CHERRY ROAST DUCK
SERVES 4
“Excessfatremovedfromthecavitycan
be rendered and reserved for another use.
Usetheduckfatpouredfromtheroasting
tintoroastpotatoestoservealongsidethe
duck.Ifyoupreferduckbreastsmedium-
rare,removethemfromtheduckbefore
cooking. Score the skin and lay them in a
cold frying pan, skin-side down, and cook
for6-7minutesovermedium-highheat
until the skin is crisp and the fat renders.
Turnandseartheotherside.Putthe
breastsintheovenwiththerestoftheduck
forthelast5minutesofcooking.Serve
witharadicchiosaladdressedwithasherry
vinaigrette, to cut through the richness, and
duck fat-roasted potatoes. If cherries are
outofseason,usefrozencherriesinstead.”
You will need a meat thermometer for
this recipe.1orange
1wholeduck,about2kg(^1) / 2 garlic bulb, cloves separated, bruised
10 thyme sprigs
350g cherries, pitted
(^3) / 4 cup(185ml)full-bodiedred wine
2 eschalots, thinly sliced
1freshbayleaf
1 tsp sherry vinegar
Preheat the oven to 220°C (fan-forced).
Remove and reserve three strips of peel
from the orange using a peeler, then juice
half of the orange and reserve. Chop the
remaining half of the orange for stuffing
the duck.
Removeexcessfatfromaroundtheduck
cavity (reserve for rendering for another
useifyoulike).Pattheduckdryinsideand
outwithpapertowel.Seasongenerously
inside and out with salt and pepper, and
stuff the cavity with the chopped orange,
the garlic and half the thyme.
Pricktheskinoftheduckbreastallover
withaskewer(thishelpstorenderthefat
fromtheduck,butmakesureyoudon’t
piercetheflesh).Setasideatroom
temperature for 30 minutes.
Laytheduck,breast-sideup,onawire
rack set over a roasting tin and roast for
30minutesoruntiltheskinisstartingto
brown.Pouroffanyfatthatpoolsinthetin
(strain and reserve for another use such
as duck-fat potatoes). Reduce the oven
temperatureto 180°C.
Carefullyremovetherackwiththeduck
andsetaside.Putthecherries,wine
eschalot,reservedorangezestandjuice,
bayleafandremainingthymeintothe
roasting tin, season with salt and pepper
andstirtocombine.
Returnthewirerackwiththeduck
overtheroastingtinandroastfor
45-50 minutes until the duck is just cooked:
a thermometer inserted into the thigh
should read 70°C and the juice should run
clear. Remove the duck, cover loosely with
foilandsetasidetorestfor15-20minutes.
Add the vinegar to the cherry mixture
andseasonwithsaltandpeppertotaste.
Serve the duck with the cherry sauce.
PORCHETTA
SERVES 6
“You’llneedtoallowadayinadvanceto
dry out the pork skin, uncovered, in the
fridge, which will help achieve crisp
crackling. The fat from the roast that drips
into the pan is liquid gold; use it to roast
potatoes to serve alongside the porchetta,
orstrainintoacontainertouselater.Store
in an airtight container in the refrigerator.”
You will need kitchen string and a meat
thermometer for this recipe.
1kg piece of boneless pork belly, skin on
1 tbs fennel seeds
Cherry
roast duck
delicious.com.au 101