Thai Orange Duck Food

THAI ORANGE DUCK

Steps:

• Heat broiler. Broil duck breasts until skin is crisp and meat is pink, about 5 minutes a side. Allow to rest, then slice diagonally. Alternatively, pan-fry breasts until just pink in center. Slice, and set aside.
• With a fine microplane grater, grate zest of oranges, and set aside. In a wide saucepan, combine creamy top of coconut milk with curry paste. Place over medium-low heat, and whisk to make a smooth paste. Add rest of can of coconut milk, chicken broth, kaffir lime leaves and cardamom.
• If using eggplants, add them to pan with duck pieces. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, and simmer until eggplants are tender, about 15 minutes. Add bamboo shoots, fish sauce and orange zest. Cut one orange into peeled segments. Cut each segment in two, discarding any seeds, and add to curry. Juice remaining orange, and add juice to curry. If using sugar snaps, add them to curry, and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Pour mixture into bowls, garnish, and serve.

THAI ORANGE CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir carrots, ginger, and garlic until carrots are slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer carrot mixture to a bowl. Add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to the same skillet.
• Cook and stir chicken in the hot olive oil until no longer pink in the center, about 10 minutes. Add carrot mixture, water, peanuts, orange juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, and red pepper flakes to chicken; stir to combine. Cover and simmer until sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes.
• Remove about 1/4 cup sauce from the skillet; whisk in cornstarch until dissolved and sauce is smooth. Pour cornstarch mixture back into chicken and sauce; cook until sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 more minutes.

CHEF JOHN'S ORANGE DUCK

Steps:

• Score duck skin almost all the way through the skin and fat each way on the diagonal in a crosshatch pattern. Generously season with salt and rub salt into each breast. Let rest, skin-side up, at room temperature, for 15 minutes.
• Whisk chicken broth, orange liqueur, sherry vinegar, orange marmalade, orange zest, and cayenne pepper together in a small bowl.
• Pat duck breasts dry with paper towels. Re-season skin-side of duck breasts with salt.
• Heat duck fat in a heavy skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. Place duck in skillet, skin-side down, and cook for 6 minutes. Flip duck breasts and cook until they start to firm and are reddish-pink and juicy in the center, about 4 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 140 degrees F (60 degrees C). Transfer breasts to a plate to rest. Pour any rendered duck fat into a glass jar.
• Return skillet to medium heat and whisk flour into pan; cook and stir until flour is completely incorporated, about 1 minute. Pour orange mixture into skillet; bring to a boil. Cook until sauce thickens and is reduced, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low. When orange mixture stops bubbling, add butter; stir until butter is completely melted and incorporated into the sauce, about 1 minute. Season with salt to taste.
• Slice duck breasts across the grain, arrange on a plate, and spoon orange sauce over the top.

DUCK A L'ORANGE

Steps:

• Use a sharp knife to score the skin side of the duck breasts in 2 directions, about 20 slashes per direction. Season the breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. Reserve in the refrigerator.
• Cut off 1 end so the orange can stand on the cutting board, and slice off 2 (2-inch) strips of zest. Cut the zest into fine julienne, then blanch the zest for 1 minute in the cup of boiling water. Juice the orange, strain the juice into a saucepan, and boil it until it's reduced to about 1 tablespoon.
• If you're using the kumquats instead, cut the round ends off the kumquats and eat or discard them. Set the kumquats on 1 end and use a sharp paring knife to trim the zest off three of them. Cut all the kumquats in half lengthwise, and working over a strainer set in a non-reactive bowl, remove the pulp with a small spoon. Push the pulp against the strainer to extract the juice. (Don't worry if you end up with only a tablespoon or 2.) Place the kumquat zests on a cutting board and slice them into fine julienne. Bring the 1/2 cup water to a boil over high heat, blanch the zests for 1 minute, then drain them in a strainer.
• If you're using concentrated duck broth, reduce it in a small saucepan to about 2 tablespoons until it's lightly syrupy.
• Heat a saute pan over medium to high heat and saute the duck breasts, skin side down, 8 to 10 minutes for the Pekin duck breasts and 12 to 18 minutes for the mallard. Turn the breasts over, adjust the heat to high, and cook for 1 minute for the Pekin duck and 2 minutes for the mallard.
• Pour the fat out of the pan ¿ if it hasn't burned, save it for omelets ¿ and deglaze the pan with the reduced kumquats or orange juice. Use a whisk to add the glaze. Add the sugar, Grand Marnier, kumquat or orange zest, and vinegar, and simmer the sauce for about 30 seconds to cook off the alcohol. At this point, adjust the thickness of the sauce ¿ its consistency is up to you, but many cooks make their sauces too thick; add 1 or 2 teaspoons water to thin it or simmer the sauce for a moment to reduce and thicken it. Whisk in the cold butter, keeping the pan and whisk moving until all the butter melts. (Don't let it sit without whisking or the butter will separate.) Season, to taste, with the pepper, and if necessary, a few more drops of vinegar.
• Slice the breasts crosswise, arrange the slices on individual heated plates, and spoon the sauce over the breasts. Serve hot, with orange wedges if desired.

CHILLI ORANGE DUCK

Steps:

• Scrub the oranges well, cut the rind from 2 oranges, using a sharp knife, and trim off most of the pith.
• Cut the rind into short, thin strips.
• Squeeze the juice from the oranges, you need 250ml.
• Combine the orange rind and juice, sugar, ginger, chilli, star anise, cinnamon sticks, sweet chilli sauce, fish sauce, vinegar and red wine in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring.
• Boil for around 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly syrupy.
• Prick the duck skin well, and heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan.
• Add the duck breasts and sear, skin side down for 8 minutes or till brown.
• Then turn and cook for another 8 minutes.
• Remove the duck and allow it to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
• Cut the spring onions into finger lengths, then into strips.
• Slice the duck thickly, arrange on warmed plates and scatter with spring onion shreds.
• Spoon the sauce over the top.
• Serve with rice or noodles.

HONEY ORANGE DUCK

Steps:

• Boil water in a large kettle.
• Place duck, anise and parsley in boiling water; cook 10 minutes.
• Remove duck from water; let cool on rack for 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350*.
• Bake duck on rack in a roasting pan for 1 1/2 hours.
• Mix orange juice, soy sauce, honey, sherry, salt and ginger juice.
• Pour half of mixture into cavity and brush remaining mixture on duck.
• Bake 30-40 minutes more; basting every 10 minutes during the last 1/2 hour of baking.
• Transfer duck to a platter.
• Garnish with orange slices.
• Serve hot.