Duck á L’Orange is a dish that I’ve been preparing since the start of my career, once seen as the height of culinary sophistication. Today, it’s a retro classic and always popular – something different to the usual chicken, pork and beef.
Wild ducks are in season from now until January, and you could try using a delicious game bird for this recipe. The meat tends to be less fatty and more flavorsome than farm reared duck.
Ingredients
Duck
2 x 200g duck breasts
25 ml Olive oil
Seasoning
Sauce
3 x oranges, zest and juice
100 ml Cointreau or Grand Marnier
50 ml sherry vinegar
250 ml duck or chicken stock
1 x tsp corn flour, optional
Method
Sauce
– Reduce the orange juice in a pan over medium heat to a third volume.
– Add the sherry vinegar, orange liqueur and then the stock. Reduce by one third.
– Add the zest of two oranges to the sauce, simmer for one minute.
– Thicken with a paste of a little corn flour mixed with cold water if required.
Duck breasts
– Trim the duck breasts to remove sinew & excess fat. Score the skin with the tip of a knife, in a diamond pattern. Season both sides with salt & pepper.
– Heat a heavy bottomed frying pan or skillet over medium heat. Place the duck breasts in the pan skin side down. Leave undisturbed for about 10 minutes, until the skin is crisp and golden brown, and the fat has rendered down from the breast.
– Turn and continue cooking on other side for around a further 6 – 8 minutes for medium rare.
– Remove from pan, cover and allow meat to rest for 10 minutes, then carve in half lengthways, as shown in the photo.
– Pour the orange sauce over the sliced duck.
– The dish is accompanied by fondant potato, caramelised onion, glazed carrot & butternut puree in the photo.
