Duck Gravy
Because we don't have a need for Duck Stock independent of making a Duck Gravy, unlike the Chicken and Turkey stocks which are treated as separate recipes, this recipe combines making a stock and a gravy.
I don’t believe in adding to the tension of making a gravy at same time we're roasting-and-serving an already complex meal so we'll make a Duck Gravy AFTER we eat our first Roasted Duck.
Which leaves a quandary: how do we get a gravy for that first duck.
We don't.
Our Roasted Duck is so succulent and tasty it needs nothing but a salivating mouth.
Gravy gilds the lilly.
So let's gild that lilly.
We have the pieces of duck we’ve been accumulating in the freezer since we first unwrapped the duck.
We have the juices that have accumulated inside the carcass during the roast which we poured into a small container and refrigerated.
Now, after dinner, we have the duck’s carcass.
Into a stockpot, put all the accumulated giblets and pieces of duck, the after-roasting juices from the carcass, and the carcass itself.
Add in 8oz each of leeks, carrots, and celery.
Add in 1/2 bunch parsley.
Cover the ingredients with:
4 cups of chicken stock
½ cup Madeira Wine
1 cup red wine
1 oz fresh orange juice [no more than]
And water to 2” above the duck.
Simmer for at least three hours, permitting the stock to evaporate to about half the starting volume. The kitchen should be filled with the smell of cooked duck.
Strain the stock.
Refrigerate or freeze overnight to permit the fat to solidify.
Remove the fat and save it or dispose of it.
Return the stock to the flame and heat it.
Taste it.
If the flavor is intense enough for a gravy, bring the stock to a boil and add frozen Roux, starting with 3TB.
With a whisk, stir the Roux into the stock.
If the gravy is too thin, add more Roux. Add just a bit at a time knowing we can’t retrieve the Roux once we add it, but we can always add more.
Voila! A gravy ready for our next duck.
After every duck roast, we'll add to the intensity of the gravy by ramping our concentration of the duck stock. Note that we may have to add a bit more Roux every time we add stock.
The next time we make duck stock, we can really reduce the stock to a great intensity.
We're becoming accomplished cooks.