Today is a very special day for the ladies out there, and I want to let you know that I’m thinking of you as I write this blog post. It’s a day about family, or the expectation of starting or growing the family soon. Every meal that is prepared, every flower that is trimmed, and every card that is written for Mother’s Day has a purpose to show our gratefulness or to remember a special woman in our lives who has unconditionally sacrificed so much for us, and more importantly, has touched our hearts.
Today, I will remember my mother who has given me fond memories and strong foundations during the first 9 years of my life before her untimely death. Every year, I feel so unfortunate not to be able to celebrate her in person, or to give her fond memories during her senior years. But I spend some time every year on Mother’s Day to remember her.
My husband and I are still young marrieds, and we don’t have children (nor are we expecting!). But we did sponsor a little girl from Uganda, Africa. My foster parents started an orphanage there, Eagles Wings Children’s Village, for the protection and provision of basic necessities to lone, orphaned children. We received our first letter from our child Shelly, who wholeheartedly called herself our daughter. Those words brought tears to my eyes, and I thought to myself, “Well, I guess I’m a mother!”
As you can probably imagine, marriage has brought me many blessings for which I am forever grateful and at times I feel I don’t deserve. I have an amazing relationship with my mother-in-law, and every year even while my hubby and I were just dating, I always prepared the Mother’s Day feast at my place. This Mother’s Day, I wish to prepare a progressive Mother’s Day menu for my beloved mum-in-law. It’s going to be Western style, with Asian accents throughout. Here’s my progressive Mother’s Day menu. You can click on the titles or the picture to see each of my recipes.
- Appetizer course #1: Cucumber peel appetizer
- Appetizer course #2: Shrimp with garlic-parsley butter
- Main course: Succulent roast duck (current post)
- Rice course: Thai style pineapple fried rice
- Dessert course #1: Fresh raspberry soufflé
- Cookie course: Rosewater macaroons with coconut butter cream
You might be surprised to see that I have categorized this roast duck as an easy recipe. Despite the amount of work its name implies, this really is an easy meal to do. It’s just a matter of stuffing it generously, seasoning sufficiently, and knowing when to take it out of the oven. I’ve made this roast duck twice now, and it works like a charm every time: my guests helped me clean out all the meat and they licked the bones too! The skin is the most irresistible part, and the meat is richly flavorful. It’s sure to impress. I wish you all a Happy Mother’s Day!!!
Grocery list
1 young duck (the one in the picture is 2.8 kg / 6.2 lbs)
1 lemon, halved
6 sprigs fresh rosemary
6 sprigs fresh thyme
6 sprigs fresh parsley
1 stalk celery
Preheat oven to 350oF with an oven rack in the middle.
Remove the neck and gizzard from the cavity. Cut off any excess fat from the opening of the cavity, keeping the skin intact. Rinse the duck, inside and out, thoroughly under running cool water. Drain any liquid from the cavity and dry the skin briefly with paper towels.
Season the duck inside and out with salt and pepper. Rub one half of the lemon all over the cavity.
Place all the herbs inside the cavity.
Place the duck on an oven rack in a deep roasting pan. (Roast duck will produce a lot of oil while roasting.)
Roast in the preheated oven until brown all over and juices run clear. This will take approximately 45 minutes per kg weight. The skin will be nicely reddish-golden and very crispy.
Allow to rest for 20 minutes before serving. You can cut into pieces with the bone in, or tear off the meat and serve shredded.
Related posts: