Recipe: Duck With Orange Sauce [edit]

Step 1

Remove the orange part of the orange skin using a vegetable peeler. Cut these strips into julienne, (small strips 1/16 inch wide and 1 1/12 inches long). Simmer for 15 minutes in a quart of water. Drain. Pat dry in paper towels.

Step 2

Season the duck cavity with salt and pepper, add a third of the prepared orange peel, and truss the duck. (Roast according to the master recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking p. 274)

Step 3

While duck is roasting, make a sweet and sour caramel coloring as follows: Boil the sugar and vinegar over moderately high heat for several minutes until the mixture has turned into a mahogany-brown syrup. Immediately remove from heat and pour in 1/2 cup of the duck stock. Simmer for a minute, stirring to dissolve caramel. Then add the rest of the stock, beat in the arrowroot micture, and stir in the orange peel. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes or until the sauce is clear, limpid, and lightly thickened. Correct seasoning and set aside.

Step 4

Cut the 4 oranges into neat, skinless segments (or supremes) and place in a covered dish.

Step 5

When the duck is done, discard trussing strings, and set it on a platter. Place it in the turned-off hot oven, leaving the door ajar.

Step 6

Remove as much fat as you can from the roasting pan. Add the wine and boil it down rapidly, scraping up coagulated roasting juices and reducing the liquid to 2 or 3 tablespoons.

Step 7

Strain the wine reduction into the sauce base and bring to the simmer. Stir in the orange liqueur by spoonfuls, tasting. The sauce should have a pleasant orange flavor but not be too sweet. Add drops of orange bitters or lemon juice as a corrective.

Step 8

Just before serving, and off heat, swirl in the butter and pour the sauce into a warmed sauce boat.

Step 9

Place a line of orange segments over the length of the duck and heap the rest at the two ends of the platter. Spoon a bit of sauce with peel over the duck, and serve.