Duck In Its Blood

My kitchen is not badly equipped with appliances. Of course, one has never enough sharp knives. But there are much more important things missing, such as this one:



This is a Canard au Sang (literally "duck in its blood") or Duck Carcass Press. I discovered this while reading the latest issue of Marmite, the Swiss magazine for the culture of dining. How is this handled?

First, a duck is strangled to retain its blood. The duck is then partially roasted. Its liver is ground and seasoned and its legs and breast are removed. The remaining carcass (including other meat, bones, and skin) is then put in a specially designed press, similar to a wine press. Pressure is applied to extract duck blood and other juices from the carcass. The breast is sliced and added to a reduced red wine sauce and served with the liver. The juice from the carcass is thickened and flavoured with butter and Cognac, and then combined with the breast to finish cooking. Other ingredients that may be added to the sauce include the mashed liver of the duck and/or foie gras, port wine, Madeira, and lemon. The legs are broiled and served separately from the breast.

This dish has been created in the Paris restaurant called Tour d'Argent. They can look back to over a million pressed ducks. They keep count. Much stranger, there are people who do this at home. The one portrayed by Marmite is at 42.