorns, salt and 6 cups/1.5 L water. Pour off and discard fat from roasting pan.
Place pan over medium heat and add 2 cups/500 mL water; bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from bottom of pan. Pour into stockpot; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 2 hours. Let cool; strain, discarding solids. Skim off and discard fat.

Trim off and reserve fatty edges of skin from thigh and breast pieces. Place drumstick, thigh and wing pieces in bowl and sprinkle with 3/4 tsp/4 mL of the salt, 1/4 tsp/1 mL of the pepper and 2 tbsp/30 mL of the brandy, turning to coat; place in airtight container or plastic bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or for up to 2 days.

Cut diagonal slashes through breast skin (not through meat); transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with thyme, allspice, remaining pepper, and 2 tbsp/30 mL of the brandy, turning to coat; place in airtight container or plastic bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or for up to 2 days.

Evenly slice trimmed skin pieces; place in heavy-bottomed saucepan with fat trimmings, onion and 1/2 cup /125 mL water and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and cook until skin and onion are browned and crispy; through sieve, drain fat into heatproof bowl, reserving skin, cracklings and onion.

In skillet, heat 2 tbsp/30 mL of the fat (reserve remainder for other uses) over medium heat; brown drumstick, thigh and wing pieces all over, then transfer to Dutch oven. Drain off and discard fat from skillet, leaving just enough to coat bottom; add shallots and garlic and fry, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add wine and, stirring, bring to boil; pour into Dutch oven.

Place Dutch oven over medium-high heat; when liquid has reduced by half, add 2 cups/500 mL Duck Stock, thyme sprigs, bay leaf and remaining salt. Bring to boil; transfer to 350F/180C oven. Braise, uncovered, until duck pieces are tender, 60 to 90 minutes. Transfer duck pieces to heatproof platter; keep warm.

Increase oven temperature to 425F/220C.

Strain braising liquid into heatproof measuring cup; skim off and discard fat. Pour braising liquid into saucepan and cook until reduced to 1-1/2 cups/375 mL, then remove from heat (if pan juices are less than 1-1/2 cups/375 mL, simply add enough stock to make 1-1/2 cups/375 mL). Set aside.

In ovenproof skillet over medium heat, place breasts skin side down; when nicely browned, flip over, then transfer skillet to 425F/220C oven. Roast until centre is pink, about 10 minutes. Transfer to plate; let stand for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in saucepan, bring braising liquid to boil. Stir cornstarch with remaining brandy; stir into braising liquid. Boil over medium heat for 1 minute; stir in jelly until dissolved.

Thinly slice breasts; arrange on serving platter and surround with braised pieces. Spoon some sauce over top and sprinkle with reserved cracklings (if using) and onion. Serve remaining sauce on side.

Makes 8 servings.