Roasted Duck

As part of my brother's birthday meal, I roasted a whole duck.  It was the first time I'd ever roasted anything, let alone duck.  Well, according to my family, it came out succulent and delicious!  Even the young kids devoured it! (Always a good sign).  My only issue with the duck was having to reach into the cavity and pull out the giblets.  It was GROSS!  First off, I really wasn't sure what I was looking for, and when I found them, they felt rubbery and slippery.  It took a while for me to get through this step, but it was well worth it.  Along with removing the insides, I also had to trim the flap and surrounding fat from the cavity.  This wasn't as disgusting.  After I did that, I seasoned the bird, stuffed it, and stuck it in the oven.  It came out beautiful!!

Now there is one important part of this recipe that cannot be altered:  The bird needs to be thoroughly defrosted, taken out of it's plastic lining, removed of it's giblets AND SET IN THE FRIDGE FOR A FULL 24 HOURS BEFORE CONTINUING TO SEASON.

INGREDIENTS
5lb Peking duck
3-3" strips of orange peel
1 small onion or 1/2 a big one
salt and pepper

Glaze
1 1/2 tbsp honey
1 1/2 tbsp molasses
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 crushed cloves of garlic
3-3" strips of orange peel
half of that orange's juice
8 whole black peppercorns lightly crushed
1/4 tsp of coriander seeds lightly crushed
DIRECTIONS:

1. Remove the giblets from the bird, cut off the flap and remove any surrounding fat from the cavity. Rinse the bird well.
2. stick it in the fridge for 24 hours.  This process will help dry the bird.
3. The next day, season the bird with salt an pepper on the outside and inside the cavity. You may have to get your hands a little dirty.  PREHEAT THE OVEN TO 300F
4. Chop the onion into large pieces and stuff the bird with it, along with 3 strips of the orange peel.
5. Pierce the duck's skin all over the place (including the back)
6. Set the duck on a rack in the roasting pan.  Pour a cup of water into the pan.
7. Roast the bird for 3 hours, but remove it every hour to re-prick the skin.
8. Make the glaze:  Combine all glaze ingredients in a small sauce pan and stir it over medium high until it's nice and warm.  Remove it, set it to the side and let it sit there until the duck's done.
9. Remove the duck from the oven and pour out all the excess fat from the pan.  Raise the temp to 450F and stick the duck back in until it's crisp and brown. (about 30 mins more).
10. Take it out and let it rest for about 10 mins before carving.  Drizzle the glaze over it, and serve!!

YUM!