Ducking the Holidays

You can’t go wrong when you base your holiday entertaining menus on seasonal ingredients such as duck, wild rice, dried cranberries and root vegetables. Served up with a flourish, they signify festivity as well as tradition.

This menu incorporates all of these foods in easily managed recipes--most of which can be at least partially made ahead of time.

The roasted crispy duck with tangy orange sauce can be prepared in two steps, with last-minute cooking requiring very little attention from the cook. Garnished with fresh orange slices, it has appealing style without much effort.

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The wild rice with fennel and dried cranberries is earthy and lively at the same time, with a nice crunch adding a textural contrast. While mashed potatoes are always popular, the addition of rutabaga gives them just the right distinction and depth to serve with duck. Both of these side dishes are easily made a day ahead and reheated at dinner time.

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The trick with duck is to roast off as much fat as possible so that the skin is crisp but the meat still moist. Preparing the duck in two steps helps to do this. The fresh ginger gives this orange sauce a nice oomph.

CRISPY ROAST DUCK WITH TANGY ORANGE SAUCE

1 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon ground paprika, preferably Hungarian

1 tablespoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

2 (5-pound) ducks, rinsed, patted dry

Tangy Orange Sauce

2 navel oranges, thinly sliced

In small dish combine thyme, paprika, salt and pepper to taste. Season cavity and surface of ducks with mixture. Place breast-side up in foil-lined roasting pan large enough to hold both ducks.

Roast at 450 degrees about 80 minutes until just lightly browned. Discard fat midway through roasting. Cool on rack. Pour fat and pan juices into skimmer. With kitchen shears, cut duck into 6 pieces of 2 breasts, 2 thighs and 2 legs. With fingers, remove any visible fat. Can be made to this point day ahead and refrigerated. Discard fat. Refrigerate pan juices for sauce.

When ready to serve, heat cast-iron skillet or heavy roasting pan in 450-degree oven until hot, about 10 minutes. Add duck to skillet, meaty side down. Do not overcrowd. Sear until skin is dark-brown, about 15 minutes. Turn pieces and roast until crispy, about 5 to 10 minutes more.

To serve, use tongs to transfer to warm platter. Brush lightly with Tangy Orange Sauce. Serve hot, garnished with orange slices. Pass remaining sauce separately. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Each of 4 servings, with Tangy Orange Sauce, contains about:

1,269 calories; 2,468 mg sodium; 217 mg cholesterol; 110 grams fat; 37 grams carbohydrates; 33 grams protein; 0.93 gram fiber.

Tangy Orange Sauce

3 tablespoons butter

3 large shallots, minced

1 medium clove garlic, minced

1 1/2 tablespoons ginger root, minced

2 1/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

3/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

1/2 cup orange marmalade

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Cayenne pepper

2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 6 tablespoons reduced-sodium chicken broth

Skimmed duck juices

Melt butter in 10-inch nonstick skillet. When hot, add shallots, garlic and ginger. Cook until shallots are tender, about 4 minutes. Add chicken broth, orange juice concentrate, orange marmalade, balsamic vinegar. Season to taste with salt, pepper and cayenne. Bring to boil. Whisk in cornstarch mixture. Return to boil. Simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes. Strain through fine sieve. Adjust seasonings to taste. Can be made 1 day ahead and refrigerated.

To serve, gently reheat sauce in 1-quart nonreactive saucepan. Add skimmed duck juices. Heat through. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve hot. Makes about 2 cups

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Here, wild rice gives an earthy counterpoint to the crunch of the fennel and the sweet-tart flavors of the dried cranberries. It’s a delicious combination that reheats very well. Cooking the wild rice in chicken stock or broth makes a big difference in its depth of flavor.

WILD RICE WITH FENNEL AND DRIED CRANBERRIES

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/2 large shallots, minced

2 large fennel bulbs, diced

4 1/2 cups cooked Wild Rice

1 1/2 cups dried cranberries

Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

12 small green onions, thinly sliced

Melt butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. When hot, add shallots. Cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add fennel. Cook over medium-high heat until very hot but not too tender, about 3 minutes. Add rice, cranberries, salt and pepper to taste. Heat through, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in green onions. Can be made day ahead and refrigerated.

To serve, reheat, covered, in 350-degree oven until hot, about 25 minutes. Alternately, reheat in microwave oven. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve hot. Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

257 calories; 630 mg sodium; 16 mg cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 41 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams protein; 1.09 grams fiber.

Wild Rice

3 cups chicken stock or reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 cups wild rice

In 2-quart saucepan bring chicken stock to boil. Add wild rice. Return to boil. Simmer, covered, until liquid has evaporated and rice is done to taste (al dente or fully cooked and fluffy), 30 to 50 minutes depending on freshness of rice and desired texture. Can be refrigerated 3 days or frozen up to 1 month. Makes about 4 1/2 cups.

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This is a simple but delicious accompaniment to duck and game birds. This mixture is much lighter in texture than straightforward mashed potatoes.

RUTABAGA MASH

1 1/2 large rutabagas, peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks

1 1/2 large baking potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks

3 tablespoons butter, room temperature

3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

Freshly ground pepper

In 3-quart pot of boiling salted water, cook rutabagas, uncovered, 15 minutes. Add potatoes to rutabagas and continue cooking until both are tender, about 15 minutes more.

Drain well and return to pot, placing over medium-high heat and shaking continuously to cook away remaining moisture, about 2 minutes.

Combine hot rutabagas and potatoes in food processor fitted with metal blade. Add butter, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Puree until smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste. Can be made day ahead and refrigerated.

To serve, reheat, covered, in 350-degree oven until hot, about 30 minutes. Alternately, reheat in microwave oven. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve hot. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Each of 4 servings contains about:

129 calories; 838 mg sodium; 23 mg cholesterol; 9 grams fat; 12 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.76 gram fiber.