INGREDIENTS: Serves 3-4
	1 duck (about 4 1/2 pounds / 2 kg), with giblets
	salt and pepper
	2 lemons
	3-4 bay leaves
	1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
	1/4 cup / 60 ml olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 450°F/230°C. Season the skin and cavity of the duck with salt and pepper and prick the skin so that the fat escapes during roasting. Pare the zest from the lemons and put this inside the duck together with the bay leaves and cloves. Truss the duck, place it on its back in a roasting pan and rub the skin with olive oil and the juice of 1 of the lemons. Cut the giblets in pieces and add them to the pan.

2. Roast the duck in the preheated oven until it starts to sizzle, about 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 400°F/200°C, turn the duck onto one side, baste it, and roast 15 minutes. Turn the bird onto the other side, baste and roast 15 minutes more. Finally return the duck onto its back and continue roasting, basting often, until done to your taste. 1-1 3/4 hours.

3. For the sauce, prepare a caramel-vinegar gastrique: in a small pan, heat the sugar in the water until it has dissolved, then boil steadily to a light-brown caramel. Remove the pan from the heat and at once add vinegar. (Note: stand well back, because the vapor from the vinegar will sting your eyes.) Heat the gastrique gently until the caramel is dissolved. Add the stock and the juice of the remaining lemon. Bring to a boil and simmer until reduced, 3-5 minutes.

4. When the duck is cooked, transfer it to a warmed platter. Cover with foil and leave it to stand before carving, 10-15 minutes. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from the roasting pan. Add the onion and carrot to the giblets in the pan and cook until well browned, 5-7 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, until well browned, 1-2 minutes. Pour in the gastrique and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the pan juices. Simmer until slightly thickened, 4-5 minutes. Strain the sauce into a saucepan, pressing down on the vegetables and giblets to extract all the liquid. Simmer until the sauce is well reduced, glossy and lightly coats the back of a spoon, 4-5 minutes.

5. Add the olives and capers to the sauce. Heat gently without boiling, taste and adjust seasoning. Spoon a little sauce over the duck and serve the rest separately.

Quick Fix

Distract attention from a disappointing duck or goose with this colorful salad in a sweet-sour dressing. Core 4 large tomatoes and thinly slice them. Cut the peel and skin from 4 large oranges and thinly slice them across. Interleave tomato and orange slices on 4 salad plates. In a small bowl, whisk together 4 tablespoons port, 2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon honey, and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon dressing over fruit and top each piece with a mint sprig. Serves 4.

This Recipe of the Month selection comes from Anne Willan's Cook It Right (Reader's Digest, 1998). To order your copy please call 1-800-788-6262.