Silverplate Duck Press

Once an indispensable tool of French haute cuisine, this rare silverplate duck press serves as a symbol of one’s mastery of the craft. Used for squeezing the juices out of a duck carcass in preparing the traditional dish canard au sang, also known as “pressed duck,” its screw-type appliance was both efficient and easy to use. At one time, no respectable French restaurant would be without one of these grand devices, but today, even new presses are hard to find. This ornate example is finely embellished with exquisite foliate scrollwork and delicate honeycomb embossing on its base.

In the 19th century, the Tour d’Argent restaurant in Paris developed the complex dish known as canard au sang (literally “duck in its blood”). The juice, which has been pressed from the carcass, is thickened and flavored with butter and Cognac, and then combined with the duck breast to finish cooking. These presses could also be used to make the famous duck confit, as well as to make seafood or other stocks.

10 3/4″ high x 8 3/4″ wide x 6 1/2″ deep