Ingredients

1 or 2 wild duck     
A few truffles (optional)
1 gill of white wine      
1 liqueur glass of brandy
1 gill of Sauce Espagnole (see Accompaniments for Roast Wildfowl)    
1 bay leaf 
A sprig of thyme
3 or 4 shallots       
Salt and pepper
½ lb mushrooms

Methods

Roast the birds and while they are being roasted put the chopped shallots, the herbs, etc, in a small saucepan with the white wine and simmer gently till reduced to about one third.  When the birds are nearly done, carve them carefully, removing all fresh meat from carcass.  Place the pieces of duck in a saucepan with the brandy and set alight.  When the brandy is burnt out add a little Espagnole sauce, cover with a lid and keep warm.  Chop up the bones or pound then in a mortar and add to the wine and shallots, mixing well.  Add the remaining Espagnole sauce, stir well, simmer gently and skim carefully.  Cook for about 20 minutes.  Five minutes before serving, strain half the sauce over the pieces of duck and place the saucepan over a slow heat, but on no account should the sauce be allowed to boil.  Remove the remainder of the sauce from the heat; add a few small pieces of butter, not quite 1 oz. altogether, and strain over the birds.  Garnish with the cooked mushrooms, a few sliced truffles and croutons of fried bread. 

Roast duck and geese are usually stuffed with any of the following:-

Onion

Either a shallot for a little teal, or ½ a whole onion for a wigeon will often improve the flavour particularly in hard weather.

Orange or Tangerine

An orange cut into two to four sections lengthwise and slipped into the abdominal cavity and is a welcome variation to improve the flavour. 

Sage and Onion

Probably the most usual stuffing and one of the best.

Method

Skin the onion and place in cold water – bring to the boil – discard the water and place in fresh cold water. Boil and simmer until tender.  Mix the chopped onion with white breadcrumbs, chopped suet, salt and pepper and 3 or 4 sage leaves which have been blanched and chopped, a nut of butter and an egg to bind the stuffing.  This stuffing can be obtained in a packet for use in emergencies.

Apple and Prune

1 lb sliced raw apples and a number of whole soaked prunes. This is particularly good with goose.

Apple and Sausage

Lightly fry sausage meat, brown sliced apple in the fat, and mix with 1 tablespoonful of sugar, a dash of cinnamon and 2 tablespoonfuls of brandy.

Apple and Raisin

A combination of raw apples with raisins, shredded suet, white breadcrumbs and an egg, seasoned to taste.

Parsnips or Artichokes

Either of these roots makes a change if chopped and put in the birds with a good sized knob of butter.

Accompaniments for Roast Wildfowl

Although wildfowl are much less rich than domestic ducks they are basted and cooked in butter and therefore most of the sauces to be served with them are fruit based to counteract any tendency to greasiness.  Many have wine added, but it is important that the gravy or sauce does not mask the flavour of the duck itself.

The heart, liver and neck of the duck or goose should be used to make stock for gravy.  This may be augmented or replaced by chicken or bone stock and if necessary by stock cubes.

The gravy or sauce for the duck or goose is very important.  It must have a sharp fruit flavour or a red wine flavour.  The basic brown sauce, which I used, is made by frying sliced onion or shallots in butter to which a little oil has been added.  The onion should not be allowed to brown, but when tender, sufficient flour is added to absorb the fat and the pan contents simmered until the flour is cooked.  The cold duck stock from which the fat has been removed is then added all at once and the mixture brought to the boil, stirring all the time.  The seasoning can be adjusted to taste and the colour deepened with browning. 

This basic gravy can be varied by the addition of different ingredients:

• the juice of an orange
• red wine, sherry or port.
• the addition of a small tin of red peppers sliced (called Mexican sauce in Shooting by Moor, Field and Shore.  The Lonsdale Library, Vol III).
• a Russian recipe adds sliced mushrooms. 
• the addition of pine kernels, which can be brought at may stores, give the sauce a delicious almond-like flavour.

Or it may be replaced by:-

Sauce Bigarade

Ingredients

1 onion     
1 orange rind and juice
1 nut of butter      
1 teaspoonful red-currant jelly
1 wine glass of red wine    
Good gravy

Method
Soften chopped onion in the butter, add wine, orange rind and juice, and redcurrant jelly and then mix with ½ pt of good gravy.  Bring slowly to the boil.

Sauce Espagnole

Ingredients

¼ lb butter     
2 oz flour
4 oz carrots    
1 gill of white wine
¼ lb onions     
3 tablespoonfuls of tomato puree
¼ lb lean gammon    
2 oz mushrooms peelings
A few parsley stalks    
2 tablespoonfuls Madeira
A sprig of thyme     
1 ½qt good stock
A small bay leaf

Method

Cut the vegetables and dice, put the butter in a saucepan and when melted add the vegetables.  Sweat until the vegetables are slightly cooked, then add the flour, mix well with a wooden spoon and cook gently till the flour begins to brown.  Then add very gradually the white wine and the stock.  Bring to the boil, add the mushrooms and the tomato puree and simmer very gently for 1 hour, skimming carefully as the scum rises.  Now strain into another saucepan through the sieve, replace on the heat and, bring to the boil again, skimming carefully as the scum rises.  Strain into another saucepan through a sieve, replace on the heat, bring to the boil and again skim most carefully as the sauce should be entirely free from grease. When finished the sauce should be reduced to 1 quart.  Remove from the fire, add the Madeira and strain once more.  This sauce will keep for several days in a cook place and can be used as required for many dishes.

Colonel Peter Hawker’s Sauce

Ingredients

2 glasses port wine     
1 tablespoonful Mushroom ketchup
1 tablespoonful Harvey’s sauce   
1 tablespoonful lemon juice

Method

Stew in stock a finely chopped shallot – with a little cayenne, a blade of mace (or powdered) and 2 cloves.  Add the wine, Harvey’s sauce and mushroom ketchup.  In a separate pan melt butter, add flour, and make a roux.  Then add the stock, sauce and stir till it thickens. 

A quick sauce

Can be made from a packet of Maggi Sauce Chasseur – a quick way of producing Sauce Espagnole.

Deep frozen ready-made accompaniment

Baby onions in white sauce

Fresh cherries

Added to Sauce Bigarade

Many other variations can be found in the cookery books and it is worth experimenting yourself.

As well as the sauce you can serve one or more of these:-

Watercress

Both decorative and tasty

Apple sauce

Made from cooking apples peeled, cored and stewed – addition of a little lemon juice helps to keep the sauce a good colour.  Serve hot.  Tinned stewed apple or packets of dried apples are useful to keep in the store cupboard.

Cranberries

Fresh, stewed and served hot; or as cranberry jelly or orange and cranberry sauce in a jar.

Orange salad

Peeled sliced oranges served with a French dressing; as an alternative the dressing can be made with olive oil and brandy, cayenne and lemon juice.

Fried orange slices

Peeled and sliced orange which has been lightly fried in butter and dusted with caster sugar.  Served hot.

Orange sauce

Rind and juice of orange added to a dark rich gravy

Orange jelly

Which can be bought.

Spiced oranges

Ingredients

12 oranges      
1 pkt pickling spice
1 lb sugar      
1 ¼ pt vinegar

Method

Slice oranges lengthwise, then crosswise into ¼ inch thick pieces.  Pressure cook for 10 minutes at 15lb in ½ pt of water.  Meanwhile boil vinegar with the spice and leave for 2 hours.  Strain.  Bring to the boil until the rings clarify.  Place in warm jars.  Reduce vinegar until it begins to thicken and cover slices.  Top and leave for 3 months.  Especially good with cold duck. 

Peaches

Tinned sliced peaches served hot, with the addition of a sauce made from 2 tablespoonfuls of port or cognac, the juice of a lemon and a dusting of sugar.

Apricots

Fresh, stewed or tinned.

Pineapple

Slices of fresh pineapple grilled

Bread sauce, fried crumbs and redcurrant jelly

Green olives

Madame Luc Hoffman from the Camargue serves green olives with roast duck. 

 Back        Print this page