Wild Duck Breast à Lorange Food

DUCK BREAST A L'ORANGE

Steps:

• Place sugar in a medium saucepan and set over medium-high heat. As sugar begins to melt, use a fork to gently stir sugar from edges to center of pan. Continue stirring in this manner until sugar is a deep amber color.
• Remove caramel from heat and carefully stir in vinegar, orange zest and juice, chicken broth, and shallot. Return to medium-high heat and boil, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 2/3 cup, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Score fat of duck breasts with the tip of a knife in a crosshatch pattern to form 1-inch diamonds. Season both sides of breasts with salt and pepper. Place breasts, fat side down, in a medium skillet and place over medium-high heat. Cook undisturbed until skin is crisp and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Flip and continue cooking to desired doneness, about 8 minutes more for medium-rare (125 degrees). Allow meat to rest 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
• Add orange supremes to sauce and pour over sliced duck just before serving.

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.

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.

WILD DUCK BREAST à L'ORANGE

Steps:

• Sprinkle duck with salt and pepper. Layer duck, oranges, apple and onion in 3 1/2- to 6-quart slow cooker. Pour orange juice concentrate over top.
• Cover and cook on low heat setting 8 to 10 hours or until duck is tender.
• Remove duck from cooker. Discard fruit and onion mixture.

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.

GRILLED WILD DUCK BREAST

Steps:

• Stir together the Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, hot sauce, garlic, and pepper. Add the duck breasts, and toss well to coat. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to overnight.
• Preheat a grill for medium-high heat.
• Grill the duck to desired doneness, about 5 minutes per side for medium-well, depending on the size of the breast, and the temperature of the grill.

DUCK A L'ORANGE

Steps:

• Prepare rice mix according to package directions. Prick skin of duckling well with a fork. Loosely stuff duckling with wild rice mix. Skewer neck openings; tie drumsticks together. , Place breast side up on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. In a small bowl, combine the orange juice concentrate, honey, butter and soy sauce; set aside., Bake, uncovered at 350° for 1 hour. Baste with orange juice mixture. Bake 1-1/2 to 2 hours longer or until a thermometer reads 180° for the duckling and 165° for the stuffing, basting occasionally with orange juice mixture. (Drain fat from pan as it accumulates). , Cover loosely with foil if duckling browns to quickly. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes before removing stuffing and carving. Discard any remaining basting sauce., For orange sauce, in a small saucepan, combine orange juice concentrate and water; bring to a boil. Combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Stir into orange sauce; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Season with salt. Serve with duck.