READY IN
1 hr
45 mins
45 mins

Preparation Time: 15 Minutes
Cooking Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
Ingredients for Duck with Peppercorns
If you are not familiar with any ingredients, please check our International Cooking Terms page.



Currently displaying quantities in US Imperial Measurements
to serve 4:
1 x 3lb
duckling (oven ready or fresh)
salt and pepper
2 teaspoons
butter
2
shallots
3 fl oz
dry white wine
2 tablespoons
brandy
1 teaspoon
black peppercorns
7 fl oz
double cream (heavy cream)
How to Cook Duck with Peppercorns
- Prick the skin of the duckling several times with a fork and season liberally with salt and freshly-ground pepper. Place a rack in a shallow roasting pan and roast until browned and crisp (about 1 hour) in a preheated moderately hot oven at Mk 6 - 400ºF - 200ºC . (The duck should register about 145 degrees when a thermometer is inserted into the thigh meat.) Remove the roasting pan after 30 minutes, drain off the fat, and again prick the skin.
- Meanwhile, peel and chop the shallots and roughly crush the peppercorns inside a piece of cloth or between several layers of soft kitchen paper, using a heavy weight such as a rolling pin (of a copy of War and Peace"!). Melt the butter in a pan, add the shallots and cook gently until they become transparent. Stir in the wine and brandy, bring to the boil and continue boiling for five minutes.
- Remove the duckling from the oven and cut into serving portions. Arrange these on a warmed serving dish and keep warm.
- Add the crushed peppercorns and cream to the pan of sauce and season with more salt if required. Cook for 3-5 minutes until thickened (do NOT allow to boil). Spoon the finished sauce over the duckling and serve immediately.

If you buy a whole, fresh duckling from the butcher, you can recognise a tender bird by its beak, which should be flexible.
Reviews of Duck with Peppercorns
![]() I made this last night for dinner and the result was great. I particularly like the tang of the peppercorns with the juicy duck meat. I used a thermometer rather than timing the cooking and it was in the oven a bit less than the recipe said, but the meat was just perfect (nicely pink). I'll be doing this again soon! steveS (4 reviews) |
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