Having someone living in your home that works at the fanciest restaurant in town means you get some gourmet treats brought home. Some of the more exciting things I have been given are flowers from special events, triple chocolate mousse, ahi tuna, little neck clams, and this week it was half a duck. Hmm, being given half of a duck (thankfully already cleaned and prepped for cooking) may sound like a strange “present” but for a cook that loves trying new things, I was pretty excited. I set out to search for a recipe worthy of this lovely new poultry that I’ve never made before.

My favorite duck recipes are usually at Chinese dim sum restaurants such as Peking duck, but when I saw you need to hang it upside down for hours, I decided that was not for me at the moment, especially since I have an 80 pound dog that is known to eat anything left out from brownies to a brilo pad he mistook for who knows what!? Luckily, he has an iron stomach and I cannot stay mad at a puppy dog eyes, especially on a puppy. Anyways, back to the duck. So, I chose this recipe because it promised crispy skin and a sugaring glaze sauce and that sounded perfect. I crossed my fingers not to mess up and thankfully the recipe was easy to follow and I could skip step 2 since I already had the duck cut in half. This was scrumptious and mouth-watering and I will save the recipe to make for a special occasion so others can partake in this wonderful dish.

Marmalade-Glazed Roast Duck

by Christine Gallary

Cooking Time: 1 hour

Makes: 2 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (4- to 5-pound) whole duck
• 1/4 cup orange marmalade
• 1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce

Directions:
1. Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Combine the salt and pepper in a small bowl; set aside.

2. Remove and discard the neck from the duck, rinse out the cavities, and pat very dry all over with paper towels. To halve the duck, place it breast-side down on a cutting board. Using poultry shears, cut down both sides of the backbone. Remove and discard the backbone. Flip the duck over and cut through the center of the breastbone to separate it into 2 pieces. Cut through both wing joints where they connect to the breast to completely remove each wing (discard the wings or save them for another use).

3. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat until hot, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, season all sides of the duck halves with the salt and pepper mixture. When the pan is ready, place the duck halves in it skin-side down. Sear, occasionally pressing on the duck with a flat spatula (for even browning), until the skin is light golden brown, about 20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, make the glaze. Place the marmalade, orange juice, and soy sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Continue to simmer, adjusting the heat as needed, until thickened and reduced to about 1/4 cup, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

5. When the duck halves are ready, transfer them to a large roasting pan skin-side up. Pour any accumulated fat from the frying pan into a medium heatproof bowl.

6. Stir 1 tablespoon of the rendered duck fat into the reserved glaze (discard the remaining fat or save it for another use). Brush the duck halves with a third of the glaze and roast for 15 minutes. Brush with another third of the glaze and continue to roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 160°F, about 10 minutes more.

7. Brush the ducks with the remaining third of the glaze. Turn the oven to broil and broil until the skin is dark golden brown and crisped, about 2 to 3 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.