1 (5- to 6- pound) Long Island duck
Salt and pepper
2 bay leaves
1 sprig rosemary
Kitchen twine

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Rub the entire duck inside and out with salt and pepper. Place bay leaves and rosemary in the cavity. Tie legs together or truss entire bird.

Place duck on rack in a roasting pan and cook for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and continue cooking for 2 hours. Check for doneness by wiggling the leg. If it's tight, cook for another 1/2 hour, or until it could be removed easily. Let duck cool to room temperature. Remove each leg and thigh in 1 piece, and pull leg bones out while holding the leg down with your cupped hand. Then flip it over and pop out the thigh bone. Carve each breast off in 1 piece. Reserve leg-thigh pairs until ready to be served.

Heat oven to 425. Place cooked duck in the oven for 6 to 8 minutes until the skin is crisp.

Serve 1/2 duck to each person, leg and the thigh as 1 piece, and the breast as 1 piece, with the crispy skin side up. Or carve the meat off the bones to serve up to four.

Serve with Sage Cherry Sauce and Creamy Lentils.

Yield: 4 small or 2 large servings.
--From Jonathan Pratt

Duck Demi-Glace

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 pounds duck bones (about 2 Long Island duck carcasses)
1 Spanish onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
1 bay leaf

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large roasting pan, roast bones in middle of the oven until golden brown, about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. Heat a large stockpot over medium and add the oil. Add onion, celery and carrot and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add bones and water until bones are covered; add bay leaf and bring to a boil. Once the stock boils, reduce heat to low and simmer for 3 hours.

Strain sauce into a clean pan. Over medium heat, reduce the stock by 2/3, or until the mixture will coat the back of a spoon.

Yield: About 1 quart.
--From Jonathan Pratt

Creamy Lentils

1 quart cream
2 tablespoons sweet butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
Fresh black pepper, to toast
1 medium carrot, chopped to the size of the lentils
1 small red onion, chopped to the size of the lentils
1/2 cup celery root, chopped to the size of the lentils
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
1 pound French green lentils, cooked, drained and reserved

Place cream in small stock pot over medium-low heat and reduce by half; set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat, sauté shallots and garlic in butter and olive oil. Add salt, pepper, carrots, onion and celery root. Cook until vegetable are slightly soft. Add herbs and reduce cream and bring to a simmer. Add lentils and simmer about 5 to 10 minutes , or until slight thick. Check seasonings.
--From Jonathan Pratt.

1/2 teaspoon butter
1/4 minced shallots
1 cup cabernet sauvignon
3 cups duck demi-glace (see recipe below, or purchase at www.dartagnan.com)
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh sage, chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper

Over medium heat, sauté shallots in butter until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add wine, scraping up any brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Add duck demi-glace and bring to a boil. Add fresh herbs and vinegar.

Turn heat to low and add dried cherries. Simmer until they are reconstituted. Season with salt and pepper. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If you like it thinner, add water.

Yield: 6 servings.
--From Michael Dobias, executive chef at Peter Pratt's Inn

Seared Mallard Breasts

2 mallard duck breasts (order from www.dartagnan.com or a specialty butcher)
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Sauce, recipe follows

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Season breasts with salt and pepper. heat a cast-iron skillet over high heat and add oil. Sear duck breasts, skin side down, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Flip the breasts and put the pan in the oven for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the breasts and let rest for 4 to 5 minutes, for medium-rare.

To make sauce, heat 1 cup of duck demi-glace (see recipe) with salt and pepper and a splash of red wine. Bring to a simmer an cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in 1 tablespoon of butter. Serve immediately.

To served, drizzle sauce over plate. Thinly slice the duck and fan out the slices. Place duck on top of sauce and serve with beet risotto.

Yield: 2 servings
--From Jonathan Pratt

Beet Risotto

2 pounds beets, washed (about 4 medium)
3 cups duck stock (or chicken)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup Spanish onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wrap each beet tightly in foil and roast in the middle of the oven until tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Unwrap beets carefully over the sink and let stand on a plate until they are cool enough to handle. Discard stems and peel the beets.

In a blender, puree half of the beets with 1 cup stock and transfer to saucepan.

Whisk in remaining 2 cups stock to make beet broth. Bring to a simmer and keep warm. Chop other half of the beets into a small dice.

Heat a heavy saucepan over medium heat and melt butter. Sauté onion and garlic, stirring, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in rice and cook, stirring constantly to coat, about 5 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring, until absorbed. Continue stirring and add beet broth, 1/2 cup at a time, letting each addition absorb before adding the next, until half the broth is added. Stir in diced beets and continue stirring and add broth in the same manner until rice is tender but all dente, about 18 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan. Add salt, pepper to taste. Served risotto and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan.

Yield: 4 servings.
--From Michael Dobias.