Wild Ducks

Nearly all wild ducks are liable to have a fishy flavor, and when handled by inexperienced cooks, are sometimes uneatable from this cause. Before roasting them guard against this by parboiling them with a small carrot, peeled, put within each. This will absorb the unpleasant taste. An onion will have the same effect: but unless you mean to use onion in the stuffing, the carrot is preferable.

Roast Wild Duck

Parboil as above directed; throw away the carrot or onion, lay in fresh water one-hall of an hour; stuff with bread crumbs, season with pepper, sage, salt and onion, roast until brown, basting for half the time with butter and water, then with drippings. Add to the gravy, when you have taken up the ducks, a teaspoonful of currant jelly and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Thicken with browned flour and serve in a tureen.

Roast Tame Duck

Take a young farmyard duck fattened at liberty, but cleansed by being shut up two or three days and fed on barley meal and water. Pluck, singe and empty; scald the feet, skin and twist round on the back of the bird; head, neck and pinions must be cut off, the latter at the first joint, and all skewered firmly to give the breast a nice plump appearance. For stuffing, one-half pound of onions, one teaspoonful of powdered sage, three tablespoonfuls of bread crumbs, the liver of a duck parboiled and minced with cayenne pepper and salt. Cut fine onions, throwing boiling water over them for ten minutes; drain through a gravy strainer, and add the bread crumbs, minced liver, sage, pepper and salt to taste; mix, and put inside the duck. This amount is for one duck; more onion and more sage may be added, but the above is a delicate compound not likely to disagree with the stomach. Let the duck be hung a day or two, according to the weather, to make the flesh tender. Roast before a brisk, clear fire, baste often, and dredge with flour to make the bird look frothy. Serve with a good brown gravy in the dish, and apple sauce in a tureen. It takes about an hour.

Braised Wild Duck

Chop fine one head of celery, a bunch of parsley, one small onion, a piece of garlic, one cup of sage, a pinch of mace and red pepper, salt to suit. Beat yolk of one egg and bind stuffing, adding also a heaping tablespoonful of soft butter. Fill ducks, sew up opening, put in braising pan with cover, adding a little onion, garlic, parsley and celery cut fine, a bay leaf, two tablespoonfuls of cider vinegar, a small glass of white wine, pinch of sage, red pepper and salt, five tablespoonfuls of butter and a pint of good stock. Cover tightly and put in medium oven, cooking one hour. Mix with cold water two tablespoonfuls of browned flour and stir in one-quarter cupful of capers. Cover and cook slowly for half an hour or more; beat to a paste with a teaspoonful of butter the yolks of three hard boiled eggs, a pinch of salt and red pepper. Form into small balls. Put the ducks on large squares of toast. Put egg balls around and pour sauce over all.