Recipe: DUCK À L'ORANGE

METHOD

Preparation

• Preheat your oven to 180°C.
• Pierce the skin of the Ducko whole ducks, being careful not to cut into the meat. Use a needle or sharp knife. This helps to extract fat from the duck.
• Generously season both ducks with salt.
• Put the ducks in an oven-proof pan and roast for 90 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the oven and increase the heat to 220°C.
• Once it reaches this temperature, return the ducks to the oven and continue roasting until the skin becomes crispy, typically taking around 15 to 20 minutes.
• In the meantime, bring the vinegar and sugar to a boil in a small pot until it turns brown. Gradually add the stock while stirring continuously. Set the mixture aside.
• Peel the skin off the oranges. Finely grate some of it, and retain the peel from 2 oranges in large pieces. Juice 2 oranges.
• Cut segments from the remaining 2 oranges. Once the ducks are done, take them out of the oven and allow them to rest on a cutting board.
• Complete the sauce by bringing it to a simmer. Add approximately ½ cup of orange juice and the larger pieces of peel. Allow it to simmer for 5 minutes. Whisk a small portion of the sauce with arrowroot or corn starch until well blended, then stir it into the saucepot for thickening. Add the orange liqueur, salt, and orange bitters to taste. Gradually swirl in one tablespoon of butter at a time.

Serving

• For serving, carve the duck and plate it. Provide each person with some orange supremes and drizzle the sauce over. Garnish with grated zest and accompany with quality bread, mashed potatoes, celery root, or polenta.