Recipes

Roast Duck with Plums

  • Serves

    serves 6

PHOTOGRAPHY BY INGALLS PHOTOGRAPHY

A simple roast duck is paired with juicy plums and spices in this recipe from Biergarten Cookbook: Traditional Bavarian Recipes by Julia Skowronek (Dorling Kindersley, March 2015). This recipe first appeared with the 2015 SAVEUR 100 item Rediscover German Food.

Ingredients

  • 1 (5 1/2–6-lb.) Long Island or Pekin duck
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 4 medium yellow onions, cut into 1" wedges
  • 4 sprigs thyme
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 2 lb. ripe plums, halved and pitted

Instructions

Step 1

Heat oven to 350°. Season duck generously with salt and pepper and place breast side up in a roasting pan. Add 1 cup water to pan; roast duck for 1 hour. Scatter onions, thyme, cloves, and cinnamon around duck; roast, basting occasionally with pan drippings, for 1 hour. Increase oven to 450° and add plums to pan; roast until skin of duck is browned and crisp and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of leg reads 165°, about 30 minutes. Transfer duck to a cutting board; let rest 10 minutes before carving. Using a slotted spoon, transfer plums and onions to a bowl; set aside.

Step 2

Strain pan juices into a 4-qt. saucepan; simmer over medium, skimming fat as needed, until sauce is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in reserved plums and onions; cook until warmed through, 1–2 minutes more. Carve duck and arrange on a serving platter. Using a slotted spoon, place plums and onions around duck; pour sauce over duck.

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