Grandma’s orange duck, easy and tasty.
Although commonly thought of as a French recipe, orange duck has Italian roots: Catherine de’ Medici brought the recipe to Versailles when she married King Henry II of France and took her Florentine cooks and household staff with her.
The recipe is actually very simple, but just as good — orange pairs wonderfully with duck, mellowing its intense flavor (somewhat reminiscent of home-raised chicken). Duck meat, which is nothing like the taste of the typical supermarket chick, is dense, dark, and full-flavored; I first tasted it in France and loved it. For that reason, when I found it at the supermarket I decided to prepare it and add it to the special recipes on the blog.
I hope you’ll try making it too, but if you’re not convinced about buying duck, substitute a large free-range chicken and prepare the Whole roast orange chicken — the final dish will still be fantastic. Or see How to cook chicken for many tasty recipes.
Now let’s go to the kitchen — it’s time to cook!
Also see:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 5 servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 5.5 lbs Duck
- 4 Oranges
- 1 Onion (large)
- to taste Spices (mixed roast spices with salt (for roasting))
- Half glass Brandy (or whiskey)
- 1 glass Prosecco
- (all the cooking juices)
- 1 tbsp All-purpose flour
- 1 glass Orange juice (freshly squeezed)
- Half glass Water
- to taste Hawaiian salt
- to taste Extra virgin olive oil (or the duck's own fat)
- 1 tsp Honey
Grandma’s easy orange duck recipe
Take your duck and be patient: remove any remaining feathers using tweezers, then pass it briefly over the flame to singe away the smallest feathers.
Rinse the duck, pat it dry thoroughly, remove the fat near the tail but don’t throw it away.
Place the roast seasoning inside the cavity of the bird (roasting seasoning — mixed spices rich in rosemary and pepper, already salted) along with four orange slices cut into rounds with the peel on. Tie the wings and legs so the duck keeps its shape while cooking, and rub the skin with the seasoning mixture.
Slice a large onion and place it in a large pot. Add the fat you set aside and brown (normally you might add butter and oil here, but the duck skin is already quite fatty, so avoid adding more).
Place the duck in the pot and brown it on all sides, then deglaze with the brandy. As soon as you smell the alcohol, flambé it. That is, bring a lighter close and ignite — once the alcohol burns off the flame will go out (if you’re uncomfortable with this step, you can omit it).
Add the white wine or Prosecco, one glass of orange juice (if too tart, dilute with water) and one tablespoon of honey. Lower the heat and let it simmer gently for 90 minutes, turning occasionally.
After this time you’ll see the duck roasting in its own fat; if needed add a little water and continue cooking.
At the end of cooking, turn off the heat and move the cooked duck to a serving dish.
Garnish the duck with orange slices and place it in a preheated oven at 356°F for 10 minutes to achieve a nice browning. (Continues below the photo).
For the sauce.
Take the cooking juices and separate the fat from the liquid base — the fat will float and can be easily poured off.
In a little oil or in the duck fat, lightly brown about one scant tablespoon of flour. Remove from the heat and, a little at a time as if making a béchamel, add one glass of orange juice, half a glass of water, one teaspoon of honey, and the defatted cooking juices. Bring to a boil and cook for ten minutes, stirring constantly, then turn off the heat. This will be the accompanying sauce.
Your orange duck is ready to be served — I assure you it will be a guaranteed success!
If you liked this recipe, also see:
–Roast chicken with mushrooms and potatoes — grandma’s recipe;
