Duckling A La Orange Recipe Ideas

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).

CLASSIC DUCK A L'ORANGE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a saucepan, boil the sugar and water for several minutes until the syrup caramelizes and turns a golden brown color.
• Add the sherry vinegar, orange juice, shallots, and chicken stock and simmer until the sauce is reduced to a little less than 1 cup.
• Cut the cold butter into small pieces and add to the pan with 1 tablespoon of orange zest.
• Shake the pan back and forth over medium heat until the butter has melted and is incorporated into the sauce.
• Stir in the orange sections.
• The sauce can be cooled and stored until you're ready to prepare the duck breasts, or you can set it aside and proceed with cooking the breasts.
• Pat dry the 2 half breasts with paper towels.
• Slash through the fat on the breast with a sharp knife to create a crisscross pattern. This will help release the fat, which will crisp up the skin while cooking.
• Sprinkle both the meat side and the fat with a little sea salt and pepper.
• Heat a skillet over high heat. Sear the duck breasts quickly on both sides, then cook the duck for 9 to 11 minutes on each side. (The USDA recommends cooking duck to 160 F or 170 F, but if you prefer it pinker, cook to medium-rare, 135 F to 140 F; it is still safe to eat.)
• Remove the breasts from the pan and place on a warm plate. Cover with paper towels and leave them to rest for 5 minutes. This helps to soften the duck after cooking.
• Reheat the sauce.
• Place the duck on a hot plate, either whole or neatly sliced. Spoon the sauce over the duck. Garnish the plate with the remaining orange zest.
• Serve immediately and enjoy.

DUCKLING A LA ORANGE

Steps:

• Melt butter in heavy saucepan. Add flour. Blend well over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for several minutes.
• Heat bouillon, stir into roux, and continue stirring until sauce thickens. Add herbs, reduce heat and simmer for several minutes.
• Combine orange juice, orange zest, and lemon juice, with brown sauce. Simmer 5 minutes and add liquor.
• Clean duck. Heat oven to 325ºF.
• Place breast side up in shallow roasting pan. Brush duck with 1/2 of glaze. Roast uncovered for 2 1/2 hours, pricking skin with fork and brushing with glaze occasionally.
• Just before serving, add 1/2 cup orange sections to sauce. Heat through.

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.

DUCK IN ORANGE SAUCE

Steps:

• Make sauce: In a small saucepan, combine orange juice, chicken broth, and orange marmalade. Bring to a boil over high heat, and then lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes. If the mixture is too thin, then mix cornstarch with 2 tablespoons orange juice in a small bowl to make a slurry. Add slurry to sauce and briefly return to a boil. Keep warm until ready to serve.
• While sauce is simmering, heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Sprinkle duck on both sides with paprika. Grill on both sides until medium-rare. Transfer duck to serving plates. Pour warm sauce over duck and serve.

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.

ROASTED DUCKLINGS IN ORANGE SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425°F. If convection is an option, choose it.
• Make the ducks. Cut away the flap of fatty skin from the neck, and scrape any loose fat from inside the cavities. Prick the skin all over gently with a sharp fork, or cross-hatch it with a sharp knife. Be careful not to pierce the meat.
• Fill an 18-quart stock pot (or as large as you have) about two-thirds full with water, and add the salt. Place the bunches of thyme and rosemary and the garlic cloves in it. Bring to a rapid boil. (You may need to use two pots if you do not have a single pot large enough to hold both ducklings at once; if so, divide the thyme and rosemary into smaller held-together bunches, and divide the garlic between the pots.) Place the ducks in the pot. If they pop up, keep them submerged using a smaller pot full of water or some other weight. Be aware of overflow. Bring the water back to a slow boil. Simmer the ducks for about 30 minutes. Remove them, and use paper towels to dry them thoroughly.
• Stuff each of the ducks' cavities with half of the boiled thyme, rosemary, and garlic and the quartered orange.
• Line the bottom of a large shallow roasting pan with the onions, carrots, and the orange rounds. Place the ducks, breast-side down, on top. Massage them with the Cointreau. This will give them a mahogany finish. Let them sit for 10 minutes for the skin to absorb the liqueur. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Roast until the bottoms brown, about 20 minutes. Turn them breast-side up, and lower the oven temperature to 350°F. Several times during roasting, spoon off any excess fat as it accumulates, or suck it up using a baster. Use some of the fat to baste the ducks, and set the rest aside, saving some for the sauce.
• Depending on how long you boiled the ducks and the size of the ducks, roasting time will be another hour or longer. The ducks are done when a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers at least 180°F, or until the juices run clear and the leg bones wiggle easily. You want the meat to slide off the bones. Don't be afraid of overcooking these. Ducks don't dry out easily. The skin should be crisp. If not, no worries. You will pass the pieces under the broiler before serving. (If the ducks are too crisp and the meat is not finished cooking, cover them with foil as you continue roasting.) Once the ducks are ready, remove them from the oven, and cover them with aluminum foil while you finish the sauce.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce. Combine the stock, giblets, and necks in a saucepot over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low to maintain a gentle boil, until the stock is reduced by half.
• Finish the sauce when you have retrieved rendered duck fat from the roasting duck. In a medium saucepan, warm the duck fat over medium heat. Add the flour, whisking with a fork as you do so. Remove the giblets and necks from the stock reduction, and discard. Add the stock to the duck fat-flour mixture, raise the heat to medium-high, and stir continuously to prevent lumps as you bring it to a slow boil. Add the Cointreau, vinegars, orange juice, marmalade, and orange peel to the pan. Bring back to a boil, melting the marmalade, then simmer uncovered on low heat until the sauce thickens and is reduced. Preheat a broiler with the rack set a notch or two down from the top position.
• When the ducks have rested at least 20 minutes, use a sharp knife or poultry scissors to split them and cut the breasts from the legs. Discard the orange quarters, herbs, wings, and any pockets of fat that remain. Slip the breast meat from the bones. Leave the legs intact. Put a little sauce in a broiling pan, and lay the duck pieces on top. Spoon a little sauce on top of each piece. Put them under the broiler for about 1 minute to crisp and glaze. Watch them carefully; the sugar in the sauce caramelizes quickly.
• Place the pieces on a platter, and decorate with thin, round slices of orange. Serve with additional sauce on the side.