How To Bake A Duck In The Oven: We Tell And Show

On New Year's holidays, you always want to cook something unusual. Pork, beef, chicken - common.

On New Year's holidays, you always want to cook something unusual. Pork, beef, chicken - common. Rabbit and lamb are specific types of meat, not everyone loves them. What then to cook, so that it is not very expensive, and tasty? Duck is a great option for the main dish on the New Year's table.

How to choose the right duck?

Rule number 1. There are several types of ducks - meat, egg and mixed. For cooking, it is better to choose meat duck. Her fillet will be softer, tender and juicy, unlike the harsh meat of the egg-laying duck.

Rule number 2. Duck meat should be red in the cut. Pay attention to the skin of the duck - it should be smooth, shiny, but not slippery.

Rule #3: The best ducks are those that are a couple of months old. Their meat is tender and does not have a specific smell.

Duck stuffed with fruit

 

There are many recipes for duck dishes, but we offer the most common and simple - duck stuffed with fruit. Many people prefer to stuff duck with fruits, because they perfectly emphasize the taste of duck meat and give it a delicious aroma.

So let's start cooking. We will need:

young duck - 2-2.5 kg; apples - 300 g; pears - 300 g; plums - 300 g; granulated sugar - 3 tbsp. l.; butter - 50 g; cardamom - a few grains; cloves - 2-3 buds; dry basil - 1 tbsp. l.; salt, a mixture of seven peppers - to taste.

First, you need to remove the insides from the duck, rinse and dry. If there are unplucked feathers on the carcass, then they can fall off on a gas stove. This should be done carefully so as not to burn the skin. When the duck is ready, rub it with salt and pepper mixture inside and out.

Let's leave the duck to "breathe", and we ourselves begin to prepare the fruit filling. Choose fruits that are not too soft so that they can be cut into neat cubes. Fruits - apples, pears and plums - need to be washed, dried and cut into medium-sized cubes. It is not necessary to peel the fruit, but it is worth removing the cores. Add sugar, cardamom, cloves and basil to fruits. Mix everything thoroughly and leave for a while so that the sugar has time to dissolve and give sweetness to the fruit.

Now we start the duck. Place a mixture of fruits with seasonings inside the carcass. If it seems to you that there is too much fruit, you can lay out a small part. There should be enough filling so that it fits inside the duck carcass and does not fall out. The hole needs to be fastened - sewn up with a thread or simply fastened with toothpicks.

 

Almost done. Now put the duck on a baking sheet, greased with oil, or on baking paper. If you use oil, then it is better to choose olive oil for greasing the baking sheet. Then take the butter, melt it and pour over the duck. This will allow the duck to bake beautifully, with a golden crust, and remain tender and soft inside.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and place the duck inside for 1.5-2 hours at an average height - so that the duck is in the middle of the oven. During baking, periodically pour the duck with the resulting fat.

Ready! We take out the duck, open the fastened hole and put the carcass on the dish. Before serving, you can decorate the duck with baked apples or vegetables.

Cooking secrets: a note to the hostess

 

During cutting, be sure to cut off the butt of the duck - tailbone, tail. The baking time can be calculated by yourself depending on the weight of the duck: for 1 kg about 45 minutes + 25 minutes for the crust. If you are afraid that the duck will remain raw, you can first boil it for 15-20 minutes in salted water, then cool and cook further according to the recipe. If you bought a duck that was not singed, scorch it, even if it seems that it is superfluous. Better to be safe.

In general, it is not very difficult to cook a duck - you just need to understand the features of its preparation, and everything will definitely work out.

Good luck with your cooking! Surprise your family and friends!