Duck “A l’orange”
One duck
Four oranges
Optional – Some Grand Marnier if you can find some (or any other spirit that tastes orangy, like Napoleon Mandarine for instance)
A large pot that can fit your duck, has a lid, both can go in the oven (no plastic handle), and has a think base (like cast iron pot, or stainless steel with copper base).
1. Prepare the suffing:
I used cooked rice+sultanas+an egg+herbs+some veg like chopped celeri but you can use anything. bread, quinoa, capsicum, … the purpose of a stuffing is to keep the meat moist.
2. Stuff your duck ! You gotta shove the stuffing from the backside, so yeah, stick your hand down that hole and stuff the bastard.
3. If the neck is in the way, tie it under a wing with some cooking rope
4. Get the zest of two oranges in a bowl, use a cheese grater. Also get the juice in a glass. Discard these oranges. Slice one orange whole (skin and flesh, about 2mil thick) and keep the segments of at least one half orange intact. Get the juice of the remaining halves if any.
5. If you want, you can delicately slide your fingers in between the skin and the flesh to stuff bits of bacon, or butter, in there so the skin is nice and crackling, but a duck is usually fat enough that you don’t need to.
6. Heat some butter in the pot, add some chopped onions and a few garlic cloves, skin on.
7. Put your duck in, on high heat, and leave it for 2 minutes on each side. The idea is to seize the meat and keep the moisture inside.
9. Lower the heat, thrown in your orange juice, orange segments, and orange slices. if you had any, pour in a splash of Grand Marnier.
10. If there’s not enough juice, add a cup of chicken broth (optional) or water. You could use beer also, or white wine.
11. At this stage, you can chose to add in dates, dried apricots, sultanas, … or any odd fruit that can stay “whole” after three hours of cooking.
12. Put the lid back on, and cook for at least two hours. From times to times you may have to check and turn your bird over so it’s evenly cooked.
13. 30 min before the duck is ready, turn your oven on on high heat.
14. When the oven is hot (real hot), remove the lid off the pot and whack it in the oven, with the duck’s breast upwards. The idea is to get the skin nice and crackling. This takes about 10-15 minutes. Don’t overcook the duck, it gets dry quickly (hence the sauce and the stuffing)
15. Turn the oven off, leave the door open. Carve your duck, put all the bits in a nice plate that can go in the oven. You should have two legs, two wings, two breasts, and some bits that don’t look but taste awesome. Don’t forget the orange segments and slices to make it look pretty, oh and some stuffing.
16. Put the pot back on high heat and get the sauce to reduce by half. You can “cheat” by adding a spoonful of butter+flour that you’ll have prepared in a little bowl somewhere, if you use corn flour we’re not friends anymore.
17. When the sauce is nice and syrupy, pour 3/4 on the meat, and the last in a gravy pot so people can help themselves.
Voila ! Now your friends think you’re the best thing since sliced bread.
I’d go with baked veggies, or a nice puree, or endives. And some fries.
Get a nice red wine, not too strong, so a cab-sav would be perfect.