A delicious main from Scandinavian food writer Signe Johansen.
Ingredients
- For the duck
- 1 large duck or two small-medium ones (1¼-2kg), giblets and excess fat removed, 2½-3kg
- 3 litres hot chicken or vegetable stock
- 12 peppercorns
- 6 cloves
- 6 cardamom pods
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 3 star anise
- 3 mace blades
- 1 large knob fresh ginger chopped
- Peel of 1 orange
- For the cherry gløgg sauce
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 banana shallots or 1 medium-large red onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 300 ml light red or dark rosé wine
- 150 ml cherry brandy
- 300 ml concentrated duck stock see method
- 5cm long piece orange peel
- 1 small knob ginger
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 3 cardamom pods
Servings:
Instructions
- Lay the duck breast down in a large saucepan, and pour over enough hot stock to cover. (Depending on the size of your pot, you may need a bit more stock.)
- Add the spices and citrus, bring to a boil, then turn down the heat, partially cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Turn over the duck and cook for another 20 minutes. (If your duck is particularly large, increase the cooking times to two lots of half an hour.)
- Transfer the duck to a large platter and leave to cool for 15 minutes. Sieve the cooking liquor into a large saucepan, bring it to a boil and reduce by two-thirds, to concentrate the flavour. Set aside 300ml for the sauce, and save the rest for another use.
- Once the duck is cool enough to handle, pat dry all over with kitchen roll, then lift on to a metal rack set over an oven tray. Using a hair-dryer, removing any diffuser or nozzle first, blow-dry the duck on the highest setting for at least 10-15 minutes, turning it often, so you get an even run-off of fat into the tray.
- Give the duck another good pat dry, and decant the melted fat into a clean jar (save it for roast potatoes). For extra crispiness, massage a thin layer of sea salt between the duck meat and skin. Leave the duck to cool for a few hours, or refrigerate, uncovered, overnight.
- Take the duck out of the fridge an hour before you want to cook it: the less moisture there is on the skin now, the crisper the cooked duck will be, so pat it dry again.
- Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. With the tip of a small, sharp knife, pierce the skin all over, making sure not to go through to the flesh. Rub a thin layer of sea salt over the skin, lay the bird breast side down in a roasting tin and roast for 45 minutes to an hour, skimming off the fat into a bowl every 15 minutes or so (keep this for future cooking).
- Meanwhile, start the sauce. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over a medium-low heat, then saute the shallots for five to eight minutes, until soft and translucent.
- Add the wine and cherry brandy, bring to a boil and reduce by half. Add the reserved concentrated stock and remaining spices, and leave to simmer gently while the duck is roasting.
- Transfer the rested duck to a board, drain its roasting juices into the sauce, and taste for seasoning: it should have a cherry kick. For extra acidity, add lemon juice or, for sweetness, orange or clementine juice and/or a spoonful of redcurrant jelly. Pour the sauce through a fine sieve to remove the spices, then keep warm.
- Carve the duck, pour over some sauce and serve with the rest of the sauce in a jug alongside.
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