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caroline94535

I lost a duck recipe; can't remember the book

caroline94535
10 years ago

And it's driving me batty.

The recipe came from an old library book. Was it in Little Rock? Spain? Delaware? I can't remember. The book was a combination of recipes, history, and dining at the end of the 19th century.

One of the recipes was for a marinated duck; I've made it several times over the years. It is delicious. I call it "Drunk Duck" because the whole duck is marinated for three days in a blend of brandy, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and ???

I am grasping at straws and hoping some of the well-read epicureans here may have a clue as to what book or recipe I'm talking about. The computer that held my recipes has long crashed and I can't find my written copy anywhere.

I've spent hours Googling, with no luck.

I think the recipe came from a NYC restaurant. They used fresh, wild canvas-back ducks.

The recipe calls for mixing the blend of brandy and spices, using no plum or orange sauce, no soy sauces, nothing that would be considered a "Chinese" flavor. The duck is sealed in a large Ziploc bag with the spicy marinade and put in the fridge. You turn it every 12 hours, massaging the marinade into the flesh through the bag.

At the end of three full days the duck is removed from the bag and propped up on a platter. Dry it off and let it drain and dry out in the fridge, uncovered, for another 24 hours.

Then it's ready to cook. It's roasted on a rack, breast side down, for 30 minutes at 250-degrees. Then you set it breast side up, increase the heat to 300-degrees. Again, rotate the duck, increase the temp 50-degrees.

I don't remember how long this turning and increasing temps process lasts but the duck becomes a very dark, golden brown with succulent crispy skin.

Once the duck has thawed It takes five days to get it to the dinner table. It's worth every minute.

Can anyone point me in a direction to find the book or recipe?

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