Pick any festive occasion and you’re bound to find plenty of desserts that are significant to that particular day. For Christmas, the celebration is incomplete without plum puddings and cakes. The special plum cake is considered an important part of the feast. Moreover, you’d also find roast duck and turkey on the menu for the Christmas dinner.
While turkey is more of a Thanksgiving treat, roast duck is a traditional Christmas dish. The offal of the duck is considered a delectable delicacy. Chef Neelabh Sahay - Executive Chef, Novotel Kolkata Hotel Residencies - shares a sumptuous roast duck with orange glaze recipe. For a festive occasion, a burnished whole duck makes quite an impression - fancier than chicken and more elegant than turkey. Roasting the duck is not so difficult, it can be smoky. Seasoning the duck ahead and leaving it in the fridge overnight helps to deepen the flavour and keeps the work to a minimum the following day. This one is seasoned with orange zest, along with a fair amount of ginger and five-spice powder, which gives it a marvellous aroma. It is served with mashed butternut squash.
Ingredients:
• 1 duck (approx 6 pounds)
• 1 tsp caraway seeds
• ½ medium-sized, finely chopped green pepper
• 1 small, finely chopped onion
• 1 finely chopped celery rib
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ cup chicken broth
• ½ tsp sage
• ½ tsp salt
• ⅛ tsp pepper
• A pinch of dried thyme 
• A pinch of ground nutmeg
• 4 cups crushed seasoned stuffing
For Orange Glaze:
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tbsp plus 1-½ tsp sugar
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• A pinch of salt
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 tbsp grated orange zest
• 1 drop hot pepper sauce
Method:
• Preheat the oven to 350°.
• Rub the inside of the duck with caraway seeds, prick skin all over with a fork.
• In a large skillet, sauté vegetables in oil. Stir in broth, seasonings and stuffing.
• Loosely fill the duck with a stuffing mixture.
• Skewer neck opening, tie drumsticks together with kitchen string.
• Place breast side up on a rack in a large shallow roasting pan.
• Bake uncovered until it turns golden brown and a thermometer reads 170° for the duck and 165° for the stuffing (from 2-½ to 3-¼ hours).
• Drain fat from the pan as it accumulates.
• Cover loosely with foil if duck browns too quickly. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes before removing stuffing and carving.
• Meanwhile, for the glaze, combine sugars, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan.
• Gradually stir in orange juice, zest and hot pepper sauce until blended. Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
• Serve carved duck with prepared orange glaze.
