Duck with persimmon sauce.

We did just as we did last time with the duck - roasting the duck for two hours (turning once) on a sloped rack over a deep pan. The cavity we stuffed with persimmon halves, garlic, cardamon pods and a little stick of cinnamon. Once the duck cooled we cut off the pieces for tonight's dinner, and put aside all the other flesh (in a bowl for the fridge) and skin (in another bowl, for the fridge). We harvested some duck fat to baste the potato and parsnip pieces with and cooked them in the wood stove adding the duck pieces to be warmed and crisped just before serving: Roast duck & vegetables with persimmon sauce.

We've left the carcass cooling in the oven overnight and will stock it up tomorrow.

The persimmon sauce was as made with finely diced shallot bulbs sauteed until transluscent in duck fat, with spices aniseed, corriander, cumin, paprika, pepper & salt; then, a teaspoon of cornflour; some white wine; 3/4 teaspoon of sugar and a peeled and chopped persimmon. The cornflour was added and the mixture stirred for a minute or so before the white wine - then it was simmered for a bit. The sugar and fruit was added and as it seemed too chunky a sauce, a little water was added. It simmered for at least ten minutes, maybe even twenty. It was perfect.