Cranberry-Orange Roast Ducklings
I came up with this recipe few years ago. The first time I served it, there wasn't a speck of food left on the platter and I knew I had a winning recipe. —Gloria Warczak, Cedarburg, Wisconsin
Total Time
Prep: 20 min. Bake: 3 hours + standing
Makes: 10 servings
Ingredients
2 domestic ducklings (4 to 5 pounds each)
2 medium navel oranges, quartered
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, divided
4 cups orange juice
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
2/3 cup orange marmalade
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°. Pierce duckling skin all over with a fork. Place 4 orange quarters, 1 sprig of rosemary and 1/4 cup cranberries in each duckling cavity; tie drumsticks together. Place on a rack in a roasting pan, breast side up.
In a bowl, mix orange juice, broth, soy sauce, sugar, garlic and ginger. Refrigerate 1/2 cup for glaze. Pour 1 cup over ducklings; sprinkle with remaining cranberries. Cover and bake 1 hour. Uncover and bake 1-1/2 hours longer, basting frequently with remaining orange juice mixture. (Drain fat from pan as it accumulates.)
Mix marmalade and reserved orange juice mixture; spread over ducklings. Bake, uncovered, until a thermometer inserted in thigh reads 180°, 30-40 minutes. Discard oranges, rosemary and cranberries from cavities. Let ducklings stand 10 minutes before carving.
