On Wed, 26 Oct 2005 19:56:33 -0400, Dave Smith
> wrote:

>OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:
>
>>
>> >
>> > Thanks, but I have tried duck at least a dozen times and every one of them
>> > was a
>> > failure. I had given up on them a long time ago, but something possessed me
>> > to give
>> > it one more try, and that one was the biggest failure of all. The skin turned
>> > out
>> > like a neoprene wet suit. I did prick the skin all over. Sadly, duck as been
>> > relegated to one of those dishes to be ordered in a restaurant because I
>> > cannot do
>> > it at home :-(
>> >
>>
>> That's a shame...
>> How have you been cooking it?
>>
>
>I am testing my memory. It has been about 5 years since I swore off cooking duck. I
>used to prick the skin all over, stick some sliced orange inside, cook it at about
>350F. My earliest attempts weren't great, and they got worse and worse. I am not
>incompetent in the kitchen. I can do all sorts of other roasts, fry, stir fry,
>braise, bake, do jams and jellies. Duck is the only think that has always flopped.
>
>
I have successfully cooked roast duck a number of times. I use the
method in Joy of Cooking which gives a beautifully crisp skin, tender
duck The duck I use are farm raised, not wild duck.

Rinse duck inside and out and dry thoroughly. Pull out visible fat
from neck end and around parson's nose. Slide sharp skewer under the
skin of duck, being careful not to pierce the meat. Do this many times
as the fat will come out of the prick holes during cooking.

Place duck breast side down on elevated rack.
Preheat oven to 250F
Roast for three hours. Drain off fat as required, and reserve.
Turn duck breast side up
Turn heat up to 350F, and roast for 45 minutes more.
Remove duck from oven and let it stand for 10 minutes.

Reserve fat for other uses in cooking (eg roasted potatoes)