DUCK BIRTHDAY CAKE RECIPES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Fasten neck skin of duckling to back with skewers. Fold wings across back with tips touching. Place duckling, breast side up, on rack in shallow roasting pan. Pierce skin all over with fork. Loosely tie legs to the tail, if desired, to better hold even shape during cooking. Insert meat thermometer so tip is in thickest part of inside thigh muscle and does not touch bone.
• Roast uncovered about 2 hours 30 minutes or until thermometer reads 180°F and juice is no longer pink when center of thigh is cut. Place tent of aluminum foil loosely over breast during last hour to prevent excessive browning. Place duckling on heated platter. Let stand 15 minutes for easier carving.
• Heat orange peel, orange juice, jelly, lemon juice, mustard and salt to boiling in 1-quart saucepan. Mix water and cornstarch; stir into sauce. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute.
• Stir in orange sections and liqueur. Brush duckling with some of the orange sauce. Serve with remaining sauce.

Steps:

• Prepare the mallard. Check there are no feathery stubs still attached to the skin and pick out those that you can find (a pair of cooks’ tweezers will help). Season the cavity well with salt and pepper, then stuff with the herbs, orange zest, cinnamon stick and half the butter. Set aside.
• Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Cut the radicchio into quarters, leaving the leaves attached at the base, then drop into a pan of boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain well and set aside on a clean cloth or piece of paper towel.
• Heat the oven to 240°C/220°C fan/gas 9. Season the bird with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a flameproof casserole (or oven proof sauté pan) on a medium-high heat and brown the mallard very well (it will take a good 15 minutes to do properly). Making sure the bird is breast-side up in the pot, transfer it to the oven and roast for 10 minutes. Add the radicchio and the grapes to the pot, then roast for a further 10 minutes, turning the radicchio and grapes halfway through. To check if the duck is done, give the breasts a gentle squeeze – they should be firm yet giving, like a perfectly ripe peach.
• Transfer the bird to a board, drizzle with the balsamic vinegar, cover loosely with foil and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Add the rest of the butter to the pot and put it back on a high heat for just a minute, to melt the butter, bring the juices to a boil and make sure the radicchio and grapes are warmed through.
• Carve the mallard as you would a chicken – serve the breasts off the bone and the legs bone-in. The meat won’t be piping hot, as it’s medium-rare, so serve it quickly on warm plates, garnished with the radicchio and grapes, drizzled with the scant but flavoursome sauce.