On a visit to Egypt, a hostess who invited me for dinner told us how she had run after the ducks that had escaped as she carried them home. There are many dishes of duck and chicken with quince in the Arab world. This one has the flavors of Morocco. The quince slices acquire a wonderful caramelized taste when they are fried.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　1 duck, weighing about 5 pounds

　　1 tablespoon vegetable oil plus more for frying quince

　　Salt and pepper

　　2 medium-sized quinces (or 1 very large one), weighing about 1 pound

　　1 teaspoon ground ginger

　　1 teaspoon cinnamon

　　Juice of 2–2 1/2 lemons or more

　　3 tablespoons honey

　　

Step 1

Rub the duck with 1 tablespoon of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Prick the skin with a fork in several places, so that the melted fat can ooze out. Put it, breast side down, on a rack in a roasting pan in a preheated 400°F oven for about 2 hours, turning it over after an hour, until the skin is crisp and brown and the flesh still soft and juicy. Pour out the fat as it is released (at least twice).

　　

Step 2

Cook the quinces at the same time as the duck. Wash and scrub them and wrap each one in a piece of foil. Put them in an oven dish or on a baking sheet, and place them under the duck, where the oven is a little less hot. A large quince can take up to 1 1/2 hours to bake, medium ones about 1 hour (the time depends on their size and ripeness). Take them out when they feel a little soft when you press. When cool enough to handle, cut them into quarters and cut away the hard cores, then cut each quarter into 2 slices—or 3 slices if the quince is large. (Do not peel them.) Keep aside.

　　

Step 3

When the duck is almost ready, fry the quince slices in shallow oil until brown (this gives them the delicious caramelized taste), then lift them out and drain on paper towels.

　　

Step 4

Prepare a sauce. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the roasting pan, add a few tablespoons of water, and set the pan over high heat. Scrape up the browned bits, and stir in the ginger and cinnamon, the lemon juice and honey. Let it bubble up.

　　

Step 5

Serve the duck with the sauce poured over, accompanied by the fried quince. It’s great.

　　The New Book of Middle Eastern Food Copyright © 2000Knopf