Sunday, January 2, 2022

Spatchcocked Duck for the New Year

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Our resident chef (and organizational expert) has offered many fast and simple recipes over the past couple of years. This, dear readers, is not one of those. So, as Ogden Nash warned us: Duck!

 

Here we are again, I’m Celia Wakefield, here with my daughter, Olivia, to spatchcock and roast a duck for you. But before I begin, I send my grateful thanks to Julia, to Debs, Hallie, Hank, Jenn, Lucy and Rhys for giving me this chance to share something I love doing and with which I have so much fun. Along with my thanks to everyone for such positive feedback over the year I wish you all the best for 2022. Along with my constant prayer for acceptance and peace throughout the world, a strong healthcare system and something, some super something that will allow everyone to restart living again without fear.

 

In the meantime I hope everyone had a very Merry or Happy Christmas with family if possible, or at least a book or two under the tree. There were four books under the tree for me. No recipe books but Ruth Reichl and Tony Bourdain were my foodie choices this year.

 

The large red and green stocking is lying on my pile of book loot.    Christmas was wonderful with Olivia and Badger Dude (19, at Uni Wisconson) and gym guy (17, Junior in High School.) I had planned to keep the food simple and not stress. So long as it arrives in large enough quantities the boys are happy. I got a ham from Harringtons in Vermont and Olivia decided that she was chef and I would take it easy. We decided that the duck that I had also purchased, could wait in the name of simplicity. Ham with my dahl, a big pan of roasted veggies, a side of asparagus, and gluten free biscuits baked by Olivia, which were delicious. So delicious that being polite I took one first time through and went back to find an empty bowl. Now I’m not pointing the finger at anyone but the younger members looked very well fed. It all went down very well helped by plenty of champagne. As you can see in this photo, we stayed with champagne when it came time to roast the duck.

 

On to New Years Eve; we will not be partying - still, delicious nibbles always go down well. I will have a cooked duck to dress up for that date. I remember doing a chicken on JRW a while ago but ducks are built a little different and I love to try things out. Having assembled my sharp knives and the ingredients Olivia and I got to work as Julia was unable to join us on this. (ed. note: My car battery died)

 

I have never been a "crowds in Times Square" kind of person, but I do have memories of awesome NYE parties in my youth. There were lots of parties when I lived in Ghana at the University. Although I was only 16, I was always invited with my parents and so gained some needed social skills after the dreaded boarding school years. I have a clear memory of dancing the Eightsome reel with my father each New Years Eve. We have Scots blood and Father became fully Scot on NYE. Reels are so much fun to dance though I don’t think I have the stamina nowadays. Looking back my parents were about 40 years old. So young, as I look back from my late 70’s now.

 

But back to the duck. A little research on spatchcocked ducks found there was little helpful information. One delightful Quebecquois basically didn’t show any real techniques in her video but her idea of a bed of onions and cranberries which could then be morphed into a sauce was worth pursuing. Let’s start with a bed of onions and cranberries then.

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

1 Duck

1 large onion, cubed,

4-6 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed

1 12 oz. bag cranberries

1 large orange or 2 clementines

1 Tblsp grated nutmeg

1+ Tblsp 5 spice powder (cinnamon, fennel, cloves, star anise, white pepper)

Salt & Pepper

I Cup Marsala or white wine or port (I like Marsala as it is slightly sweeter

 

PREPARATION:

Heat the oven to 425 degrees

 

A roasting pan large round to take the duck comfortably. Lining it with foil will make it easier after cooking to separate duck fat - delicious for frying anything -, from the onion, cranberry and spice bed.

 

    Chop the onion into small cubes.                

    Smash, peel and roughly chop the garlic.

    Slice the orange or clementines into rounds

    Place the chopped onions and garlic in the roasting pan to make a bed and cover with cranberries.

    Place the rounds of citrus on top, then sprinkle with 5 Spice powder or use your own spices to approximate the 5 Spice mix and grate or sprinkle nutmeg on top.

    

   Spatchcock the duck. You need a long sharp knife and a pair of good poultry shears. (Or a cooperative butcher).

Turn the duck onto the breast. Feel the back bone and start cutting as close as you can on one side. Be ready to twist the connective tissues at the thigh bones and the wings. Wings can be harder than thighs, (I’m guessing they do more work).

Once you have cut along both sides, remove the back bone and keep for stock, then turn the duck over, place both hands on the breast area and lean in. You should hear a crack.

Clean out an extraneous tissue etc left inside.

 

    Place the spatchcocked duck on the bed of onions and cranberries.

    Prick the sides with a fork being careful to go through the skin but not through the meat.

    Put the pan into 425degree oven for 20 minutes.

    Then turn the oven down to 350degrees, add the cup of Marsala to the roasting pan but do not pour over the duck and continue to cook until a reading of 165degrees is read on the thigh and breast.

 

Here is the roast duck in all its glory, after it has rested on the side under a foil tent for 15 minutes.  Once the pan is cool enough drain the onion cranberry mix through a sieve into a bowl and place in the fridge to separate into fat and stock. The duck fat is delicious for frying potatoes etc. The stock will enhance any gravy, soup or sauce. The onion cranberry mixture can be blended with some seasonings and stock to make a tasty sauce. Just check as it may need a little sweetening.

 

What did I do with the duck? Well I was tempted to sink my teeth into it there and then. But Olivia was making a mushroom risotto for dinner so I removed and chopped up one of the breasts along with a leg to add to the risotto which I wish I could have shared it with you all. Isn’t it lovely to see ones child or children excel at a skill one enjoys so much oneself?

 

And the leftovers? I shall cook a mushroom/onion/garlic/wine combo, slice the duck breast thinly, and sauce it to serve over rice or noodles. Bon Appetit.

86 comments:

  1. Your holiday sounds as if it was perfectly delightful, Celia . . . I hope the new year brings you and yours all the best of everything.

    Duck . . . yum! This recipe sounds amazing; I’m definitely going to try this. Thanks for sharing . . . .

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    1. Joan, you can imagine how disappointed I was not to be able to help with this recipe. And by help, I mean eat duck.

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    2. Thank you Joan and I wish you and your family all the best too. Spatchcocking is fun.

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  2. Thank you, as always, for a clearly written - and filmed - recipe, Celia! We spatchcocked and dry rubbed our Thanksgiving turkey this year, and it was a big success.

    What a treat to have family with you. My son and his wife are asleep upstairs as I write, having celebrated our delayed Christmas together last night with black eyed peas and dirty rice with collards.

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    1. So wonderful to spend time with your family, Edith! Sounds wonderful!

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    2. Time with your beloved children is the best, isn't it?

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    3. You're so welcome Edith, love seeing your pics on Fb. Enjoy the family, I think if nothing else, that is one of the best lessons from the past two years. My poor grand boys were very good about the amount of hugging I needed.

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  3. CELIA: Thanks for the recipe. I LOVE duck (sorry ROSA, FLO and EDDY!). I cooked a Brome Lake duck breast with a port-sour cherry-shallot reduction for my solo Christmas dinner.

    And I made a whole Asian peking duck with moo shu pancakes/hoisin sauce for New Year's 2021 (thanks to Tori Eldridge sharing her video and recipe). Memories of this meal are popping up on my FB memories feed this weekend.

    I am going to make your spatchcocked duck this winter.

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    1. My mom used to make peking duck. Her recipe called for it to be hung for days to drain the fat. We had louvers over our kitchen windows that allowed passers by only a glimpse. A substitute postman (our regular one was used to the sight) spotted something hanging and decided it was a child. He called the police who came in full force and found a hanging duck!

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    2. KAIT: Laughing about the duck! Poor postman must have been traumatized.

      Tori's recipe is a 2-day process but fortunately does not require you to hang the duck for days. We were in lockdown in Ontario that New Year's and I was bored. Glad I made it, and will do so again. The challenge here is to find fresh whole duck. Even frozen duck is hard to find at the butcher or in Chinatown.

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    3. THE HANGING DUCK - a great title for a murder mystery!! My best recipe for roast duck has you pour boiling water over the raw duck before you season and roast it. The skin does this amazing shrinking thing when the boiling water hits it... I think it helps make the skin super crispy after cooking.

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    4. My brother and sister-in-law made Peking duck every Christmas--it was their family ritual. I don't remember that it had to hang, though.

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    5. Very welcome Grace, I would love to have share your Christmas feast with you. Actually the YouTube I reference was from Brome Lake. I've never made Peking duck but really love to eat it. Perhaps we can be Fb friends, as I would love to see those pics.
      Kait - too funny. With all these thoughts maybe it's time for me to dry out a duck! Let's hear it for the responsible postman.
      Great title Hallie, I've always wanted to do the boiling water trick. Next on my list, or is the Peking duck next. Let's see what Julia wants.

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    6. Mom was a big fan of Gourmet Magazine, she had copies from the 1950s. I bet it was a Gourmet suggestion. Now that you mention it, Grace, we never did see that postman again! We lived in a small town, one where you knew everyone, including the police force. The Chief told her it was the funniest incident report he ever read. Mom kept right on hanging her ducks, except she made sure the louvers were closed when she did.

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    7. CELIA: Sure, feel free to send me a FB friend request. I do try to keep the # of FB friends to about 100. I do post a lot about food, walking, books and (past) travel.

      KAIT: I also loved browsing through Gourmet (and Bon Appetit) magazine but never got a subscription.

      HALLIE: Love the title suggestion. And yes the boiling water on the duck probably helped render the fat and make the skin crispy...yum!

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    8. I subscribed to Gourmet for years! I had such cooking aspirations in those days.

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  4. Celia, thank you for this recipe, it looks divine. I don't think that I have ever made duck, and maybe I still won't do it. But I can see chicken or turkey made in this way and I love the combo of fruit, onion and spices.

    Lonely that your family is with you. Happy New Year.

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    1. Judy, I was just checking, and despite mentioning it, Celia hasn't done one of her spatchcocked chicken recipes here. I've had it at her house, however, and it's a delicious way to cook any domestic fowl.

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    2. You're most welcome Judy. Duck is so delicious, and not hard to cook though there are a few tricks. One is carefully pricking the skin to release the fat while cooking and I know Hallie's boiling water technique works. I have used a Jamie Oliver roast duck recipe which I got from the web a few years ago. Jamie is a top Brit chef. There's some advanced prep but it was worth it as delicious was the word as we ate it.
      Julia, thanks for checking, I HAVE to start an index of JRW recipes I've made. Groan - onto the list.

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    3. OMG AUTOCORRECT! GRR! "Lovely" that your family is with you! Lovely, lovely, lovely!

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  5. Celia, what great instruction! I now feel confident I could spatchcock fowl handily, thank you.

    One thing I have never cooked is duck, weirdly, since the first thing Steve ever cooked for me was a duck he'd shot when we were first dating, 43 years ago. He cooked it on a hibachi, remember those? But he no longer hunts waterfowl, hasn't in decades. A local friend recently cooked one, so I suspect she acquired it at Findlay Market here in Cincinnati, where all good things are found.

    Is it just me, or does Olivia resemble a younger Julia Spencer-Fleming?

    Happy New Year, dear Celia and family, and thank you for sharing your expertise again.

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    1. Karen, I also thought that Olivia looked a lot like a younger Julia.

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    2. I hadn't noticed it in person, but now you mention it, Karen...
      I wish my hair was still that thick and lush, sigh!

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    3. Karen, thank you, thank you. I am sure you could do it too. You need a or two very sharp knives, set them us using a steel if possible, and a good pair of poultry shears, scissors won't work, through garden shears might - ha ha. I'm guessing Steve's duck was good as here you are heading toward 50 years, congratulations. I'm laughing but I went back to look at the pic of Olivia/Julia. I think she will be honored (Olivia that is). Yes the two of them did get all the hair.
      Happy New Year back to you Karen, all good wishes for 2022.

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    4. Yes, it was plain, but delicious. Our 40th wedding anniversary is coming up in a few weeks!

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  6. Brava, Celia! Learning how to cook duck has been on my list for years. Cranberries and onions are the perfect compliment. Happy New Year.

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    1. Thanks Margaret, I think cooking a duck is one of those things that sounds more formidable than it turns out. My approach is research on the web. See one that feels as if it would work for you and go for it. Reading up from a master such as Julia Child in Mastering the Art, will give one lots of tips too.
      All happiness, health, joy, books and cooking back to you Margaret.

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  7. I just took a few minutes to read yesterday's blog with all of the fabulous contributions from everyone. It's great that we can go back and access them because I think I'll put it on my calendar for July 1 to do just that!

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    1. We could do a mid year check around the 4th of July and see how everyone's words are doing, Judy.

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    2. That is a brilliant idea Judy. I'm keeping MOVE in front of me.

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  8. I've never cooked a duck or spatchcocked any bird, but who knows what 2022 might bring? I love the sound of the onion/garlic/cranberry/orange bed for cooking on and can see that that would work with the chicken pieces I have in the freezer. Thank you, Celia, for the recipe and the inspiration. Happy New Year to you and yours!

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    1. Amanda, I don't cook like Celia (I don't have the patience or the keen interest), but watching her cook has taught me lots of things to use in a simpler way.

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    2. I've been giving some consideration to my cooking style and skills recently. Prompted I think by my JRW recipes. I don't think Julia realizes completely the gift she has given me as I was always fearful about my writing skills having received lots of parental comments! Most of my cooking is what we all cook daily, the tried and true, what the family likes etc. But moving to Maine exposed me to local produce and I realize I have changed how I look at what we eat. I've made an effort to buy at markets, then freeze and store for the winter but I think that being retired gave me the time to plan and think about how I wanted to live. It's been a journey Amanda, and I love it. Happy, Healthy, Joyful with books and writing is my wish for you.

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  9. Lovely Celia, thanks for sharing! I'd love to hear the titles of the Bourdain and Reichl books...

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    1. Thank you both. 'Save me the Plums', is Ruth's most recent. It's a walk through her years as editor in Chief at Gourmet. Her writing is as tasty as ever, food descriptions had me drooling, but it's a sad story in so many ways. A cautionary tale for this time.
      'Bourdain - The Definitive Oral Biography - Laurie Woolever who worked as Bourdain's assistant and coauthor. I haven't started it yet but I've always been fascinated by Tony since I picked up and read Kitchen Confidential. I bought the knives he recommended in the book and while they lose their edge daily, Victor keeps them sharp for me. I mourn his death but rejoice what he gave to us. Such a unlikely, unwilling star.

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    2. I've read the Reichl, which I thoroughly enjoyed, especially having been a Gourmet reader for years. But I haven't read the Woolever so will want to know what you think of it.

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  10. Celia, I love to read your snippets of life and to watch your videos. Thank you for sharing this technique and recipe.
    We ate duck’s thighs at my brother’s on New Year eve. It was delicious.

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    1. Danielle, I just realized I'm not seeing the header, with our pictures, just as you said a few days ago. Blogger, ugh.

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    2. Danielle, as Ruth Reichl says, "Save me the Plums", I say 'Give me the Duck'. What a treat a bro who cooks delicious food, mine did too.

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    3. Julia, it didn’t come back since.

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  11. The recipe looks fabulous and your directions are wonderful. My parents used to make a spatchcocked chicken that was marvelous. I've not been brave enough to attempt spatchcocking, but perhaps I will now.

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    1. Kait, one thing I've learned from Celia is to just dice in and try it - with most cooking, any goofs can be covered up by skillful arranging on the serving dish! (For an example of this, see her patching together a less than perfect pavlova: https://www.jungleredwriters.com/2021/03/sunday-recipe-pavlova-for-spring.html

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    2. LOL - so true! I think the videos will help, too.

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    3. Kait, thank you so much, you are kind, but now I challenge to jump in and grab a preferably fresh or unfrozen chicken and have a go. I made some comments to Julia above on knives etc. When you look at the whole chicken think of the pieces we normally cook and that can offer a road map as to what joins which where. Take hold of the thigh where it joins the body and bend in the opposite direction, hopefully you will get a nice crack. There, now as you cut along the back bone when you meet the thigh it's already disconnected from the back and you cut through the ligaments to free the backbone. Same for other joints. Good luck.

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    4. I accept your challenge! It may take me a bit of time to get to it, but I have copied and printed the instructions above, and I will do it. My mother's recipe was a "deviled" chicken and I loved it. It was from the Time/Life series - the Italian book, I think, and I have the books. Perhaps I will recreate a bit of my childhood!

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  12. Celia, thank you for another wonderful cooking lesson. I doubt I will try the duck, but maybe. Your step-by-step instructions make it look so simple. Probably getting a butcher to do the cutting would be a good idea but I'm not sure if there is one near where I live. Yes, the supermarket has their own butcher, but I wonder if they are a real butcher. I'm guessing they are or they couldn't call themselves that.

    Happy New Year, Celia, and to all the Reds and readers!

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    1. Judi, that's something I've always wondered about supermarket butchers, since the most I've asked one to do has been to trim and tie ribs for a crown roast.

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    2. Judi, is there a farmers market in your area? There are often good, traditional butchers plying their wares in such a venue.

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    3. You're very welcome Judi, I quite understand. Watching someone cook is more than learning a new technique. Victor watch GBBS, most days as a form of relaxation and fun. I'm not a real baker and I am in awe of what they can do and in the time given. Yes, I know I could make some of the recipes, but I don't want to; just to enjoy watching someone else. However you might ask to speak to the chief butcher at your supermarket and see what he says. At least their knives will be very sharp.

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  13. I love a crispy roast duck ... such a treat and this recipe looks like a winner. It's realy not al that compicated and I'll bet the house smells great while it's cooking. Thank you, Celia.

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    1. You're most welcome Hallie, and Yes it does smell great. I know you are a great cook too. I think the hardest thing is getting one's hands on a duck. I know that there are some fab butchers shops near you as my cousin used to live there.

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    2. HALLIE: I agree cooking a roast duck is pretty easy.
      Here is the link to Tori Eldridge's crispy Asian mandarin duck recipe. The duck needs to air dry for a few hours (not days) in her recipe.
      https://torieldridge.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Toris-Crispy-Mandarin-Duck-Recipe.pdf

      The 2 cooking videos are no longer on her main web site, though, they may be on her Instagram page.

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  14. Oh my goodness, this is the loveliest thing I have ever seen. Your “instruction” voice is so charming, and so natural, and this is so much fun to watch! What a treat! I am swooning with wanting duck, and even more with wanting you and Olivia to come over and cook it. Thank you so much for this.

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    1. If we every do that Jungle Reds get-together we've talked about, we'll ask Celia to do a live cooking lesson for us. I can say from experience the best part is getting to eat your homework after :-)

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  15. Happy new recipe/technique day to you and your daughter, Celia. I'm always looking for new recipes with cranberries included. I'm thinking that for one person, finding duck pieces might be more logical since I hate throwing out food after it's gone to its great reward in fridge because I get tired of eating the same thing more than three days in a row. Thank you to you and your daughter for sharing the technique of duck spatchcocking and I hope you have gotten a new battery, Julia. Being without reliable transportation in the winter is a frightening thought.

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    1. While my son was here, Deana, he drove the car to a place and got the battery tested. They said it was fine, but as it's conked out twice since then, I'm just going to go ahead and get a new one. I agree - I don't want to be without my usually reliable Honda in the winter!

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    2. Get a heavy duty battery, Julia. When we lived in Ohio and in Minnesota that was always the way to go.

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    3. Thank you Deana, and Olivia says thanks also. Duck pieces would be a great way to go. The cooked duck has lasted well in the fridge. I store cooked food on the bottom shelf as they say its the coldest part. Ideas - ducking risotto, with spaghetti and mushrooms, duck pie with a potato topping rather than a pastry one. I love leftovers.

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  16. Celia, that was so much fun, and all of your holiday celebrations sound delightful! Poultry shears are going on my post-Christmas list! I have a duck breast in my freezer and am trying to find the perfect recipe for that.

    Our butcher sells spatchcocked chickens so maybe I will try your recipe with one of those.

    Happy new year to you, Celia!

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    1. Debs, be sure to get really good shears. I've had three different ones, and am thrilled to finally have a decent pair that can actually cut through bone.

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    2. Happy, happy New Year Debs, and many thanks. I am awaiting your book with anticipation. I can only send grateful thanks for getting through the last two years. Your book in on my post list too. My shears are Zwillng-J.A. Henckles.
      Yes, we had a great holiday, I hated to see them go. But a spatchcocked chicken would be great. Lucky you with a good butcher at hand.

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    3. Karen, what brand is the decent pair?

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    4. I don't see a brand name on them, but I dimly remember getting them in the Henckles section at Macy's. They come apart so you can wash them, too. The ones that are not good are from Kitchen Aid and Fiskars. The Fiskars ones got rusty, both pair I had.

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    5. Debs, Blogger is giving me ajita (don't know how to spell), but it may have thrown off my comment to you. Mine are Zwilling - J.A. Henckle, not the most expensive as I don't go for bone too often.

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  17. Celia, thank you so much for the recipe! My husband loves duck but I've never been able to do it justice. I will try this out, even the spatchcock. I learned the word "spatchcock" from a Jamie Oliver episode and loved the word, so had to learn to do it. I wasn't so terribly successful, but I have a great butcher, transplanted from England to Ontario. I asked him for a "spatchcocked" chicken and his face lit up. "I haven't heard that word in a long time!" Seeing it used here, today, made my day.

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    1. Wow cd, sounds as if your butcher would do it for you, or even let you watch while he did it. Love Jamie's recipes and he has done so much for school meals in Britain. Let me know how it goes, wakefieldpro at gmail etc.
      Oh, and you're most welcome.

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  18. Thank you Celia and Olivia for the lesson! So fun to watch. We went to a restaurant years ago in an old German Texan community and they served bread fried in duck fat. Delicious!

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    1. You're welcome Pat. Oh duck fat, yes so good for frying everything. Please everyone save your duck fat!

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    2. Our local butcher (yes, we are so lucky to have them!) also sells jars of duck fat.

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  19. Thank you, Celia! I always love your recipes and lessons.
    This year Greg graced us with a couple of roasted ducks with the fresh fig chutney he made this fall. Yums. So blessed to be with a partner who loves to cook!
    Happy New Year to all.

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    1. You're welcome Martha, and blessings on Greg so delicious.

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  20. Hallie, my husband Photoshopped your Bozo for you. It's on your Facebook page!

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  21. Celia, thank you for the videos and recipe, it's always a treat to see and learn from you!
    I've spatchcocked chicken several times, so must try this with duck soon! We used to have a wide circle of family and friends(including dh)who were duck hunters and my mother, along with D's favorite aunt gave me several recipes I've used through the years. I like to have lots of sauce with mine, to complement and cut the strong flavor of the bird. Also want to say thanks to Olivia, and I had to look twice to see if she was Julia in the photo! All best wishes for a healthy, safe, and peaceful New Year to you and your lovely family!

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    1. Lynn, thank you so much for your lovely compliments and my very best wishes back to you for 2022. Olivia is going to be so amused to be Julia. I'm with you bring on the sauce.

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  22. Delightful and tasty as always.
    Is it just me? The first and third videos seem to be the same.
    Also you mention using 5 spice seasoning and nutmeg but show only cinnamon sticks going into the pan.
    I cheated for Thanksgiving and got a pre-cooked goose from Schlitz. It comes frozen and you just bake it. Quite tasty.

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    1. Thank you Libby, oh, oh, are the videos wrong I am so sorry but Julia has to fix as they don't trust me not to mess up Blogger who actually spends its time messing with me! Five spice seasoning is what I was shaking over the clementines. You should be able to get it in any supermarket or a Chinese market. The cinnamon sticks added a little more to the flavor. I LOVE the idea of a precooked goose. Does Schlitz do mail order?

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  23. I love watching other people cook who enjoy it!

    And I also love that word 'spatchcock'. 'Well, spatchcock a duck!' might be my new expression of amazement....

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  24. You're right Flora, it's a great word and in the mouth too. "Well, spatchcock my duck!"

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  25. That duck looks fantastic, Celia! I am in awe of your talents! Bravo!!!!

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