My alsatian upbringing and my time in Asia often merge in my cooking. This take on classic Cantonese roasted duck pairs beautifully with Sweet and Sour Cabbage (page 193). I love when the soy-infused duck juices run into the tender vegetables.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 4

　　Grapeseed or other neutral oil

　　1 whole (4 1/2-pound) Muscovy duck, excess fat removed, trussed

　　Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　1/2 cup grade A maple syrup

　　1/2 cup unseasoned rice vinegar

　　1/2 cup soy sauce

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

　　

Step 2

Lightly coat the bottom of a heavy roasting pan with oil. Season the duck generously with salt and pepper and place in the pan, breast side up. Roast for 10 minutes, then carefully turn the duck back side up. Roast for another 10 minutes and then carefully turn on one side. To get the duck to sit upright on a leg, rest the back of the duck against the side of the pan. Roast for another 10 minutes, then carefully turn onto the other side and roast for 10 minutes.

　　

Step 3

Meanwhile, stir together the maple syrup, vinegar, and soy sauce.

　　

Step 4

Transfer the duck to a dish and drain the fat through a fine-mesh sieve into a measuring cup. Reserve for another use. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F.

　　

Step 5

Return the duck to the roasting pan breast side up. Pour the syrup mixture over, letting it run down the sides. Return to the oven. Roast, basting every 5 minutes, for 20 minutes. Tilt the duck to let its juices run out of the cavity; the juices should be pale pink. Cook for another 5 minutes if needed. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes, basting frequently.

　　

Step 6

To carve, first remove the legs by slicing between the legs and body, then through the hip joint. Cut through the leg joint to separate the drumstick from the thigh. Cut the thigh in slices parallel to the thighbone. Pull the wings away from the body, then slice through the wing joints to remove. Run your knife down the breastbone, then along the rib cage to remove a breast. Repeat on the other side. Cut the breasts crosswise into slices.

　　

Step 7

Arrange the sliced duck on a serving platter. Spoon the glaze from the pan all over.

　　

c’est bon

Step 8

Before trussing the duck, cut 2 slits along the wishbone. That will make it easy to remove the bone after the duck has cooked. It’s much easier to carve a duck without it.

　　Reprinted with permission from Home Cooking with Jean-Georges: My Favorite Simple Recipes by Jean-Georges Vongerichten with Genevieve Ko. Copyright © 2011 by Jean-Georges Vongerichten; photographs copyright © 2011 by John Kernick. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Jean-Georges Vongerichten is one of the most influential chefs in the world, having single-handedly redefined haute French cuisine, lightening and refining it by adding select Asian accents. He is the chef-owner of dozens of restaurants in fourteen cities around the world. His flagship restaurant, Jean Georges, at New York's Columbus Circle, is one of six restaurants in the United States to have been awarded three coveted Michelin stars; it received four stars from the New York Times. The winner of multiple James Beard Foundation awards, he lives in New York City and Waccabuc, New York, with his family.Genevieve Ko is a cookbook author and the senior food editor at Good Housekeeping magazine. She has written for Martha Stewart Living, Gourmet, and Fine Cooking and lives in New York City with her family.