1216.—DUCKLING, STUFFED. (Fr.—Caneton à la Rouennaise.)
Ingredients.—1 large "Rouen" duckling, 1 chicken liver, ¾ of a pint of brown sauce (see Sauces No. 233), 3 ozs. of breadcrumbs, 1 oz. of butter, the yolks of 2 eggs, ½ a shallot finely-chopped, ½ a teaspoonful of finely-chopped parsley, ½ a teaspoonful of finely-chopped thyme, or ½ the quantity of powdered thyme, salt and pepper, nutmeg.
Method.—Blanch the chicken liver and the liver from the duckling, chop them finely, add the herbs, breadcrumbs, butter melted, a pinch of nutmeg, a good seasoning of salt and pepper, and bind with the yolks of eggs. Stuff the duckling, baste it well with hot butter or fat, and roast in a quick oven for about ½ an hour, basting frequently. Then drain off every particle of fat, pour the hot brown sauce into the baking-tin, and continue the cooking until the duckling is tender; 15 or 20 minutes should be sufficient, and the duckling must be almost constantly basted during the time with the sauce. Serve on a hot dish, strain over a little of the sauce, garnish with orange quarters, and send the remaining sauce to table in a sauce-boat.
Time.—About 1 hour. Average Cost, 4s. 6d. to 6s. 6d., according to size and season. Seasonable from March to August.
The Eider-Duck (Fr. eider) Somateria mollissima, supplies the useful "down" used for making coverlets and other purposes. It is obtained from the nests of the eider-duck, the female plucking from her breast the warm, soft elastic down to line her nest and cover over and keep warm the eggs which she has laid. Each female bird supplies about ½ a lb. of down. The down is imported in the form of balls, weighing 3 to 4 lb. The eggs of a pale green colour are five or six in number and two broods are produced each year. The eider-duck is twice the size of the ordinary duck, about 24-in. in length, and weighs some 7 lb. The plumage of the male is white on the neck and back and black underneath the body, the crown of the head is deep black, and the sides of the head white. It has a green bill and green legs. The female is reddish-brown marked with black. Its wings have two white bands. The king eider-duck, common in Greenland, has a red beak and legs, and the male has a warty protuberance on the base of the upper bill. The chief habitats of the eider-duck are Greenland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland and the northern islands of Britain, where it frequents solitary rocky shores. It is also abundant on the coasts of North America.
1217.—DUCK, TO STEW WHOLE. (Fr.—Canard en Ragoût.)
Ingredients.—1 duck, good stock, 2 ozs. of butter, 1½ ozs. of flour, 2 onions sliced, 4 sage-leaves, 2 or 3 strips of lemon-thyme, salt and pepper, fat for basting.
Method.—Truss the duck, baste it well with hot fat, and cook it quickly either in front of a clear fire or in a hot oven until well-browned. Melt the butter in a stewpan, fry the onions brown, then remove them and sprinkle in the flour, and let it cook slowly until well-browned. Place the duck in a stewpan containing sufficient hot stock to barely cover it, add the fried onions, sage-leaves and lemon-thyme, cover closely, and simmer gently for ½ an hour. When ready, strain and add ¾ of a pint of the stock to the blended butter and flour, stir until boiling, season to taste, and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Serve with a little
