Thursday, February 13, 2014

Orange Duck – Orange You Glad I Didn’t Call It Duck a l'Orange?

I don’t think I’ve made Duck “a l'Orange” since culinary school, nor tried to pronounce it, but thanks to a rather enticing photo in a friend’s cookbook, I decided to go full culinary time machine, and I’m so glad I did.

That friend would be award-winning food blogger and author, Hank Shaw. He’s recently published a cookbook called Duck, Duck, Goose: The Ultimate Guide to Cooking Waterfowl, Both Farmed and Wild, which was the inspiration for this gorgeous, and very easy dish. Still looking for a sexy Valentine’s entrée? You could do a lot worse.

This is one of those classic dishes that somehow became a cliché, and people stopped making it for fear of looking un-cool, which is too bad, since it’s really good. This is traditionally done with a whole roasted duck, but by using breasts we get pretty much the same results, in a lot less time.

My version is very close to Hank’s, except I don’t use orange juice. I prefer the flavor of the sauce with just marmalade, zest, and Grand Marnier. Speaking of the Grand Marnier, other than other orange liquors, I’ll be offering no alternatives. That’s what literally gives the sauce its soul.

By the way, if you want to raise your “game” game, I encourage you to check out Hank's cookbook. I think it’s very well done, and gets basically all 5-star reviews on Amazon. So, check that out, check this out, and as always enjoy!


Ingredients for 2 portions:
2 duck breasts
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp duck fat or vegetable oil
1 tsp flour
2 tsp grated orange zest
2 tbsp Grand Marnier (orange liquor)
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
pinch of cayenne
1 rounded tbsp orange marmalade (preferably Seville orange marmalade)
1 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp butter
extra zest for garnish

30 comments:

wat said...

Looks amazing!
Would this all-pan technique produce a crisper skin than the "sous vide"?
Since I do have ziploc bags and a thermometer, maybe I should do the duck sous vide with this sauce? Or would I not have enough duck fond on my pan for the sauce?

1Bigg_ER said...

Chef John, we need that particular side. Where's the demo?

Kevin said...

When I read the title I am honestly expecting orange chicken but with duck.

Sandra from Montreal said...

Très, très bien, Chef John! :)
What a gorgeous plate! Please tell us how you made the beautiful side dish - is it a warm salad?

Sembazuru said...

First, "liquor" isn't the proper term for Grand Marnier, it should be "liqueur" because of the sugar content of the final product.
See http://homecooking.about.com/od/cookingfaqs/f/faqliqueur.htm

Second, to reduce confusion between Grand Marnier and other orange liqueurs, you should call it "orange cognac". When I think of orange liqueur I think of Cointreau (and the cheaper knock-offs), that is a liqueur that is primarily flavored of orange. Grand Marnier has the cognac tones mixed with the orange flavor.

Yes, technically cognac could be called a liqueur, but there is a very specific flavor profile to cognac that isn't there with other liqueurs. And isn't specifying the proper flavor profile of ingredients in a recipe key for it tasting as intended?

Unknown said...

Chef John- I L-O-V-E every recipe of yours that I've tried so far (and there's quite a few)... So how about venison? I'm sure you must have some amazing recipe for it!!??

Unknown said...

Chef John- I L-O-V-E every one of your recipes that I've tried... So how about VENISON??? Surely you must have some amazing recipes for it!!!??

mmmmmmsssdsd said...

This is really good! Great blog and a brilliant chef!

Unknown said...

Hi chef great fan of yours really great recipe I like it. We say "Canard à l'orange" you pronounce it really well!!! You should go to France!!

Sean said...

I heard a noise. Oh right. The food porn meter just shattered.

BRCCVIDEOS said...

Talking about SEO overkill. Geesh.

ItasF said...

Dear Zembazuru: so what? This is not a liquor blog. Relax and make some creme anglaise and be happy.

Unknown said...

This sounds really good. Duck is one of my favorites. Where is the full recipe so I can take it to the kitchen?

McShine said...

Same question as "wat", why didn't you use your sous vide technique on those breasts? It seems like the perfect recipe for it. Or does it actually come out better with the standard frying technique in this case?

Chef John said...

I used a traditional method because i wanted as much "fond" as possible in the pan from the searing for the sauce!

nossi said...

what would be the temp if you were to go based on that?

Chef John said...

Temp?

wat said...

I think he is referring to the internal temperature of the duck.

Chef John said...

I'd go for about 140-145

Jason Williams said...

What was the vegetable combo on the serving plate at the end?

Jason Williams said...

What was the vegetable combo on the serving plate at the end?

Chef John said...

Just Brussels sprouts, mushrooms and frenso chilies!

Jem 357 said...

Yesterday was the day I finally got around to making this and it was fantastic! The Grand Marnier sauce was great and the Duck breasts were perfect. In fact it was so good that some of my friends are now willing to try Duck themselves. Great recipe,great execution, thank you again.

Keikei said...

Hi Chef john, would it be possible to pre-sear the duck breasts in advance (say a few hours beforehand), leaving it to rest, and just before serving the mains, to warm them up by giving them another quick sear on both sides? Or would that really affect the integrity of the meat when served? Just trying to find a way to minimise kitchen time when entertaining guests.

Chef John said...

I don't recommend it, but check out our sous vide duck breast method. That could work.

Unknown said...

FYI I've found Cointreau to be a very good alternative to Gran Marnier in the past

Unknown said...

Just did this last night for dinner - simply AMAZING!!!
I used the sous vide method for the duck breasts - 145F for 2 hours. Pan fried with duck fat - 5 minutes on the skin side and 1 minute on the other. Had enough fond for the orange sauce. Excellent recipe!! Thank you, Chef John.

Brian said...

Made this last night and it was amazing. I stole some blood oranges from my neighbor's tree and made a faux marmalade with the juice and zest. Served it with your cottage potatoes and your salted caramel Custard for dessert. This keeps me in my wife's good books for another week!

A good tip is to buy a whole duck, de-bone it, make the duck stock for fror sauce. Render excess duck skin to get the duck fat and I still have 2 legs left over for a later date.

I got the duck from Whole Income so it wasn't cheap but definitely worth it - thanks.

Unknown said...

This was an easy recipe, and delicious. I made this for my husband last night for Valentine's day, with roasted sweet potatoes and carrots. Next time I'll try using orange juice instead of marmalade, just to see if there's any difference. Thank you for showing us how to make this ddish.

Unknown said...

Chef John,
Again you have provided us with a wonderful recipe. The duck breast was probably as good as I have ever had. We had a holiday meal with German style red cabbage with apples and buttermilk mashed potatoes - both of which complemented the duck wonderfully. Thank you for your continued shared recipes.
J and B - North Carolina