Roast Duck

Directions

1. 1
   Prepare duck Heat oven to 300F.
2. 2
   Remove neck, heart, gizzards, and any excess fat from cavity and cut away excess skin from the neck area.
3. 3
   Rinse duck under cold water and dry thoroughly inside and out.
4. 4
   With a very sharp knife, score the skin over the breast in a crosshatch pattern.
5. 5
   Cut diagonally into the skin, making sure not to cut into the flesh.
6. 6
   Prick the skin with the tip of the knife all over, especially in the fattiest areas (this will ensure the best rendering for crisp skin).
7. 7
   Season with salt and pepper inside and out.
8. 8
   Tie legs together with kitchen twine and fold wing tips behind ducks back.
9. 9
   Roast Place duck breast side up on a V-shaped rack set in a deep roasting pan and roast 1 hour.
10. 10
    Remove duck and prick the skin over the breast and the fatty deposits around the thigh area with a sharp knife, then turn it over, so breast side is down, and roast for 1 hour more, spooning fat out of pan as needed.
11. 11
    Turn duck over again and prick skin in any spots that arent rendering as quickly as the others, then roast another hour.
12. 12
    Prick the skin, turn breast side down, and roast until almost all of the fat has rendered from under skin and duck is cooked through, about 1 hour more.
13. 13
    (Total roasting time should be about 4 hours.)
14. 14
    Meanwhile, make glaze Combine honey, pomegranate molasses, and orange juice in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
15. 15
    Reduce to a simmer, and cook until thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes.
16. 16
    Glaze duck and crisp skin Once duck has finished cooking, increase oven temperature to 400F, turn duck breast side up, and roast 10 minutes.
17. 17
    Brush with some of the glaze, and continue to roast until the skin is golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes more (keep a careful eye through this step because the sugar in the glaze can burn quickly).
18. 18
    Let the duck rest for 10 minutes.
19. 19
    Caramelize fruit Heat a skillet over medium-high heat.
20. 20
    Brush orange and lemon wedges with some of the remaining glaze and cook until caramelized, about 3 minutes per cut side.
21. 21
    Serve Transfer duck to a platter and surround with caramelized fruit (for squeezing over the duck).
22. 22
    Garnish with parsley, if desired.
23. 23
    Or carve (see instructions opposite) and then slice thinly; divide among plates, and serve with caramelized fruit.
24. 24
    Most duck sold in supermarkets is Pekin duck.
25. 25
    These ducks were brought to Long Island, New York, from China in the late 1800s, and as a result the area became renowned for duck production.
26. 26
    Today, the majority of ducks bred for meat are Pekin and are raised in the Midwest; duck labeled Long Islandstyle is the same variety.
27. 27
    Muscovy ducks are larger and have a stronger flavor than Pekin ducks, and their livers are often used to make fois gras.
28. 28
    Likewise, moulard duckswhich are a cross between Muscovy and Pekin ducksare often bred for fois gras.
29. 29
    Mallard ducks are a wild breed, but are occasionally raised on farms.
30. 30
    All of these breeds are much less common than the Pekin duck, and are usually available only at specialty shops.
31. 31
    Magret is a term used for the breast meat of a duck raised for fois grasusually a mallard or moulard duck.
32. 32
    In French, magret means the lean portion from a fat duck.
33. 33
    Magret is delicious when it is cooked so that the fat renders and the skin becomes crisp, but the meat remains medium rare.