Duck Stock with Demonstration Video with Darina Allen
If you have just one carcass and can’t be bothered to make a small quantity of stock, why not freeze the carcass and save it up until you have six or seven carcasses and giblets, then you can make a really good-sized pot of stock and get best value for your fuel. Stock will keep for several days in the refrigerator. If you want to keep it for longer, boil it up again for 5–6 minutes every couple of days; allow it to get cold and refrigerate again. Stock also freezes perfectly. For cheap containers, use large yogurt cartons or plastic milk bottles, then you can cut them away from the frozen stock without a conscience if you need to defrost it in a hurry!
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2-3 raw or cooked duck carcasses or a mixture of both or 1 x 1.8kg/4 lbs boiling fowl, disjointed
6 pints (3.4L) cold water approx.
1 sliced onion
1 leek, split in two
1 stick of celery or 1 lovage leaf
1 sliced carrot
Few parsley stalks
Sprig of thyme
6 peppercorns
Break up the carcasses as much as possible. Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and skim the fat off the top with a tablespoon. Simmer for 3-5 hours. Strain and remove any remaining fat. If you need a stronger flavour, boil down the liquid in an open pan to reduce by one-third or one-half the volume. Do not add salt.
