Bigarade Sauce Recipes

DUCK BIGARADE

Steps:

• Remove the duck breasts from the refrigerator, salt them well, and set them aside at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Pan sear the duck breasts. You may have to do this in batches. When the breasts are cooked, set them aside skin side up on a cutting board and let them rest, tented with aluminum foil, while you make the sauce.
• To make the sauce, pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pan and place the pan over medium heat. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and stir to combine and make a roux. Let it cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes, until it is the color of coffee with cream.
• Add a pinch of salt and stir to combine, then slowly stir in the stock, orange juice, liqueur, and vinegar. Everything will spatter at first, but it will calm down. Add any accumulated juices from the duck to the sauce. Let this boil down until it is a little thinner than the consistency of Thanksgiving gravy. Add the sugar, then taste and adjust with salt. If you want a more refined sauce, pour it through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl.
• To serve, slice the breasts. Spoon some sauce on each plate and top with breast slices. Garnish with the orange zest and orange slices.

EASY BIGARADE SAUCE (L'ORANGE)

Steps:

• Peel the zest off of 2 oranges and the lemon with a vegetable peeler; set aside.
• Squeeze the juice out of all the oranges and the lemon; set aside.
• In a saute pan, over low heat, cook the sugar with the vinegar until reduced to a dark syrup.
• Add the stock and orange and lemon juices; bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes, skimming any foam that appears on the top.
• Once done, the sauce should coat the back of a spoon.
• Meanwhile, cut the reserved zests into thin julienne strips; add to sauce the last couple of minutes of cooking.
• Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste; serve hot.

CHICKEN BIGARADE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil over moderate heat. Dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking off the excess. Sauté the chicken for 2 minutes per side until golden. Transfer to a plate.
• Add the bell pepper and the remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil and sauté for 3 minutes or until crisp tender. Add to the plated chicken.
• Add the sugar to the pan and cook for 3 minutes until caramelized. Add the vinegar and cook for 30 seconds.
• Add the orange zest, juice, broth, rosemary and pepper and bring to a boil.
• Return the chicken and bell pepper to the pan, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 7 minutes or until the chicken is just cooked through. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and boil for 1 minute, stirring, until lightly thickened.
• Meanwhile with a small paring knife, peel the oranges. Separate the orange sections from the membranes and stir the segments into the pan. Serve the chicken with the sauce and oranges.