Ente mit Lübecker Füllung
This stuffed duck comes from Lübeck, the historic port city on the Baltic Sea. If you find that duck does not yield enough meat, there is no reason why you cannot use the exquisite stuffing for other poultry, such as Cornish hen or even turkey.
Region Lübeck
Servings 4
Ingredients
For the Stuffing:
- 1/2 cup washed and dried raisins
- 1/4 cup golden rum
- 6 slices white bread cut into small cubes
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 large tart cooking apples cored, peeled, and cubed
- salt
- pinch ground cardamom
- pinch ground nutmeg
- pinch dried sage
- 3 tbsp dry white wine
For the Duck:
- 1 duck or duckling (4 to 5 pounds)
- salt and freshly milled black pepper
- 1 tbsp clarified butter
- 1 cup dry white wine
Instructions
For the stuffing:
- Steep the raisins in the rum. Place the bread on a baking sheet and leave in the oven set to 350 degrees F until dry and light brown, turning once.
- Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet. Sauté the apples until they start to soften. Add the toasted bread, salt, cardamom, nutmeg, and sage. Add the raisins plus the excess rum and the wine. Toss well.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
For the duck:
- Remove the giblets from the body cavity, cut off the neck, if necessary, and discard these parts. Cut out any excess fat from the cavity. Wash the duck under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the duck inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff the duck loosely, reserving 1 tablespoon of stuffing for the gravy. Sew or skewer the openings shut.
- Heat the clarified butter in a large skillet and brown the duck on all sides. Place the duck breast down in a large covered casserole or a roasting pan covered with aluminum foil and roast for 45 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and uncover the duck. Prick the skin all over with a fork. Turn the duck on its back and roast for 45 to 75 minutes, depending on whether you like it rare or well done. Baste occasionally with the pan juices.
- Remove the duck from the pan and keep warm. Absorb the excess fat from the casserole with paper towels and deglaze with the wine. Strain the juice into a small saucepan, bring to a boil, and let simmer for a few minutes to thicken the gravy. Add the reserved 1 tablespoon stuffing and season the gravy with salt and pepper.
- Carve the duck and arrange the meat on a large serving plate or individual plates with the stuffing. Serve the gravy separately.
