Experiments Pay Off With Classic Peppercorn Duck

“My husband loves duck and I am enthralled with green peppercorns,” Marilyn Kafka Swartz writes. “The following recipe is the result of successful experimentation without the tediousness of the classic recipes for duck in green peppercorn sauce.”

CANARD A LA FARRAGUT

1 (5-pound) roasting duck

1 stalk celery, quartered

1 lime or lemon, quartered

1 medium bay leaf, optional

1 carrot, peeled and quartered

1 onion, unpeeled, halved

3 to 4 sprigs parsley

Flour

2 cups chicken broth, about

1/2 cup dry Vermouth

3 tablespoons green peppercorns, rinsed and drained dry

Salt, pepper

Remove neck and giblets from duck and reserve for broth or other use. Rinse duck and pat dry inside and out with paper towels.

Stuff duck with celery, lime, bay leaf, carrot, onion and parsley. Sprinkle small amount of flour over bottom of shallow roasting pan with rack as well as over duck. Truss duck and place on rack, breast side up. Cover duck loosely with foil and roast at 375 degrees 30 minutes.

Pour 1 cup chicken broth over duck and baste well. Continue to baste frequently additional 2 hours (about 30 minutes per pound total). About 45 minutes before completion, remove foil and continue basting so that duck will brown and skin will crisp.

Remove duck to carving platter and let stand several minutes to set.

Discard all but 2 to 3 tablespoons fat in roasting pan and add equivalent amount of flour to pan juices, mixing together thoroughly. Stir in Vermouth.

Place over low heat until mixture is smooth and well blended. Reduce heat, and if needed, stir in additional chicken broth or water to thin. Add green peppercorns and season to taste with salt and pepper. Continue cooking until sauce reaches desired consistency. Serve sauce separately with carved duck. Makes 2 to 4 servings.

Note: Giblets may be simmered with chicken broth, carrot, celery, bay leaf and onion, thenstrained for use in sauce, if desired.

MARILYN KAFKA SWARTZ, Los Angeles