Braised Duck With Olives
- 1 Pekin duck, about 3 1/2 pounds
- Salt and pepper
- 5 branches fresh thyme
- 5 stalks fresh rosemary
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups pinot noir or similar red wine or port
- 2 medium carrots, scraped and sliced
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 small onion, quartered
- 2 bay leaves
- Thinly peeled rind of 1 lemon
- 8 ounces picholine or similar green olives, pitted
- 1 teaspoon flour (optional)
- 1 teaspoon butter, melted (optional)
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Remove the duck's wings, giblets and neck; rinse inside and out and dry.
- Prick the skin of the breast and thighs with a fork.
- Lightly season the inside with salt and pepper; stuff with thyme and rosemary.
- Place duck, breast side down, in a large Dutch oven (preferably enamel-lined) over medium heat and brown on all sides, spooning off the fat as it renders.
- Bring stock and wine to a boil in a small pan; pour over the duck.
- Add the vegetables, bay leaves, lemon rind and several grindings of pepper.
- Cover; braise in oven until the leg meat is firm and the breast brown throughout, about 1 hour.
- Remove duck and cover loosely.
- Strain the stock, discard the vegetables and spoon off the fat.
- Boil stock until reduced to about 1 cup, about 10 minutes.
- Add the olives for the final 3 to 4 minutes.
- (You may thicken stock slightly with a roux of flour and butter.)
- Adjust seasonings.
- To serve, thinly slice the breast lengthwise.
- Separate legs from thighs.
- Pour on sauce.
pekin duck, salt, thyme, rosemary, chicken stock, red wine, carrots, celery, onion, bay leaves, lemon, picholine, flour, butter
Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/7091 (may not work)