Duck with cranberry sauce

Monday was hubby's birthday (as previously mentioned), and Tuesday we had his birthday dinner of duck with cranberry sauce and sweet potato casserole. Yum yum. I have VERY little experiencing roasting things; hubby always takes care of the Thanksgiving turkey. But roasting is easy enough. Salt and pepper, tuck in the legs and wings, and pop in the oven. Oh yes, and there's the wonderful removal of the gizzards, which in our duck weren't enclosed in a package. FUN times, I tell ya. One thing to remember with a duck: you need to poke it alot with a knife or fork so the fat can release during the cooking process.

Roast Duck

• a duck
• salt and pepper
• 1 onion, quartered
• garlic cloves

Remove gizzards and whatever else they've decided to put in your duck's cavity. Rinse well (including the cavity) and pat dry. With a knife or fork, poke the bird.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stuff onions and garlic (and anything else you might like) in the cavity.

Tuck the legs into the skin around the tail. Tuck the wings close to the body. Place breast up in a roasting pan.

Cook at 350F for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.



With the duck, we had a cranberry sauce, which hubby picked out from a selection I presented to him. We had a mixed reaction to this East-West described sauce, and I doubt I will ever make it again. When it first touches the tongue, it is sour, but sweetens. Honestly, the best way to eat it is to get a bite of meat and one of the cranberries. Together, it's ok. I definitely wouldn't bast a meat with this sauce and most most definitely wouldn't serve it alone.

East-West Cranberry Sauce

• 1/4 cup dried, sweetened cranberries
• 1/4 dry oloroso sherry (I could not find a sherry that was both dry and oloroso; I went with dry)
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp cranberry juice (I added another 2 tbsp to sweeten it up)
• 2 tbsp orange juice
• 1/4 tsp orange zest
• 1 1/2 tsp brown sugar (forgot this, and honestly I don't think it would help that much)

Soak the cranberries in the sherry for awhile. Once they've plumped a bit, combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan and heat over low heat.



The perfect bite.