DUCK A L'ORANGE RECIPE

Last week while watching The Departed, a Martin Scorsese movie, one of the main characters played by Matt Damon pompously laments toward the end of an elegant dinner at a French restaurant that it was able to offer an extravagant-looking dessert but not duck a l'orange. Do all fancy French restaurants serve duck a l'orange? Not from my experience, but that was probably the point.

Duck a  l'orange. It sounded so luxurious and fancy, but then again doesn't everything in French sound fancier?

I've never had duck a l'orange but my curiosity was instantly ignited. From the information I've gathered, duck a l'orange is very simply roasted duck paired with a rich and savory orange sauce, and the uniqueness of one duck a l'orange recipe from another really centers around the sauce.

There are many versions of orange sauce from recipes that call for such ingredients as orange marmalade and jams to Grand Marnier. Since this was my first time attempt, I found a simple recipe and was on my way to make this fancy-sounding dish.

The roasted duck portion of duck a l'orange is fairly straightforward.  Pan-roasted duck breasts will do, and is probably a good way to start if you are new to this dish.

Since I've never roasted a whole duck, I decided to try my hand at cooking an entire duck.

Similar to chicken and turkey, I decided to marinate the duck in a brine bath a prior to roasting. This is a very easy step to ensure that the duck remains moist and flavorful. Any simple brine solution will do, the one I used imparted a subtle and wonderfully warm citrus spice flavor.

At the end of roasting this duck, there will be plenty of duck fat in the roasting pan. If you're not bothered by the subtle spices, you may consider reserving the duck fat for a future use, such as potatoes roasted with duck fat. Duck fat generally keeps in the refrigerator for up to one month, and in the freezer for up to six months.

DUCK BRINE RECIPE
Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons sea salt
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon whole juniper berries, crushed
• 1 tablespoon whole coriander
• 4 whole cardamon seeds
• 1 tablespoon whole allspice
• 1 tablespoon whole clove
• 4 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• zest from one orange
• zest from one lemon
• 3 cups hot water
• One duck, roughly 5lbs
  

ORANGE SAUCE
(adapted from Chef Terrance Brennan of Artisanal)
Ingredients

• 2 cups orange juice
• 1 cup duck, beef or chicken stock*
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Salt

Method

1. A day ahead of roasting the duck, prepare the brine by combining all of the ingredients in 4 cup measuring bowl. Add 3 cups of hot water and allow the spices to steep for half an hour. Refrigerate for at least an hour to cool the brine. When the brine has cooled down to the same temperature as in the refrigerator, prepare the duck by removing the neck, and packed giblets, and reserve for other use. Rinse the duck under cold water, and place the the duck breast down in a pot, container or bowl large enough to submerge it under the brine solution. Add the brine solution, cover with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 12 hours and up to 2 days.
2. Two hours prior to roasting the duck, remove the duck from the refrigerator, drain the brine solution and cover with a plastic wrap. Allow the duck to come to room temperature, roughly two hours. Once the duck is at or close to room temperature, preheat the oven to 350°F.
   
3. Rinse the duck under cold water, pat dry, and place the duck on a roasting rack. With a knife, run the sharp tip across each duck breast creating superficial diagonal lines roughly one inch apart, and again across creating diamonds as pictured in the image above. This step will allow for the fat to be released during the cooking process, making the skin crisper. Place the roasting pan in the oven on the middle of the rack, and roast for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F - 170°F. 
4. When the duck has completed roasting, set the roasting pan on the stove and allow the duck to rest for 20 - 25 minutes.
   
5. About half an hour to an hour before serving the duck, start on the sauce. Heat the orange juice in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat until the juice is reduced by two-thirds, about 10-15 minutes. Add the stock, bay leaf, peppercorns, and thyme to the pan, and reduce by half, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine sieve. Whisk butter into the sauce, and season to taste with salt.
6. When you are ready to serve, you may consider placing the duck in the oven to broil on high for a minute to recrisp the duck skin. Carve the duck and spoon the orange sauce generously over the duck meat.
   

* Note: You may make duck broth by simmering duck neck, giblets in 2-3 cups of low-sodium beef or chicken stock in a small saucepan for roughly an hour and strain, yielding 1 cup.

Serves 4

Serve with potatoes and / or roasted vegetables.