Orange Stuffed Christmas Duck Food

DUCK WITH ORANGE HAZELNUT STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Sprinkle the inside of ducks with salt; prick skin lightly several times, being careful not to cut into the meat. Rub skin grated orange zest and sprinkle with seasoned salt; set aside. Combine the first 15 stuffing ingredients; spoon into ducks. If desired, secure legs with baker's twine., Place with breast side up on a rack in a large shallow roasting pan; pour enough water below rack to thinly cover bottom of pan. Bake, uncovered, until a thermometer reads 180° in the thickest part of the thigh and 165° for stuffing, 2 to 2-1/2 hours, rotating pan halfway through and tenting with foil if needed to prevent overbrowning. , For gravy, combine 3 tablespoons pan drippings, flour, salt and pepper in a saucepan; stir until smooth. Heat until bubbly, stirring constantly. Gradually add broth. Bring to a boil; cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add marmalade; stir until smooth.

ORANGE-STUFFED CHRISTMAS DUCK

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Put the duck on a rack set over a roasting tin and prick the skin all over with a skewer. Season well. Halve one of the oranges and squeeze some of the juice into the duck cavity and the tin, then stuff the cavity with both of the halves. Pour 100ml water into the tin and roast for 20 mins per 500g (about 50 mins). Turn the oven up to 220C/200C fan/ gas 7 and roast for another 20 mins until the duck skin is crispy and golden.
• Put a small pan of water on to boil. Using a peeler, pare the zest from the remaining orange. Scrape any pith off the zest using a small, sharp knife. Add the zest to the water and gently boil for 8-10 mins, then drain, slice thinly into strips and set aside. In the same pan, dissolve the brown sugar with the balsamic vinegar. Cut the pared orange in half, juice it and pour the juice into the pan. Add the Grand Marnier and 1 tsp butter. Bubble until it has reduced by half and is dark and syrupy. Remove from the heat and stir in the orange zest.
• Once the duck is cooked, wrap it in foil to keep warm and put it on a board to rest. Spoon off the fat from the roasting tin and discard. Pour any remaining duck juices into a wide, shallow saucepan. Tip in the stock and bring to the boil. Add the wine and simmer for 2-3 mins, then add half the orange sauce and stir well. In a small bowl, mix the cornflour with 2 tsp cold water, then stir into the gravy. Season, add 1 tsp butter and whisk together. Pour into a warm gravy jug.
• To serve, brush the remaining sticky orange glaze over the duck, then put the duck on a board and garnish with the watercress. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and add 1 tsp butter. Once the butter has melted, tip in the spinach and cook for 1-2 mins until it has wilted. Season and tip into a warm serving dish.

CRANBERRY ORANGE DUCK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Sprinkle Chinese five-spice powder inside the duck cavity. Add chopped onion and cubed orange.
• Combine cranberries, orange liqueur, honey, white sugar, and soy sauce in a saucepan. Cook and stir until glaze reaches a jam-like consistency, 7 to 10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, about 3 minutes.
• Place duck on a roasting rack inside a roasting pan; baste with the glaze.
• Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 2 1/2 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

ROAST DUCK WITH ORANGE GLAZE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Sprinkle inside of duck with caraway seeds; prick skin all over with a fork. In a large skillet, sauté vegetables in oil. Stir in broth, seasonings and stuffing., Loosely stuff duck with stuffing mixture. Skewer neck opening; tie drumsticks together with kitchen string. Place breast side up on a rack in a large shallow roasting pan., Bake, uncovered, until golden brown and a thermometer reads 170° for the duck and 165° for the stuffing, 2-1/2 to 3-1/4 hours. Drain fat from pan as it accumulates. Cover loosely with foil if duck browns too quickly. Cover and let stand 20 minutes before removing stuffing and carving., Meanwhile, for glaze, combine sugars, cornstarch and salt in a saucepan. Gradually stir in orange juice, zest and hot pepper sauce until blended. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with 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).