Roast Ducks

Pick and draw a pair of ducks; wash as slightly as possible.

To stuff take:

1 quart of bread-crumbs.

1 onion minced fine.

1 teaspoonful each of sage, salt and pepper.

(2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped, may be added).

1 tablespoonful of melted butter and 1 of hot water.

Truss, put in a baking-pan, pour a cup of boiling water over them and roast one hour in a quick oven. Baste often, dredging toward the last with flour.

Boil the giblets tender, pour off the fat from the pan gravy, thicken with 1 tablespoonful of browned flour; add the chopped giblets and salt and pepper to taste. Parboiling before roasting will remove the strong taste of ducks. Thin slices of salt pork may be fastened over the breast bone while roasting.

Boned Ducks

Ducks can be boned and filled in the same manner as turkey or chicken. See directions in this chapter. A chopped onion, however, must be added to the other ingredients.

When boiled ducks are used for forcemeat the effect will not be as good, for the meat is entirely dark.

This may be in a measure obviated by the use of stock jellies. Shop a cupful of this and spread over the forcemeat just before tying up. This will give a mottled appearance to the filling.

Boned ducks may be served whole, decorated with stock jelly cut in various forms, or sliced, by placing a square or jelly on each piece. Greens for the edge of the platter.

Boiled Duck

Prepare like boiled turkey. This is a very nice dish, and is preferred by many to roast duck as a more delicate dish. The broth can be kept until next day, skimmed and a very nice soup made.

Roast Goose

Dress carefully, truss and parboil for an hour or two to remove some of the strong flavor. There are many ways of stuffing. The apple stuffing may be used, or one commonly depended upon is made as follows:

Two moderate-sized onions, boiled rapidly ten minutes; chop finely, mince sage the quantity of half the onion; add powdered bread twice as much as onion, or two cupfuls; pepper and salt it, introduce a little Cayenne, and bind together with a beaten egg, adding a tablespoonful of hot water. Do not stuff closely, but. leave room for the dressing to swell. If there should be too much onion to suit the taste, add another cup of bread-crumbs to the stuffing. Secure the openings carefully, that none of the seasoning may escape. Roast an hour and three-quarters in a quick oven; baste very frequently. Fasten paper over the breast at first to prevent scorching. There should be at least two cupfuls of water in the dripping-pan.

To make a rich brown gravy, pour off the fat from the pan gravy, add sufficient water, thicken with browned flour, season and let it boil.

Previous to serving a flavoring may be made if desired: 1 dessert-spoonful of prepared mustard. ¼ teaspoonful of Cayenne, same of salt.

Mix with 2 wine-glassfuls of the gravy and the juice of haL a lemon. Make hot, remove the threads from the fowl, and pour the flavoring into the opening for forcemeat.

Serve with hot apple sauce. A giblet gravy may be made, as for turkey, if preferred to the above.

Sour Roast Duck, (German Style)

Dress the duck nicely. Soak twenty-four hours in Vinegar. Take 1 tablespoonful butter, put in the pan and brown. Stuff the duck, put it in the pan, dredge freely with flour, baste often with the butter, salt to taste.

Sour Sauce For Roast Duck

1 tablespoonful butter.

1 tablespoonful flour.

1 onion sliced; cook both in the butter until brown.

½ teacupful vinegar, 2 bay leaves.

1 teacupful cream or milk.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Flavor with a bit of lemon peel. Let it boil up in the pan; send to table with the duck.