Wild Duck with Sauerkraut, after Escoffier’s Nantes Duckling

Known Ground reconstruction — not personally tested

Escoffier's historical formula specifies Nantes duckling. The practical version below is a Known Ground wild-waterfowl reconstruction; it is not presented as Escoffier's wild-duck formula.

Escoffier specifies domestic Nantes duckling. This reconstruction uses two lean wild ducks and keeps the wine braise, parsley-shallot butter, bacon-rich sauerkraut, and reduced sauce.

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Mix butter, parsley, and shallot and place half inside each duck. Brown the ducks in a Dutch oven.

2. Add stock and two-thirds of the wine, cover, and braise until the breast, innermost thigh, and wing reach 165°F (74°C).

3. Meanwhile braise the sauerkraut and bacon with the remaining wine until tender and nearly dry.

4. Carve the ducks over a border of sauerkraut and bacon. Reduce the braising liquid with demi-glace and serve it over and beside the birds.

Historical formula

Escoffier inserts butter worked with chopped parsley and shallots into a Nantes duckling, browns it, and braises it in two parts veal stock to one part Rhine or white wine. He separately braises two pounds of sauerkraut with half a pound of salted pork, finishes it with veal gravy and wine, and serves the carved duck with the sauerkraut, pork, half-glaze, and reduced braising liquor.

Source note

Source-preserving summary from Auguste Escoffier, *A Guide to Modern Cookery* (1907), a public-domain English edition. Source location: No. 1745, p. 540; 1903 p. 872.