Ingredients
- 2 meaty duck legs
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 5 meaty umeboshi, pitted and chopped
- ¼ cup umeshu (plum wine)
How to Make It
- Remove the visible extra fat from the legs and generously salt and pepper them. Place them, skin side down, in a saucepan or clay pot over low heat, cover, and cook for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, put the umeboshi and plum wine into a blender, puree, and set aside.
- After 45 minutes, pour off all the excess fat from the duck, preheat the oven to 450°F, and transfer the legs to a baking pan fitted with a rack. Put some aluminum foil on the bottom to facilitate cleanup. Spoon on some plum sauce and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the legs get deeply brown and crispy.
- At this point you can serve the legs as is (they should look really appetizing) and use the extra plum sauce as a dipping sauce. Or you can slice the meat off the bone, gently mix in the remaining plum sauce, and serve it if you prefer your guests not to do any work at all.
