1. A French specialty in which the breast and legs are removed from a cooked duck. The remainder of the bird is compressed in a special implement called a duck press, which extracts all the juices. The extracted juice is mixed with reduced red wine, cognac and butter to produce a delicious sauce that is served with the sliced breast and legs. 2. A Chinese dish in which the duck is steamed, boned and flattened, then steamed and flattened again. The duck is then cut into quarters and deep-fried to a golden brown. Before serving, it's cut into squares and served on a bed of shredded lettuce, garnished with toasted almonds and accompanied with a pungent sauce.
Pressed duck (alternate names: Canard à la presse, Caneton à la presse, Caneton Tour d'Argent, or canard au sang) is a traditional French dish. The complex dish was developed in the 19th century in the Tour d'Argent restaurant in Paris, France, and consists of various parts of a duck served in a sauce made of its blood and bone marrow, which is extracted by way of a press. It has been considered "the height of elegance."[1]
First, a duck (preferably young and plump[2] and from Rouen) is strangled to retain its blood. The duck is then partially roasted. Its liver is ground and seasoned and its legs and breast are removed. The remaining carcass (including other meat, bones, and skin) is then put in a specially designed press, similar to a wine press. Pressure is applied to extract duck blood and other juices from the carcass. The juice from the carcass is thickened and flavored with the duck's liver, butter, and cognac, and then combined with the breast to finish cooking. 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 broiled and served as the next course.[3] There is also a Cantonese dish of the same name which is prepared differently.
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)