Pressed duck (French: Canard à la presse, Caneton à la presse, Caneton Tour d'Argent, or canard au sang) is a traditional French dish. The complex dish was developed in the 19th century in the Tour d'Argent restaurant in Paris, France, and consists of various parts of a duck served in a sauce of its blood and bone marrow, which is extracted by way of a press. It has been considered "the height of elegance."
First, a duck (preferably young and plump and from Rouen) is asphixiated to retain the blood. The duck is then partially roasted. Its liver is ground and seasoned, then the legs and breast are removed.
The remaining carcass (including other meat, bones, and skin) is then put in a specially-designed press, similar to a wine press. Pressure is then applied to extract duck blood and other juices from the carcass. The extract is thickened and flavoured with the duck's liver, butter, and cognac, and then combined with the breast to finish cooking.
Other ingredients that may be added to the sauce include foie gras, port wine, Madeira wine, and lemon. The breast is sliced and served with the sauce in a first serving; the legs are broiled and served as the next course.
There is a Cantonese dish of the same name which is prepared differently.
- "Frédéric Delair and the Numbered Duck". La Tour d'Argent -- history. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
- "Pressed Duck a la Tour d'Argent," in Tennant, Jr., S.G.B. (1999). Ducks & Geese. Willow Creek Press. p. 26. ISBN 978-1-57223-202-0.
- Tennant, Ducks & Geese, 26.
- "Pressed Duck a la Tour d'Argent," in Peterson, James (2002). Glorious French food: a fresh approach to the classics. John Wiley and Sons. p. 394. ISBN 978-0-471-44276-9.