Roast Duck with cranberry and sloe gin sauce

I made this dish over the Christmas period and forgotten to post the recipes here. I enjoy roast meat, be it chicken, pork, goose or duck. I chose duck as it's one of the more flavorful meat

A good roast duck should have that elusive, crispy skin while maintaining the moist and tenderness of the meat beneath. Total enjoyment to serve with slightly sweet sour fruity sauce, a perfect match made in heaven. Not forgetting a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon.

In order to create crispy skin remember the skin got to be dry(I mean really dry) and the need to prick the skin. Therefore, I normally prepare the duck a day before so that It has ample time to allow the skin to dry out.

Roast Duck with cranberry and sloe gin sauce

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 2 kgs Gressingham duck


• 1 lemon-cut into 1/4inch slices (*)


• 3 tbsp honey(*)


• 1 cup dry sherry/shaoxing wine(*)


• 4 tbsp of soy sauce(*)


• 800 ml of water (*)
  

1. Pour the water in a pot, add lemon, honey, wine and soy sauce and bring to a boil. Once boiling turn the heat down and let it simmer for 20minutes.


2. Hang your duck up on the neck with meat hook or string. Place a container below the duck before basting. Use the hot liquid from (1) and baste the duck all over. Once you've used up the liquid, pour back the collected liquid in the container and bring to boil again and repeat the basting process for another 2 time. Hang the duck and let it dry overnight. Keep the remaining liquid.


3. Before you roast, use a skewer to prick all over the duck, this will allow duck fat to come out and not just bubbling beneath the skin. As duck is very fatty, remember to sit the duck on a roasting rack, and fill the roasting tray with water, so that the dripping fat will not splatter in your oven.
   
4. Pre-heat the oven to 190C fan assisted. Once heated, place your duck breast up into the oven and roast for 40minutes. Then turn down to 180C, brush the duck with the liquid once and continue to roast for additional 20minutes. Then turn over the duck, baste and continue to roast for 25minutes. Turn over again and continue to roast for additional 15minutes. While duck is roasting you can prepare the sauce.

Sauce

• 200 ml sloe gin plus some soaked sloe


• 2-3 tbsp cranberry sauce


• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar


• 2 tbsp chicken/veg stock.


• 1 tbsp sugar (adjust depend on sweetness you desire)
  

1. Put everything in sauce pan, gently bring to a boil and let it simmer, stir occasionally, until the liquid is reduce by half. This will roughly takes about 45minutes.

Carve the roast duck and serve with the reduced sauce and side vegetables and humble roast spud (potatoes).



All that is remaining- duck carcass