Roast Duck with Apples and Dumplings

Rinse duck and pat dry. Remove wingtips, chop coarsely and set aside. Rub duck inside and out with salt and pepper.

Peel and core apple and dice coarsely. Peel onions and dice coarsely. Mix apple, onions, marjoram and parsley, stuff into duck and fasten closed with wooden skewers. Set duck breast-side down in a roasting pan. Pour about 500 ml (approximately 2 cups) water into pan with duck and roast about 1 hour, basting repeatedly with pan juices. Turn duck breast-side up and roast about 1 more hour, basting repeatedly with pan juices.

For the dumplings, cut bread into small cubes and toast in a dry frying pan until golden brown.

Stir yeast into milk until smooth. Mix flour, egg, egg yolk and milk, stir in yeast mixture and knead to a smooth dough. Mix toasted bread cubes into dough, cover and let stand in a warm place for about 45 minutes.

In a saucepan, bring salted water to a boil. Shape dumpling dough into about 4 logs 4 cm diameter (approximately 1 1/2 inches diameter) and wrap each in aluminum foil. Place wrapped dumpling logs in boiling water, reduce heat and simmer 35-40 minutes.

Remove duck from roasting pan, cut in half lengthwise and remove stuffing. Cut duck halves in half again crosswise and keep warm in oven set to 70°C (approximately 160°F). For the gravy, thoroughly skim fat from pan juices. In a large saucepan, sauté wingtips in 1/2 tablespoon butter, stir in pan juices, stuffing mixture and chicken stock and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Strain gravy through a sieve into a second pan, season with salt and pepper and keep warm.

Rinse the small red apples and cut crosswise into slices 1 cm thick (approximately 1/3 inch thick). Heat remaining butter in a large frying pan, briefly sauté apple slices on both sides and keep warm.

Just before serving, set oven to broil and roast duck pieces skin-sides up until crisp, watching carefully. Cut dumplings into thick slices.