Suck my duck.

Having never cooked a duck before, I enlisted the help of my mother (Marcie), my boss (Ben) and an expert (Delia). Above is a combined account of what they told me.

I followed these instructions closely. Here is the 'pricked' duck.



And the final result.



I served this canard delight with braised red cabbage and mustard mashed potatoes.

Laura's Braised Red Cabbage

(serves 4)

1 large red cabbage
250ml red wine
100ml red wine vinegar
4 tbsp red currant jelly
1 tbsp brown sugar
salt & pepper

Remove the outer leaves from the red cabbage, cut into four and finely slice. Place the red wine, red wine vinegar, red currant jelly and brown sugar into a saucepan and heat gently until the red current jelly is dissolved. Add the sliced cabbage and a season generously with the salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and cook on a medium heat for 30 minutes, stiring occasionally. After 30 minutes, remove the lid and raise the heat slightly and allow the cooking liquor to reduce. Stir for 15 minutes until the liquid is reduced and the cabbage is tender.

Thank you to E.M.I. Parkinson, Alexandra Walker and Aaron A. Angell for being the guinea pigs in my duck experiment. And sorry to Sophie for eating her bird.