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Duckling Braise with Cherries

Cut off the head and feet from a fine tender duckling of four pounds; singe, draw, wipe and truss. Season with a teaspoon salt, a half teaspoon pepper, two saltspoons ground cinnamon and one saltspoon grated nutmeg. Cover the bird all around with very thin slices of larding pork. Tie it around with string and keep on a plate. Finely slice one carrot, one turnip, one onion, two branches celery, one bean garlic, two branches parsley and one ounce raw lean ham; place these in a braising pan with half ounce butter, a bay leaf, two cloves, a sprig each thyme and mace; then lay the duck over, set in the oven to roast for thirty minutes, turning it once in a while. Pour over one gill white wine, one gill demi-glace and one gill tomato sauce. Lightly mix, cover the pan, reset in the oven for twenty-five minutes longer, remove, dress on a hot dish, untie, remove the lard, untruss and keep hot. Skim the fat from the surface of the gravy, strain it through a Chinese strainer into another saucepan and let boil.

Remove the stems and stones from a pint of fresh cherries, add the cherries to the sauce with two tablespoons sherry, then briskly boil for ten minutes. Pour the sauce over the duckling, sprinkle a little chopped parsley over and serve. N. B. Place the left-over vegetables into the demi-glace pot.