dynagirl

Mastering the Art of French Cooking, vol. 1

Pâté de Canard en Crôute, pp. 571-76
Boned Stuffed Duck in a Pastry Crust
Farce pour Pâtés, Terrines, et Galantines, pp 565-66
Pork and Veal Stuffing

[This dates from December; I served it at my parents' New Year's Eve party and just got the photos finally.]

I’ve been itching to make this ever since stumbling upon the illustrations when thumbing through the book:

That just looks so wierd and crazy that it can’t be resisted, right? To start out, you very carefully flay a duck, doing your level best to get the skin off in one piece. This is not as hard as it sounds, but you have to be careful–always blade towards the bone, and watch where you’re poking. I had a little additional sewing work to do when I was done, but I’m sure that next time I can get it cleanly. Take the duck meat off the carcass you’ve liberated from the skin, then mince it coarsely, seasoning with salt and pepper and a pinch of allspice. If you’re adding truffles–and why not?!–they go in now. Let the meat rest with the skin in a bit of brandy and port.

While that’s hanging out in the fridge, make the pork and veal stuffing from tenderloin, fat, brandy, and some salt and pepper. There’s some onions, eggs, and brandy in there, too. Lay out the duck skin (sewing up any knife mishaps) and layer in the middle the duck stuffing, then truffles, then the pork and veal stuffing. Sew up the skin, then truss it into a vague football shape… …and you’ve got Frankenduck:

If you can’t find a meat needle at your local market (HAHAHAHA), I found that a yarn needle did the trick. I half-plied the twine, so it wouldn’t be too harsh on the more delicate duck skin. Brown the duck football on all sides in peanut oil.

At this point, after my duck cooled, I let it rest in the fridge for a day or two to let the flavors meld and mellow, then froze it until the day of the party. Roll out your basic pastry dough, with enough to sort of bowl around the pâté and make a lid. You’re going to want to pinch the lid together with the base, but softly — that lid will need to come off, so you can de-string before serving. Create a little hole in the center top, stick a meat thermometer in it, and bake this gently for about an hour. I brushed it with an egg a few times during baking.

After it’s fully cooled –refrigerate it for a bit, so that it sets up, which will make it easier to deal with– gently break it open along the bottom edge of the seam. Remove the duck and remove all of its strings, et voilà!

I really recommend using the truffles, not that they made a huuuuge difference, but seriously–you may as well be hung for a wolf as a sheep. It’s certainly worth it, and I really didn’t want to be wondering, “wow, that was awesome, but… what if I had sprung for the truffle? If you’re going to be spending that much time and effort on a dish, rock it like a bastard!! Oh, and the response? Universally spectacular. If (when) I make one again, though, I’ll salt it a bit more – remember, you’re serving this cold, so it’s going to take more seasoning than you’d expect. Goes well with a French white wine, or champagne. Larger photos of this crazy thing here.