apple porcupine duck

aka Pekin duck with apples
2015-05-26

This is a variation of an old Flemish recipe that has been known since the Middle Ages, but duck & apple recipes were popular all over Europe.

This is low-temperature cooking with no dripping pan and a tin-foil hat. That makes this duck a lot wetter that the dry-roasted ones.

For a crisper skin and dryer duck, use a dripping pan, don't cover and increase the oven temperature to 300 ºF.

INGREDIENTS

This is what you need for 4 servings:

1 Pekin duck, 4-lb dressed out.
6 large red apples
use a hard apple variety that won't melt away
balsamic vinegar
S&P, your favorite spices
a box of toothpicks
optional:
- 1 lb. bacon, thick-sliced

Pic1: similar recipe in the Flemish comic series 'Johan, de rode ridder' by Willy Vandersteen

Directions

Pic2: apple porcupine
Pic3: tin-foil hat
Pic4: all done

Pic5: liquid gold
Pic6: salad with diced duck
Pic7: Pekin duck with apples

Preheat oven to 450F Wash the duck thoroughly,
Place the duck in a shallow oven dish.
Rub inside and outside of the duck with your favorite spice mix.
Peel, core and cut 3 apples in pieces.
Pour some balsamic vinegar on the pieces and stuff the body cavity of the duck with the apple pieces.
Optional:
- pan-fry the apples in balsamic vinegar with honey to caramelize them before stuffing the duck.
Use toothpicks to close the skin over the openings.
Truss up the duck = tie the legs and wings against the body with twine.
Alternatively, use toothpicks.
Cover the duck with apple quarts by pinning them down with toothpicks until the duck looks like a pincushion. (Pic2)
optional:
- Wrap the duck with slices of bacon, either before or after you add the apples.
  After will baste the apples with bacon fat.
Add a tinfoil hat.
Bake at 450 ºF for 15 minutes to quickly heat the baking dish and sear the skin.
Reduce heat to 250F.
Open the oven door for a minute or so to let some heat escape.
Bake for 2 ½ hrs.
Remove from the oven. Rest 10 minutes.
Carve and serve. (Pic1)

Despite the long cooking time, the breast will still be pinkish and juicy. The apples will be soft but should not liquefy into applesauce. (Pic1)

Plenty of leftovers for another meal.
I used some of them to make a salad with diced duck meat, apples from this recipe, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, crumbled 'queso fresco' and a bit of tartar sauce. (Pic6)

The other liquid gold = apple-flavored duck fat. (Pic5)

Duck fat is excellent for cooking or baking as an aromatic butter or oil substitute.

A Pekin duck can render as much as a pint of duck fat. Duck fat will solidify in the freezer. If you pour it in an ice tray, the cubes will make measured portions that can be stored well over a year.

The bottom layer is a concentrated stock that can be used as a base for soups or sauces. When refrigerated, the stock usually gels before the fat layer solidifies completely. That makes them easy to separate for long-term storage.

b. apple duck on the internet

All pictures below were borrowed from the internet FYI.

Pic8-10: roasted apple duck
Pic10: stuff the apples inside as well

Pic11: whole apple duck
Pic2: duck breast served
Pic13: frying the apples separately

Pic14-16: different presentations

See also: Deming, NM gardens, animals and more and avemariasongs.org

See also: Deming, NM gardens, animals and more
and avemariasongs.org