If the breast of the duck is hard and thick, it is fresh enough.
How to prepare.—A duck is cleaned and prepared as directed for poultry.
Roasted.—Clean, prepare, and truss the duck as a chicken, with the exception that the rump is pushed inside; the duck being much longer than a chicken, it is more sightly when so trussed.
Place inside of the duck two sage-leaves, two bay-leaves, and two sprigs of thyme, and leave it thus in a cool place for two or three hours, and then roast it as directed for chicken.
When roasted, serve it with any of the following garnitures: cabbage, cauliflower, Macédoine, onion, or truffles.
The fatty part of the gravy or drippings must be carefully and totally removed before turning it over the duck and garniture. It takes from thirty to forty minutes to roast.
Baked.—When cleaned, prepared, and trussed as directed for turkeys and chickens, put the duck in a bakepan, salt and pepper it, cover the bottom of the pan with cold water, and place it in a rather quick oven.
A duck, being generally very fat, requires to be turned over and over several times and to be basted very often. It is not necessary to cover it with buttered paper. In case there is much fat in the pan, remove it while it is cooking.
It is served as directed for roast duck, with garnitures.
When roasted or baked, it is also served with apple or cranberry-sauce, or with currant-jelly.