Roast Duck Czech Style Food

ROAST DUCK

Steps:

• A day before roasting, remove the giblets and neck from the cavity of the bird and discard. If necessary pluck any stray pinfeathers off the duck with tweezers. Trim the neck flap and excess fat from around the cavity. Rinse and dry the bird well. Set the duck on a rack on a baking sheet, and refrigerate, uncovered, for 24 hours.
• Heat the oven to 300 degrees F. Pierce the duck's skin all over (including the back), every 1/2-inch, with a skewer or small knife. Season the cavity with salt and pepper and stuff with 3 strips of the orange zest and the onion. Set the duck on a rack in a roasting pan, and pour a cup of water in the pan. Roast the bird for 3 hours, removing the duck from the oven every hour to prick the skin again.
• Meanwhile, make the glaze: Combine the remaining orange zest, molasses, honey, coriander, pepper, orange juice, vinegar, and garlic in a small saucepan. Heat, stirring, over medium-high heat until warm. Remove glaze from the heat and set it aside at room temperature while the duck cooks.
• Remove the duck from the oven and carefully, pour off the excess fat from the pan. (If desired reserve this fat for frying potatoes or wilting greens.) Raise the oven temperature to 450 degree F. Return the duck to the oven and roast until crisp and brown, about 30 minutes more.
• Let the duck rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before carving. Brush the duck's skin with glaze 4 to 5 five times during the resting period. Carve the duck and transfer pieces to warm serving platter. Serve the remaining glaze at the table to drizzle over the duck, if desired.

ROAST DUCK CZECH STYLE

Steps:

• Sprinkle with salt and pepper and caraway seeds inside and out.
• Pour 1 cup water in a roasting pan.
• Put duck breast side down in 350° oven
• for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Add more water as needed.

ROAST DUCK

Steps:

• Unwrap the ducks and allow them to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. With a fork, prick the skin without piercing the meat. This will allow the fat to drain off while the ducks cook.
• Meanwhile, in a very large stock pot which can hold the 2 ducks, heat the chicken broth with 1 tablespoon of kosher salt until it boils. Add the ducks very carefully and bring the stock back to a boil. If there isn't enough stock to cover the ducks, add the hottest tap water to cover. If the ducks float to the top, place a plate on top to keep them immersed. When the stock comes back to a boil, lower the heat and simmer the ducks in the stock for 45 minutes.
• When the ducks are finished simmering, skim off enough duck fat from the top of the stock to pour a film on the bottom of a 14 by 18 by 3-inch roasting pan. This will keep the ducks from sticking when they roast. Carefully take the ducks out of the stock, holding them over the pot to drain. Place them in the roasting pan, pat the skin dry with paper towels, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and the pepper. If you have time, allow the ducks to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow the skin to dry.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. (Be sure your oven is very clean or it will smoke!) Roast the ducks for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow them to rest, covered with aluminum foil, for 20 minutes. Serve warm.

UNCLE EMIL'S CZECH-STYLE SAUERKRAUT

Steps:

• Put sauerkraut & liquid, butter & caraway seeds in a lrg saucepan over med heat. When the mixture begins to bubble slightly, lower heat to simmer.
• Peel & grate the potato & onion. Add them to top of the kraut & press lightly into the kraut w/the flat surface of a spoon. Do not stir into the kraut.
• Cover & cont to simmer (add sml amt of water as needed) till the grated potato is cooked. Now combine the pan contents (this process keeps raw potato from scorching &/or sticking to the bottom of the pan).
• Add the applesauce, mix well & taste. Add more applesauce if you prefer a sweeter, more apple flavored kraut.
• All we need now is some meat flavor in the kraut. If you have meat drippings for that, deglaze your meat pan & add to the kraut. If not, add a chicken bouillon cube to the kraut. Be sure it's completely dissolved & mixed in well w/the kraut. Serve it up!
• NOTES: After pan contents are combined in #3, stir freq to ck moisture & prevent any ingredients from sticking to the pan. --- After the last step, you can cont to simmer if you feel the kraut is too liquid, but is unlikely to be needed.