A combination lunch and dinner of November 16, 2025 was held to mark the 92nd anniversary of the film "Duck Soup". The film wasn't actually about duck soup, and didn't feature any ducks (except for the title scene). But the day was all about ducks and soup.

Fluffy Duck

The two main variations to the fluffy duck are a creamy white rum version and a gin and orange juice version. There are numerous subversions to each. This is the one I used for the "le festin de soup au canard" (one attendee was dressed with the spirit of the French resistance wooden duck)

2 parts advocaat, 2 parts white rum, 1 part triple sec, 2 parts heavy cream. Add to cocktail shaker with crushed ice, shake and strain and top with 3 parts lemonade.

Appropriately blurry photo :)

Mexican Gazpacho with Duck

"Gazpacho con pato" is a refreshing cold soup that is bursting with flavour.

You will need 1 large onion, 4 tablespoons of lime juice, 6 large tomatoes, 1 large cucumber, 2 capsicums, 1/2 cup of coriander, 1/2 of jalapenos, 1/2 cup of olive oil, 0.6kg of fried duck

Dice the tomatoes, onions, cucumber, and capsicums. Add 3/4 of the vegetable mixture to a blender, and blend until smooth. Add olive oil and blend again. Add jalapenos, blend again. Add salt and pepper to taste, add lime juice, and refrigerate for a day. Add the remaining vegetables, coriander, and sliced duck meat.

Kerala Duck Masala

0.6kg of duck, 3 tablespoons of crushed garlic, 1 tablespoon of ginger, 3 teaspoons of red chilli, 2 sliced onions, 1 teaspoon of turmeric, 2 tablespoons of garam masala, 2 crushed tomatoes, 1 cup of coconut milk, 2 teaspoons of mustard, 1/2 cup of coriander, 2 tablespoons of coconut oil.

Cut the duck into bite-sized portions. Heat a small amount of coconut oil, add ginger, garlic, and chillies initially, then add the sliced onions until translucent, then tomatoes. Finally, add turmeric, coriander, and garam masala. Mix all together, then add the duck and mix with the paste. Add about 500ml of hot water and cook for ten minutes, and then another 500ml and cook for twenty minutes. Serve with papadams.

Cantonese duck soup

0.6kg of duck, 2 tablespoons light soy sauce, 150g napa cabbage leaves sliced, 150g of choy sum leaves, 1 cup of spring onion cut in julienne strips, 500g rice glass noodles, 4 tablespoons chopped coriander, salt and pepper

Rub salt and Szechuan pepper into the duck and place it in the fridge for two days. Cut into slices and roast. Whilst the duck is roasting, bring the glass noodles to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes. Add the soy sauce, chopped stalks of the choy sum for 5 minutes, then the leaves for five minutes, and finally the napa cabbage leaves for three minutes. Top the leaves with the duck pieces and surround with spring onions.

Malay Peranakan Duck Laksa

2 thin-sliced onions, 2 tablespoons red chilli, 1 bunch of coriander sliced thinly, 1 litre of vegetable stock, 400ml of coconut milk, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, 0.6kg of cooked duck pieces, rice or wheat noodles, 1 cup of bean sprouts as topping, rice oil, 2 cups of laksa paste

Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a pan on high heat, add onion, coriander roots, and chilli and cook for 3 minutes. Add laksa paste and simmer for ten minutes. Add duck pieces, increase the heat to medium and cook for ten minutes. Whilst the duck is cooking, cook the noodles and drain. Ladle the laksa and duck, over noodles and add bean sprouts, and coriander leaves.

French duck stew (garbure)

2 cups of white beans, 0.6kg of cooked duck, 0.5kg of pork sausage or bacon cut into small pieces, 1 tablespoon of garlic, 2 thin-sliced onions, 3 tablespooins of olive oil, 3 stalks of sliced celery, 1 sliced leek, 2 chopped turnips, 3 chopped carrots, 6 chopped potatoes, 1 teaspoon of tarragon, 1 teaspoon of majoram, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 litre of hot water

Add the water, duck, pork, garlic and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer let everything cook for an hour. In a separate pot add the oil, onions, leek, and celery and cook over a medium-high heat until everything is soft. Add the beans, the turnips, potatoes, carrots and then add the duck soup. Bring to a simmer and season with salt and herbs. Cook on low until everything is a soft and thick stew.

Polish Duck Blood Soup

Czernina is an interesting soup that can be bitter and sweet and by tradition is served to reject a marriage proposal ("you don't get me, but this soup is a good consolation").

0.6kg of cooked duck pieces, 3 chopped carrots, 1 chopped parsnip, 1 small chopped leek, 1/2 small chopped celery, 1/2 small chopped onion, 1 litres of water, 1 chopped apple, 1 cup of prunes, 1 chopped pear, 2 cups of sour cherries, 2 cups of duck blood, salt and pepper

Place meat, carrots and vegetables in a medium pot and add water, salt, pepper and bring to the boil from on low heat and simmer. Add fruit and simmer on low for about 10 minutes. Then add duck blood, mixing with vinegar and flour if necessary (Chinese duck blood curds can be used instead).

A similar soup is served in Sweden for St Martens, typically with goose blood. As a hat-tip, this version is served with Swedish rye bread.

Roast Duck Song

Whilst not-a-soup, this is inspired by the Duck Song. You know, the duck that wants grapes from the lemonade stand? Revenge is a duck roasted in its own requests.

Duck Lemonade Glaze
1 cup of concentrated lemon juice, 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Combine until dissolved.

Add glaze to 1 duck for roasting, add sliced lemon on skin.

"Do you have any grapes?"
Stuff the duck with a sultana stuffing; 1 cup of sultanas, 1.5 cups of breadcrumbs, 1 cup of vegetable stock, 1 small thinly sliced onion.

Roast vegetables with the duck; 6 potatoes, 2 carrots, 2 onions, and 2 turnips in this case.

Senegalese Duck Chocolate Dates

Melt 125g of cooking chocolate, mix with 125g of chopped dates or date paste, 1 tablespoon of dessicated coconut, press into a duck-shaped mould.