Classic Duck A Lorange Food

CLASSIC FRENCH DUCK A L'ORANGE

Steps:

• Use a needle or sharp knife point to pierce the skin of the fat ducks all over, taking care to not pierce the meat itself; go in at an angle. This helps the fat render out of the bird. Salt the ducks well and preheat the oven to 325°F.
• Put the ducks in an ovenproof pan. I rest them on celery leaves to prop them above the level of the pan; this helps them crisp better. If you want, surround the duck with some root vegetables. Roast for 90 minutes.
• Take the pan out and increase the heat to 425°F. When it hits this temperature, put the birds back in the oven and roast until the skin is crispy, about 15 to 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, boil the vinegar and sugar in a small pot until it turns brown. Pour in the stock little by little, stirring all the while. Set aside.
• Shave the peel off the oranges, grating some fine and keeping the peel of 2 oranges in large pieces. Juice 2 oranges. Cut segments from the other 2 oranges. Here is a tutorial on how to do that.
• When the ducks are ready, remove them from the oven and let them rest on a cutting board.
• Finish the sauce. Bring it to a simmer, then add about 1/2 cup of orange juice and the large bits of peel. Simmer 5 minutes. Whisk together a little of the sauce with the starch, and, when it's mixed well, stir it into the saucepot to thicken. Add the Grand Marnier and enough salt and orange bitters to taste. Swirl in the butter one tablespoon at a time.
• To serve, carve the duck and arrange on plates. Give everyone some orange supremes and pour over the sauce. Garnish with the grated zest, and serve with good bread, mashed potatoes or celery root, or polenta.

CLASSIC DUCK A L'ORANGE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
• Roughly chop the orange rinds after juicing and place in the cleaned duck cavity. Place the stuffed duck on a baking rack over a baking sheet with 1/2-inch of water. Bake until skin turns golden brown and lightly crisps, about 30 minutes. Reduce temperature to 300 degrees and continue cooking until duck reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees, about 1 hour.
• In a medium heavy saucepan combine the orange juice, zest and sugar over medium high heat and reduce nearly 3/4 in volume, to about 3/4 cup. Add bitters to orange juice gastrique, and set aside. Place duck stock in clean saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Add hot stock to reduced orange gastrique, and continue to simmer over medium low heat for 10 minutes to make sauce.
• Remove duck from roasting pan and discard drippings in bottom of pan. Return duck to roasting pan and place pan over 2 burners over medium high heat. Add orange liqueur to pan and cook off the alcohol, scraping the pan continuously with a large wooden spoon. Add 1 cup of the orange sauce to the roasting pan and cook 1 minute. Remove duck from the pan and discard orange rinds in cavity. Place duck on serving platter and let sit 10 minutes before carving. Combine roasting pan juices and orange sauce in a gravy boat and serve with carved duck.

DUCK A L'ORANGE

Steps:

• Roast duck:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 475°F.
• Stir together salt, coriander, cumin, and pepper. Pat duck dry and sprinkle inside and out with spice mixture. Cut 1 half of orange into quarters and put in duck cavity with thyme, marjoram, parsley, and 4 onion wedges.
• Squeeze juice from remaining half of orange and stir together with wine and stock. Set aside.
• Spread remaining 4 onion wedges in roasting pan with carrot and celery, then place duck on top of vegetables and roast 30 minutes.
• Pour wine mixture into roasting pan and reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Continue to roast duck until thermometer inserted into a thigh (close to but not touching bone) registers 170°F, 1 to 1 1/4 hours more. Turn on broiler and broil duck 3 to 4 inches from heat until top is golden brown, about 3 minutes.
• Tilt duck to drain juices from cavity into pan and transfer duck to a cutting board, reserving juices in pan. Let duck stand 15 minutes.
• Make sauce:
• While duck roasts, cook sugar in a dry 1-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, undisturbed, until it begins to melt. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally with a fork, until sugar melts into a deep golden caramel. Add orange juice, vinegar, and salt (use caution; mixture will bubble and steam vigorously) and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until caramel is dissolved. Remove syrup from heat.
• Discard vegetables from roasting pan and pour pan juices through a fine-mesh sieve into a 1-quart glass measure or bowl, then skim off and discard fat. Add enough stock to pan juices to total 1 cup liquid.
• Stir together butter and flour to form a beurre manié. Bring pan juices to a simmer in a 1- to 2-quart heavy saucepan, then add beurre manié, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Add orange syrup and zest and simmer, whisking occasionally, until sauce is thickened slightly and zest is tender, about 5 minutes. Serve with duck.
• Available at D'Artagnan (800-327-8246).

DUCK A L'ORANGE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 210C/400F/Gas 6½. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the skin off the half orange in wide strips. Place a stack of three strips on top of each other and trim the sides. Cut the strips into very thin julienne strips. Set aside.
• Prick the duck skin all over with the tip of a skewer to help release the fat. Don't prick too deeply. Place on a rack set inside a sturdy, medium roasting tin. Place the orange half inside the duck, pushing towards the neck end to help support the breast. Add the bay leaves and onion wedges. Season the duck with the salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Roast for 45 minutes.
• Take the duck out of the oven and carefully take the rack off the roasting tin using oven gloves to hold it. Tip any fat that has collected in the tin into a heatproof bowl. (Cool, then keep in a pot in the fridge and use for roast or sautéed potatoes.) Place the rack back into the tin and return the duck to the oven for a further 35-45 minutes, or until the skin is golden-brown and crisp.
• Remove the duck from the oven and wiggle one of its legs. If the duck is ready, the leg will be fairly loose and easy to wiggle. If not, return the duck to the oven for a further 10 minutes, or until cooked. Transfer to a board or warmed serving platter. Cover very loosely with foil and leave to rest for 15 minutes.
• While the duck is resting, make the sauce. Drain all but one tablespoon of the duck fat from the roasting tin into the heatproof bowl with the rest. Return the tin to the hob and add the onion. Fry over a medium heat for five minutes, stirring regularly until beginning to soften and colour.
• Pour the orange liqueur and wine into the pan with the softening onion and allow to bubble for a few seconds. Add the orange juice and 150ml/5fl oz cold water and simmer together for about two minutes, stirring to lift any of the meat sediment from the bottom of the tin. Carefully strain the liquid through a fine sieve into a small non-stick saucepan.
• Stir the reserved julienne orange strips and marmalade into the jus and bring to a simmer. Mix the cornflour with one tablespoon of cold water in a small bowl until smooth. Stir it into the orange sauce and cook for 1-2 minutes more, stirring regularly until the sauce is thickened and glossy. Pour any juices that have collected from the resting duck into the sauce and simmer for a few seconds, stirring. Pour into a warmed jug. Carve the duck at the table with an onion wedge for each person, pour a little of the sauce over and serve the rest separately.

DUCK A L'ORANGE

Steps:

• Stir sugar and water in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil until syrup turns deep amber, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in vinegar (mixture will bubble vigorously). Add juice and shallots; boil until reduced to 1/2 cup, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. Add broth; boil until reduced to 3/4 cup, 30 minutes. Set aside.
• Using small knife, cut off peel and white pith from 4 oranges. Working over bowl, cut between membranes to release segments. (Sauce and oranges can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Cover separately; chill.)
• Using small knife, score duck skin (do not pierce meat) in crosshatch pattern. Sprinkle duck with salt and pepper. Heat heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Place duck breasts skin side down in skillet. Cook until brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. Turn duck and cook to desired doneness, about 10 minutes longer for medium-rare. Transfer to cutting board. Let stand 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring sauce to simmer. Add butter and 1 tablespoon grated orange peel; whisk just until butter melts. Drain orange segments and mix into sauce. Set aside.
• Slice duck breasts crosswise on diagonal. Arrange on 4 plates. Spoon orange segments with sauce alongside. Sprinkle with remaining peel.

CLASSIC DUCK A L'ORANGE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a saucepan, boil the sugar and water for several minutes until the syrup caramelizes and turns a golden brown color.
• Add the sherry vinegar, orange juice, shallots, and chicken stock and simmer until the sauce is reduced to a little less than 1 cup.
• Cut the cold butter into small pieces and add to the pan with 1 tablespoon of orange zest.
• Shake the pan back and forth over medium heat until the butter has melted and is incorporated into the sauce.
• Stir in the orange sections.
• The sauce can be cooled and stored until you're ready to prepare the duck breasts, or you can set it aside and proceed with cooking the breasts.
• Pat dry the 2 half breasts with paper towels.
• Slash through the fat on the breast with a sharp knife to create a crisscross pattern. This will help release the fat, which will crisp up the skin while cooking.
• Sprinkle both the meat side and the fat with a little sea salt and pepper.
• Heat a skillet over high heat. Sear the duck breasts quickly on both sides, then cook the duck for 9 to 11 minutes on each side. (The USDA recommends cooking duck to 160 F or 170 F, but if you prefer it pinker, cook to medium-rare, 135 F to 140 F; it is still safe to eat.)
• Remove the breasts from the pan and place on a warm plate. Cover with paper towels and leave them to rest for 5 minutes. This helps to soften the duck after cooking.
• Reheat the sauce.
• Place the duck on a hot plate, either whole or neatly sliced. Spoon the sauce over the duck. Garnish the plate with the remaining orange zest.
• Serve immediately and enjoy.