What he failed to mention about the duck

[rikibeth]

shadowflyer's birthday duck, that is.

"Lacquered Duck Bathed In Rich Sauce" from Lobscouse and Spotted Dog, the Aubrey-Maturin cookbook.

Which is in the fridge, marinating, as we speak. On a roasting rack, not hung up, because our fridge is not really suited for suspending a duck.

Anyway, what he forgot to mention about it was the totally inadequate job the (mechanical?) plucking equipment had done before the duck got to the store.

Leaving eleventy gazillion pinfeathers stuck in the skin.

And, you see, I am passionately fond of small iced cakes crisp duck skin. Which this will be, as it's air-drying overnight in the fridge and has a honey-vinegar glaze besides.

So I didn't want to be eating eleventy gazillion pinfeathers.

So I sat there for at least half an hour with a pair of eyebrow tweezers, yanking out all the damned feather bits.

I hope it's worth it.

Comments

[cluegirl.livejournal.com]

They didn't blanche the duck before plucking it.

Immersing the carcase for ten to thirty seconds in boiling water opens the pores of the skin, letting the pinfeathers come out along with the rest of the down.

So consider yourself clued for next time.

[zdashamber.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I thought I'd remembered something like that from the "Little House" books. I suppose the eyebrow tweezer option is less messy and more sure than the "give the duck a hot wax" option, which is the other thing that sprang to my mind...

I hope it's worth it, too, Riki. Sounds fascinating and storyful, at least...

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

I vaguely remembered my mother saying something about her grandmother singeing the pinfeathers off with a candle flame, but I was not in any hurry to try that.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

I knew there had to be a reason why the roast goose I made some years ago (which I did blanch, according to the instructions I was following, to help render some of the fat) didn't drive me insane with eleventy gazillion pinfeathers.

[ap-aelfwine.livejournal.com]

I hope it's worth it as well. Please let us know how it comes out?

And happy birthday to shadowflyer!

[goldfired.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday to shadowflyer!

Is the rich sauce anything like the royal sauce for hare which I made once? (It's a bitter chocolate sauce and quite amazingly nice)?

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

No, it's an Asian-influenced sauce with hoisin and catsup and star anise and so on. I expect it'll be very nice.

[eternaleponine.livejournal.com]

small iced cakes

Hee! Alec!

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

I knew you'd get that one! I couldn't resist. I expect immlass noticed it too.

[eternaleponine.livejournal.com]

I <3 Alec and his little iced cakes. :-D

[ghilledhu.livejournal.com]

You have my sympathies; the free turkey we got from Shoprite this year was covered in quills. Bleh.