Recipe:

Crispy Roasted Duck with Fig and Port Sauce

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Serves 6 to 8

This breed of duck hails from South America, where the warm climate helps it to develop less body fat than most other duck breeds. Muscovy ducks also have a higher serving yield because they have considerably more meat on the bone.

Ingredients

1 (4-pound) Muscovy duck
Salt to taste
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot 
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup chicken broth, warm
1 cup ruby port
1 star anise, broken into pieces
3 tablespoons Adriatic fig spread
Lemon juice to taste
Black pepper to taste

Method

Preheat oven to 250°F. Rinse and dry duck; trim off any loose fat. Season inside and out with salt, then pierce skin all over with the tip of a sharp knife, being careful not to pierce the meat. Transfer duck to a rack set inside a roasting pan, arranging it breast side down. Roast for 2 hours, then drain off accumulated fat, turn duck over and increase oven temperature to 350°F. Continue to roast until skin is crispy and brown, 20 to 30 minutes more.

Meanwhile, prepare sauce. Melt butter in a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté until soft. Add flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 1 minute. Whisk in broth, port and anise and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer until reduced by half, then stir in fig spread and cook, stirring, until sauce begins to thicken. Stir in lemon juice, salt and pepper. Strain; discard star anise.

Carve duck and transfer to a platter. Serve sauce on the side.

Nutrition

Per serving (about 7oz/188g-wt.): 470 calories (310 from fat), 35g total fat, 13g saturated fat, 100mg cholesterol, 340mg sodium, 10g total carbohydrate (1g dietary fiber, 6g sugar), 20g protein

Tags: Entertaining

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