Duck, Duck, Duck, Orange Sauce! I love duck. The first time I ever experienced the pleasures of eating duck, was at a Chinese restaurant when I was young. I thought it was really cool to watch the chef come to the table, and using a cleaver of all the knife possibilities, and watch him carve this thing up table side. The brilliance in which he was able to utilize his knife skills to perfectly separate the skin from the meat, the meat from the bones, and the bones for the skeleton of the duck was simply amazing to me. I still long for knife skills like his!
The crispiness of the skin, the tender, juiciness of the duck, and just the overall flavor was something that has stuck with me my entire life from that point on. Peking Duck is still my favorite thing to order when I eat out at a Chinese restaurant.
Duck is also used a lot in classic French cooking and that is where the inspiration for this dish came from. The classic dish is Duck l’ Orange. I have taken a few liberties with the l’ Orange part and kind of made this sauce my own.
If you are looking for great wine pairings for this dish, Cabernet Sauvignon is probably my go to, but a smooth Viognier would also be great for a white wine. I do not drink a lot of beer, but this just seems perfect for a real juicy, citrusy IPA.
OK, enough small talk, lets get to this recipe!
For The Duck:
- 1 Duck Breast
- salt (to taste)
- pepper (to taste)
- Chinese 5 spice (to taste)
Directions: Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Make sure to “score” the fat side of the duck breast. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and Chinese 5 spice. In a skillet on medium high heat, place the duck breast skin side down in the pan. Do not put any cooking oil into the pan, there is enough fat in the duck that you will not need any. Sear the duck for about 4-5 minutes until skin is crispy, and the fat has rendered out. Transfer duck to sizzle plate or baking sheet and place into the oven and cook until desired temperature. I cook mine to medium rare. Remove from oven and let rest 5-7 minutes before slicing.
For the sauce:
- 1/2 shallot (sliced)
- 1 garlic clove (diced)
- 1/2 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- 3 tablespoons white sugar
- 3oz Madarin Napolean
- 3oz red wine
- Juice from 2 oranges
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1 tablespoon cold butter
Directions: using the same pan that the duck was seared in, on medium heat, add in shallot, garlic, and peppercorns. Saute in the duck fat until shallots become translucent. De-glaze the pan with the orange liqueur and give a quick whisk. Next add in the red wine, and then the sugar. Whisk in the sugar until it is incorporated into the liquid. Next add in the juice from 2 oranges, and the beef stock. Whisk again, and let liquid reduce until it begins to thicken. Once sauce has reduced and thickened, remove from heat and strain into serving vessel. Finally whisk in 1 tablespoon of cold butter.
Chris Bassett 