Yield: 4 servings
1 each Duck, fresh, eviscerated
5 each Onions, medium, sliced
2 each Apples, large
20 each Pecan Halves
1/3 cup Water
4 tablespoons Maple Syrup
1 each Orange Rind, grated
1/3 cup Butter, softened
2 each Sage, sprigs
Salt
Black Pepper, freshly ground
Paprika
Peel, core and quarter the apples. Preheat the oven to 350. Remove the neck, wings and liver from the duck. Chop into hazelnut-sized pieces; line a large roasting pan with the chopped liver and bones. Stuff the duck with a quarter of the sliced onions, sage sprigs, pecans and apple pieces. Tie the duck together. Place the duck on its back in the roasting pan. Add the water, maple syrup and grated orange rind.
Roast the duck in the oven for 1/2 an hour, basting every 5 minutes with the pan juices. Remove from the oven. Discard the fat; add the remaining onions to the pan. Put the duck back in the oven. Roast for another 30 – 45 minutes, stirring the onions frequently. Remove from the oven; lift out the duck and place on a platter. Keep warm. Skim the fat from the surface of the stock. Transfer the onions, bones and stock to a saucepan. Carefully drain the juices which have collected inside the duck, and add these to the saucepan. Reduce the stock by 1/2. Fill the pan with cold water to the original level and reduce again by 2/3. Force the sauce through a fine sieve into a second saucepan. Bring back to a boil. Remove from heat and whisk the softened butter into the hot sauce. Season to taste. Open the cooked duck, remove the backbone, and divide into 4 portions. Garnish each serving with apples and onions. Serve the sauce separately.