I've always enjoyed roast duck in restaurants, but had never tried it at home till last night. It turned out very well. Delicious and succulent, in fact. All of it was great, but I was particularly surprised at how delicious and succulent the leg and thigh were.

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The method: Poke about twenty holes in the skin over the breast. Salt the entire duck. Put it (6.75 lb duck) in the oven for three hours, breast down, at 250 degrees (no, that temp is not a typo). Then turn it breast up, and 45 more minutes at 350 degrees.

During that last phase, you can make the sauce, which is (in my case) a red wine, butter, and cherry, reduction. Just put the pitted cherries in a sauce pan, add enough wine to cover them, along with a half stick of butter, and boil on low for a half hour uncovered. Add a tablespoon of red wine vinegar and cook the same way for another ten minutes.