Duck à l'Orange

 

🦆 Duck à l'Orange

A classic French dish: crispy roasted duck with a glossy, sweet-tart orange sauce. It sounds fancy, but the basic technique is quite manageable.

Ingredients — 4 servings

Duck

• 1 whole duck, about 2–2.5 kg
• Salt and black pepper
• 2 oranges
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 sprig thyme

Orange sauce

• 2 oranges
• 250 ml chicken or duck stock
• 100 ml fresh orange juice
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp red-wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp Grand Marnier or Cointreau, optional
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp cornstarch + 1 tbsp cold water, optional

Method

1. Prepare the duck.
   Pat it very dry. Prick the skin all over with a fork or sharp knife, especially around the fatty areas, without cutting deeply into the meat. Season generously with salt and pepper.
2. Roast.
   Put the duck breast-side up on a rack over a roasting pan. Roast at 220°C for 20 minutes, then reduce to 180°C and roast for roughly 1½ hours, depending on size. Drain excess rendered fat occasionally.
3. Make orange zest.
   Remove thin strips of zest from one orange. Blanch them in boiling water for about 1 minute, drain, and reserve. This removes some bitterness.
4. Make the caramel base.
   Put the sugar and vinegar in a saucepan. Heat until the sugar caramelizes to a deep amber color.
5. Build the sauce.
   Carefully add the orange juice and stock. Add the orange zest and simmer until reduced and slightly syrupy. Add the Grand Marnier if using.
6. Finish.
   Strain the sauce, then whisk in the butter. If you want it thicker, add a little cornstarch slurry and simmer briefly.
7. Rest and carve.
   Let the duck rest for 15–20 minutes before carving. Spoon the orange sauce around and over the duck rather than drowning the crispy skin.

The important trick

Duck à l'orange should be tart as well as sweet. The vinegar and fresh orange juice prevent the sauce from becoming like orange-flavored syrup. You want fatty + crispy + citrusy + slightly bitter + sweet.

For a lighter plate, I'd serve it with green beans, roasted potatoes, or a sharp salad rather than a heavy gratin.