CHRISTMAS DUCK WITH ORANGE & HOISIN, an indulgence, easy, prepare ahead

Festive treat for small households...

Orange & Hoisin Duck: exotic alternative to turkey, for small households
'Perfect alternative to turkey with fabul festive flavours' Taster

The Christmas season is perfect for the succulent dark meat of a burnished duck with crisp skin and fruity accents.  

67's offering is Asian style but elevated from the usual.  The bird is stuffed with oranges, lemon grass, onion and garlic.  The skin is painted with hoisin & orange sauce and basted with the drippings to flavour the meat. 

It's served with a sticky rice stuffing, roasted sprouts, baby corn & parsnips, and dressed with a family friendly Cinnamon Cranberry & Orange sauce.

The cooking process starts the day before to dry out the skin and make it more crisp.  

Ducks from an independent butcher are recommended if budget allows but supermarkets often offer special deals on duck during December.

Cost: £10-20'ish, depending on duck
Serves: 4  

Ingreds:
   1 whole duck*, 1.5-2 kilos

   1 large orange, zest & juice
   1 small orange, sectioned, membranes removed
   1 clove garlic, grated
   1 stick lemon grass, bashed until its aroma perfumes the working area, sliced coarsely

   2 tbsp Hoisin sauce 

Method:

1. The night or day before: Pour a kettle of boiling water over the duck; drain.  Refrigerate a couple of hours; repeat.  Stab the skin all over with a fork; lightly salt. Rest overnight in the fridge.
2. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 190c/375f
3. Zest & juice large orange, set zest, juice & orange shells aside.  Cut onion into 8ths.
4. Mix orange shells, onion, flattened garlic cloves and lemon grass; use some to stuff duck cavity and the rest to line the base of a roasting tin
5. Mix hoisin sauce with orange juice & zest; brush it all over the duck; pour the rest over the veg in the base of the tin, adding enough water to reach  1/2in/1cm (this will prevent the duck meat drying out) 
6. Place duck on a rack/trivet in the roasting tin.  
7. Bake in bottom of oven 2 hours or until dark gold; after 1 hour, baste every 20 mins with the juices from the tin.
8. Note:  the duck will release a great deal of fat; check the pan at intervals.  If necessary, don oven gloves, slide the duck onto a platter, carefully pour off any excess into a heat-proof container, and return duck to oven.  

*67's from Barretts Englands Lane; general prices £10-20

Comments:

'Nothing beats a home roasted duck; this one, with orange & Asian accents, is perfect for the festive season.' Journalist

Tips:
For the frugal, the traditional shredded duck with pancakes, can be found here

                                                                    More duck on Nav Bar: Recipes I/chicken & poultry...

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This recipe has been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  It may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.