Christmas Duck – Duck Sauce – Preparing Duck – Thomas Cooks

#christmas #duck #sauce #cooking #recipe
Recipe: Relaxed Preparation of Duck & Serving It Perfectly Crispy
Ingredients (for 4 people)
Duck & Filling

1 fresh duck, approx. 2.6 kg
1 onion
1 apple
½ orange
A few sprigs of mugwort (Beifuß)
A few sprigs of thyme
1 tsp majoram
Salt, pepper
A little oil

For the Sauce:

1 small onion
50 g carrot
50 g celery
Duck fond (from the roasted bones/carcass)
Approx. 300 ml poultry fond (dark preferred, but light works too)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
50 ml port wine
50–100 ml red wine
2 bay leaves
3 cloves
3 juniper berries
1 star anise
1 pinch of cinnamon

→ Gentle Cooking (The Day Before)
Oven: 120 °C top/bottom heat
Fill the lowest tray with hot water (for steam)
Time: approx. 5–5.5 hours for 2.6 kg (do not go by time, but by temperature!)
Core temperature (crucial!) 82 °C in the thigh
Insert thermometer from the inside into the thickest part — do not touch the bone!
→ Remove the duck, remove the string, let cool for about 1 hour
→ Then portion it, refrigerate (overnight)
→ Making It Crispy (Day of Serving)
Preparation: Place duck pieces on a baking tray, add a very little hot water to the tray
Oven – Proven variant: 210 °C convection approx. 10–15 minutes
Then: Grill function, highest setting, another 5–10 minutes until the skin is crispy
⏱ Total time for crisping: 👉 approx. 20–25 minutes
⚠️ Always keep an eye on it – the grill works fast!
This relaxed two-day method (from the recent "Thomas kocht" Christmas duck video) ensures juicy meat and restaurant-quality crispy skin with minimal stress on the serving day. The sauce is made from the carcass and aromatics for deep flavor.