Salmis De Caneton à la Rouennaise

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy shallow roasting pan
• •14-inch (35 cm) flameproof oval metal serving dish
• •Very sharp slicing or carving knife
• •Poultry shears
• •Sturdy fine-mesh sieve
• •Potato masher or small heavy pan for pressing
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Kitchen twine

Instructions

1. 1

   Ready the fierce oven

   Set a rack in the upper third of the oven and heat it to 500°F (260°C), using convection if available. Preheat a heavy shallow roasting pan with it for at least 25 minutes. Cut around the duck's clavicle, the V-shaped wishbone at the neck end, and pull it free; this opens a clean path for carving the breasts. Truss the duck compactly and dry it thoroughly. Lay it on one side in the hot pan for exactly 4 minutes, turn it onto the other side, and roast for 4 minutes more. This first cooking sets the exterior rather than cooking the bird through. Rest it for 5 to 7 minutes, just until it can be handled. If the fierce heat has left soot-black patches, wipe them away with a clean damp cloth while preserving the brown skin beneath. Burnt residue would make the pressed jus bitter.

   Use a completely thawed duckling within the stated weight range. A larger bird cannot follow the book's eight-minute timing honestly.
2. 2

   Butter and season dish

   Mix the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and allspice. Butter a 14-inch (35 cm) flameproof oval metal serving dish with 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) of the butter. Scatter the chopped shallots over it, then dust them with one-third of the seasoning. Keep the remaining seasoning beside the carving board.

3. 3

   Carve thirty aiguillettes

   Remove both legs cleanly at the hip joints, followed by the two wing stumps. Lift the breast fillets from the keel in whole pieces and remove their skin, reserving two neat pieces of breast skin for grilling. An aiguillette is a thin lengthwise slice of breast, and the direction of this cut follows Aiguillettes de Rouennais à la Bigarrade (No. 1755). With a very sharp slicing knife, cut each fillet lengthwise into 15 even slices, about 1/16 inch (1.5 to 2 mm) thick. Keep the slices in their original order so they can be laid down neatly.

4. 4

   Cisel and grill joints

   Cisel the inner flesh of each leg, meaning make several close-set shallow cuts without cutting through the skin. This lets fierce heat reach the joint before the outside burns. Season the legs, wing stumps, and reserved breast skin with half the remaining spice mixture. Set them under a fully heated broiler, about 4 inches (10 cm) from the element, turning the legs once. Remove the breast skin when crisp and the wing stumps when cooked through, usually after 3 to 7 minutes. Continue cooking the legs until their juices run clear and the thickest part reaches 165°F (74°C), about 10 to 14 minutes. If the skin browns before the joint is ready, lower the rack and continue. Hold everything warm.

5. 5

   Lay the breast slices

   Arrange the aiguillettes against one another in two close, slightly overlapping ranks over the shallots. Keep them in a single shallow layer so every slice receives the same flash of heat. Sprinkle them evenly with the last of the seasoning, adding no more shallot on top.

6. 6

   Press the carcass jus

   Roughly chop the warm carcass with poultry shears. Set the pieces in a sturdy fine-mesh sieve over a small saucepan and press them forcefully with a potato masher or the base of a smaller heavy pan, sprinkling in the red wine a little at a time as you work. Press until the bones have surrendered their juices and the wine has washed them into the saucepan. Bring the collected liquid to a full boil for 1 minute, then reduce briskly to about ⅓ cup (80 ml), skimming off excess duck fat. It should taste concentrated and lightly coat a spoon, not become sticky. If it goes syrupy, ça se rattrape: stir in 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) of wine and return it briefly to the boil. Strain the hot jus over the aiguillettes.

7. 7

   Glaze in a flash

   Dot the aiguillettes with the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) of butter. Set the flameproof dish over the lowest stove heat for 20 to 30 seconds, only until the jus stirs beneath the slices, then place it immediately beneath the fully heated broiler. Watch without turning away. Pull the dish as soon as the aiguillettes turn opaque and their fine edges begin to curl, usually within 45 to 75 seconds; the slices are thin enough to cook through at that signal. If one side moves faster, rotate the dish once rather than waiting for the first slices to tighten. Set a grilled leg at each end, place the two wing stumps and crisp breast skin in the middle, and serve at once. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The duckling's size is part of the method. Stay between 4½ and 5 pounds (2 to 2.25 kg), and ask for a young, tender bird; eight fierce minutes cannot tame an older or heavier duck.
• •A duck press is splendid machinery, but it isn't the dish. Poultry shears, a strong sieve, and determined pressure recover the carcass juices perfectly well for four servings. The pressing stays because it builds the jus; the grand apparatus can go.
• •Cut all 30 aiguillettes before arranging any of them. Uneven slices finish at different moments under the broiler, and this dish gives you no leisurely interval in which to negotiate.
• •Use real butter. It melts into the reduced duck jus and gives the instantaneous glaze its sheen; a fat substitute separates and leaves the surface dull. We don't apologize for butter.
• •Pour a light, dry red with the dish, such as Pinot Noir or Cabernet Franc. The wine should have enough freshness for the duck and enough restraint to leave the nutmeg and allspice alone.

Advance Preparation

• •The wishbone can be removed and the duck trussed up to 4 hours ahead. Keep it refrigerated and uncovered, then dry the surface again before roasting.
• •Chop the shallots, mix the seasoning, measure the wine, and butter the serving dish earlier in the day. Cover and refrigerate the shallots until needed.
• •Do not roast or carve the duck ahead. The final sequence depends on warm carcass juices, freshly cut breast, and immediate service; once the first roasting begins, carry the dish straight through.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 220g)