Pressed duck
{{short description|French duck dish}}
{{about|the French dish|the Cantonese dish|almond pressed duck}}
File:Caneton Rouennaise à la Presse.jpg]]
File:Nassauer Hof (DerHexer) 2013-02-27 17.jpg
Pressed duck ({{langx|fr|canard à la presse, caneton à la presse, canard à la rouennaise, caneton à la rouennaise or canard au sang}}) is a traditional French dish. The complex dish is a specialty of Rouen and its creation attributed to an innkeeper from the city of Duclair.{{cite web|url=http://www.rouentourisme.com/le-canard-a-la-rouennaise/ |title=Le canard à la rouennaise ou canard au sang |website=Rouentourisme.com|date=2 March 2016 }} Since the 19th century,{{cite web|title=Frédéric Delair and the Numbered Duck|url=http://www.latourdargent.com/histoire?id_page=7|work=La Tour d'Argent -- history|accessdate=12 January 2013|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117214708/http://www.latourdargent.com/histoire?id_page=7|archivedate=17 January 2013}} it has also been a specialty of the Tour d'Argent restaurant in Paris where it is formally known as the Caneton Tour d'Argent (Tour d'Argent duckling). It consists of various parts of a duck served in a sauce of its blood and bone marrow, which is extracted by way of a press. It has been considered "the height of elegance"."Pressed Duck a la Tour d'Argent," in {{Cite book
| last = Tennant, Jr.
| first = S.G.B.
| authorlink =
| title = Ducks & Geese
| publisher = Willow Creek Press
| date = 1999
| location =
| page = 26
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=n02rTRIj74EC&pg=PA26
| doi =
| id =
| isbn = 978-1-57223-202-0}}
Preparation
First, a duck (preferably young and plump)Tennant, Ducks & Geese, 26. is asphyxiated to retain the blood. The duck is then partially roasted. Its liver is ground and seasoned, then the legs and breast are removed.
File:Concour du Canard à la Rouennaise.JPG
The remaining carcass (including other meat, bones, and skin) is then put in a specially designed press, similar to a wine press. Duck presses tend to be substantial and heavy pieces of equipment, generally made of solid brass or iron.{{cite web|url=http://cuisinology.com/the-history-of-the-recipe-for-use-with-a-duck-press/|title=The History Of The Recipe For Use With A Duck Press|website=Cuisonology.com}}{{cite web|url=https://center-of-the-plate.com/2014/09/12/the-duck-press-a-french-classic/|title=The Duck Press: A French Classic|website=Center of the Plate|date=12 September 2014 }} Pressure is then applied to extract duck blood and other juices from the carcass. The extract is thickened and flavoured with the duck's liver, butter, and cognac, then combined with the breast to finish cooking.
=Sauce=
Other ingredients that may be added to the sauce include foie gras, port wine, Madeira wine, and lemon. The breast is sliced and served with the sauce in a first serving; the legs are grilled and served as the next course."Pressed Duck a la Tour d'Argent," in {{Cite book
| last = Peterson
| first = James
| authorlink =
| title = Glorious French food: a fresh approach to the classics
| publisher = John Wiley and Sons
| date = 2002
| location =
| page = 394
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=EWSVpBheCnYC&pg=PT421
| doi =
| id =
| isbn = 978-0-471-44276-9}}