A spicy duck recipe to delight – now and always!

Duck for a meal is delicious throughout the year and also lends itself to making divine soups too.  Of course it is particularly popular in Chinese restaurants and at Christmastime in the UK.  So here’s  a recipe to make an already delicious bird extra special.

Spiced Duck with Lemongrass accompaniament/sauce.

2kg duck, 2 tsp olive oil, 2 star anise, 1/2 teasp coriander seeds, 1 teasp mace, 1 teasp Sel de Guerande, Zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange.

The accompaniament/sauce:- 100 gm sugar, juice of 2 oranges, juice of 2 lemons, 2-3 stalks lemongrass, 1/2 pint chicken stock

The glaze

Juice of four oranges, juice of 4 lemons and 4 teaspoons of maple syrup.

The garnish:- 100 gm girolle mushrooms, 100 gm chestnuts, roasted and peeled, 2 tablesp olive oil, 25 gm butter

Rub the duck with olive oil in a pan after drying with kitchen towel paper.  Grind the spices together, adding the salt and the zests to form a “rub”.  Prick the skin of the duck deep with a fork before applying the rub firmly. Roast the duck for 50 mins at 200 degrees C or 400 F gas 6.  Cover with foil loosely for the first 30 mins.

For the glaze, (accompaniament) mix all ingredients cited above in a pan and cook on a low heat til it has reduced in volume to about fifty percent and forms a sticky glaze.

Cover the duck with the glaze and return for a further 8 mins as part of its cooking time.

Lemongrass sauce:- place sugar, lemon and orange juice in a pan and bring to the boil.  Simmer until sugar dissolves.  Add lemongrass stalks, turn off heat and set aside for one hour.  Then strain the liquid into a pan and add the chicken stock, bring to a simmer and cook until reduced by about a third.   Strain into a fresh pan and gently reheat before serving.

Saute chestnuts and mushrooms in butter and place around the duck before serving adding some watercress or other greens to enhance the look of the dish.

Choose your carbohydrate and favourite drink and perhaps some more vegetables to make your duck meal the star of the day!

Bon Appetit/Enjoy!