Duck à l’Orange Recipe

Step 1

Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 475°/246°C.

Whisk together 1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, 1 tsp. ground coriander, and ½ tsp. ground cumin in a small bowl.

Pat one 5–6-lb. whole duck, neck and giblets removed, dry and sprinkle inside and out with spice mixture.

Cut 1 orange in half through the equator; cut one of halves into quarters.

Stuff duck cavity with orange quarters along with 4 onion wedges (from 1 small onion, cut through root end into 8 wedges), 4 sprigs marjoram, 4 sprigs thyme, and 2 sprigs parsley.

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Step 2

Squeeze juice from remaining orange half into another small bowl. Add ½ cup dry white wine and ½ cup duck or chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth and stir to combine. Set aside.

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Step 3

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 at ~220°C until the skin is crispy, about 15 to 20 minutes. 

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Step 4

Roast duck until an instant-read thermometer inserted into a thigh near the bone registers 170°/76°C, 1–1¼ hours. Using tongs, carefully tilt duck so juices run from cavity into pan. Transfer duck to a cutting board and let rest 15 minutes; set roasting pan with vegetables and juices aside.

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Step 5

[Sauce]

While the duck is roasting, cook ⅓ cup sugar in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, undisturbed, until starting to melt. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally with a heatproof rubber spatula, until sugar is fully melted and caramel turns deep golden in color. Reduce heat to low and carefully add ⅓ cup fresh orange juice and 2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar to caramel (mixture will bubble vigorously and might spatter); season with a pinch of kosher salt. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until caramel is dissolved and mixture is combined. Remove orange syrup from heat.

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Step 6

[Sauce with Pan Juice]

You should have 1 cup pan juices. Stir together 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour and 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature, in a small bowl to form a paste. Pour pan juices into a small heavy saucepan and bring to a simmer. Whisking constantly, add flour mixture followed by orange syrup and orange zest (from ½ orange, zest removed in wide strips with a vegetable peeler, strips thinly sliced). Simmer, whisking, until sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

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Step 7

Serve duck with orange sauce alongside. 

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References:

[The recipe for duck à l’orange was first printed in the June 1943 issue of ‘Gourmet.’ ]

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/duck-a-lorange-233535

https://honest-food.net/duck-lorange-recipe/

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