Duck with apples is a festive New Year’s dish. The presence of a duck on the table on New Year’s Eve is a symbol of good luck, peace, prosperity and well-being of the whole family.
In addition, duck is a source of protein, B vitamins, phosphorus, zinc, selenium and many other useful substances. To make it really tasty, baked well, you should follow some rules for its preparation.
Defrost correctly
A carcass weighing no more than 2-2,5 kilograms is perfect for a baked dish. This duck has a lot of lean meat and little fat. If the duck was bought in advance and managed to visit the freezer, you should defrost it correctly. Move the bird from the freezer to the refrigerator for a few hours, then remove the duck and thaw it at room temperature. Do not use water or microwave – the duck will lose its flavors, and its meat will become tasteless and tough.
Handle correctly
Usually, duck carcasses are sold plucked. But it is still advisable to carefully examine the skin and remove the remaining hairs and hemp. Hold the duck over the switched on burner, and then remove the darkened hemp with tweezers. Of course, the duck should be cleaned of giblets, the duck’s tail should be cut out (a source of fat and an unpleasant odor).
Before baking, cut off the phalanxes at the wings so that you can turn them on the back so that they do not burn in the oven.
Pick up the spices
Duck meat has a specific taste, so the carcass needs to be treated with aromatic spices or marinade. For the marinade, use wine, apple cider vinegar, lemon, pomegranate, or orange juice. Duck spices combine ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, oregano and all kinds of pepper. Rub the spices with salt and rub liberally on the inside of the duck skin.
Prepare the filling
For the filling, you should choose the right apples – these are local winter varieties with a piquant sourness, which will help further break down fat in the stomach and intestines. They are hard, which means they will not turn into a shapeless porridge when baked. And to prevent the apples from darkening, do not forget to sprinkle them with lemon juice and add cinnamon and sugar-salt.
Stuff
To prevent duck skin from bursting during the stuffing process, do not overdo it with the filling. Moreover, if there is a lot of filling, there is a big risk that it will ferment in the baking process. After stuffing, sew the carcass over the edge with coarse thread, or pinch off the skin with toothpicks.
Constipation
A duck weighing 2,5 kilograms is cooked for about 3 hours at a temperature of 90 degrees. Open the oven every half hour and water the poultry with the secreted juice and fat. Check the readiness of the duck so that it does not dry out: pierce the carcass with a knife in the thickest place – if the released juice is transparent, then the duck is ready.