Pikkyl pour le Mallard

PERIOD: England, 15th century | SOURCE: Harleian MS. 279 | CLASS: Authentic

DESCRIPTION: Wine and Mustard Sauce for Duck

ORIGINAL RECEIPT:

Take oynons, and hewe hem small, and fry hem in fressh grece, and caste hem into a potte, And fressh broth of beef, Wyne, & powder of peper, canel, and dropping of the mallard/ And lete hem boile togidur awhile; And take hit fro the fyre, and caste therto mustard a litul, and pouder of ginger, and lete hit boile no more, and salt hit, And serue it forthe with the Mallard.

- Austin, Thomas. Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books. Harleian MS. 279 & Harl. MS. 4016, with extracts from Ashmole MS. 1429, Laud MS. 553, & Douce MS 55. London: for The Early English Text Society by N. Trübner & Co., 1888.

MODERN RECIPE:

• 1 three- or four-pound duck
• 1 medium onion
• Butter for sautéing
• 1/4 C dry wine
• 1/4 C beef or other stock
• 1/4 C drippings from the roasted duck
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp each black pepper and powdered ginger
• Salt to taste
• 1/3 C brown mustard

2. Place duck on a rack in a roasting pan, and put in oven. Reduce heat to 350º, and roast for twenty-five to thirty minutes per pound. Remove duck from oven and allow to cool for about fifteen minutes.

3. With a ladle or basting nozzle, draw off a quarter cup of drippings from the pan.

4. Mince the onion small. In a frying pan, over medium heat, melt butter and sauté the onion until translucent.

5. In a saucepan, over medium heat, combine onion, wine, stock, drippings, cinnamon, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally for about ten minutes.

6. Remove syrup from heat, and stir in mustard, ginger, and salt.

7. Place duck on a platter for serving, pour sauce into a serving bowl, and serve them separately.

Yields one cup of sauce. Serves four to six.

NOTES ON THE RECIPE:

The viscous syrup made by boiling onions and cinnamon in wine is found in several medieval sauces.