BORDEAUX
The juniper berries are an earthy contrast to the sweet prunes — a prized regional product — in this dish. Serve roasted sliced potatoes and sautéed mushrooms alongside. What to drink: Red Bordeaux or a varietal blend of Cabernet and Merlot.
Ingredients
Makes 4 servings
Step 1
Bring 3 cups water, 20 juniper berries, and pinch of salt to boil in large saucepan. Reduce heat to medium; cover and simmer 10 minutes. Set juniper broth aside.
Step 2
Preheat oven to 450°F. Cut wing tips from duck; reserve. Sprinkle cavity of duck with salt and pepper. Place heart, liver, and gizzard in cavity, then 10 juniper berries, 4 thyme sprigs, and bay leaf. Tie legs together to hold shape. Place duck, breast side up, in roasting pan. Add wing tips and neck to pan. Pour 1 cup juniper broth over duck. Roast duck in center of oven until beginning to brown, about 30 minutes.
Step 3
Meanwhile, bring remaining juniper broth to boil. Add prunes; cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until prunes are soft, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer prunes to small bowl.
Step 4
Tilt roasting pan; spoon off 1/2 cup fat from top of liquid. Pour 1/2 cup prune poaching liquid over duck. Turn duck, breast side down. Pour 1/2 cup prune poaching liquid over duck. Return to oven; roast 15 minutes. Turn duck, breast side up. Arrange prunes around duck; spoon pan juices over prunes. Drizzle vinegar over duck. Return to oven and roast duck until skin is crisp and juices run clear when thigh is pierced, about 20 minutes longer. Transfer to cutting board, breast side down; let stand 20 minutes.
Step 5
Discard wing tips and neck. Using slotted spoon, transfer prunes to bowl. Pour pan juices into medium saucepan; spoon off fat. Add thyme sprig. Boil until juices are reduced to 1 1/4 cups and thickened slightly, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Return prunes to juices to rewarm; season with salt and pepper. Turn duck, breast side up. Cut legs from duck. Cut off wings with some breast attached. Cut breasts from duck; thinly slice crosswise. Arrange duck on platter. Spoon juices with prunes over and serve.
How would you rate Roast Duck with Prunes and Juniper Berries?
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Reviews (8)
Back to TopI'm not rating because my experience was so different from everyone here I didn't even get to taste the dish properly. I had no pan juices. The high heat evaporated everything to the point that at the end I had a plain roasted duck, and charred prunes in a sea of duck fat. The pan was a mess of burned-on gook. No idea why no one else had this problem.
Munacil
Shorewood, WI
2/15/2015
Wonderful flavor--cooked well in a small 1/2 oven in my stove. When turning the duck over, use a wide spatula and a meat fork-much easier.
jeanvi
Tucson,AZ
12/26/2007
I hate to add the 1 fork rating to a dish others have given 4, but having made a number of roast ducks, I experienced two major problems with this recipe. 1. The temperature was a very high 450. I got a nice crust on the skin naturally. The breast were cooked lovely, but the thighs were undercooked. 2. The giblets were used in almost a throw away manner that added no flavour to the dish. They would have been better used in the pan juices rather than in the duck cavity.
ddonat
Vancouver, BC
12/26/2007
Wow ... out of this world. Rich, subtle, and delicious.
Anonymous
Chestertown, MD
8/20/2007
The flavor of the duck was great and the sauce was teriffic. I paired this plate up with a beautiful spring salad with blue-chesse wrapped in in prescuddio tied at the top with scallions, toasted/candied walnuts and a light mustard-lemon-vinegaratte dressing as well as a side of basmatti rice with a hint of lemon and plenty of crushed pistaccios. It was a terrific dinner, just not enough duck. =-)
foxworld
Pasadena, CA
1/5/2006
While turning the duck over is really a two-person operation, I'd make this recipe again in a heartbeat. It is, by far, the most delicious duck recipe I've *ever* tried!
ruthinky
the Heartland of KY
6/20/2005
I was always looking for a recipe with Juniper berries and this one waw great, even by 8 year old daughter like this one. This is an excellent duck recipe, but it does require attention to detail. If you get distracted you could boil away the gravy.
John Winkler
Spotsvania, Virginia
12/27/2004
This turned out great. The skin was brown and crispy, the prunes were delicious. I really could'nt taste the juniper berries though. Even though I bought a fresh bottle. I served with sauted mushrooms and turnips. The leftovers we ate for breakfast! Delicious.
Anonymous
Columbus OH
10/30/2003
