Crispy Whole Duck à l'Orange

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Crispy Whole Duck à l'Orange

Prep Time20

Cook Time1 30

Resting Time30

Total Time2 20

Course: dinner

Cuisine: French

Keyword: duck, gluten free, grand marnier, orange

Servings: 2 people

Author: GFchow @ gfchow.com

Equipment

Instant Read Thermometer, Poultry Shears

Ingredients

Duck

1 whole Duck, approximately 6 1/2 lbs remove gizzard, liver, etc from the cavity, trim excess fat and skin, rinse, and pat dry
kosher salt to season all sides of the duck

l'Orange Sauce

3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 cup chicken or beef broth
1/2 cup orange juice fresh squeezed, if possible
1 naval orange zested
1 teaspoon gluten free soy sauce I use San-J
1 tablespoon cornstarch (mixed with one tablespoon COLD water)*
1 1/2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter room temperature

Garnish

orange slices or wedges optional
parsley sprigs optional

Instructions

Duck

If you’ve never cooked duck before, you’ll notice that duck has a lot more fat and skin than chicken. The best way to remove the excess fat and skin is with poultry shears. If you’re not sure how much fat and skin removal is the right amount refer back to the photos I posted with this recipe to get a visual.
Remove duck from the refrigerator and let rest for 2 hours.
Preheat oven on Roast setting to 425 degrees. If you don’t have Roast, use the Bake setting.
After the duck has rested, use a very sharp knife to score the duck skin on both sides. Be careful not to cut into the meat, just score the skin. If your knife isn’t sharp enough to easily cut through the skin, use a fork to pierce the skin all over. The scoring (or piercing) of the skin is VERY important because this is what allows the fat to cook off. It is also helpful to cut down on the leg (when the duck is laying breast side up with the wings down) so that the drumsticks cook more quickly and evenly. (If unsure about how to do this, refer back to this recipe on my blog for photos illustrating the step-by-step instructions).
Next, apply a generous sprinkling of salt all over the duck. The salt helps to draw the moisture out as well as season the duck. Feel free to add additional spices to the duck at this point.
Use a roasting pan with high sides and place a rack inside the pan. For easier clean up later, it’s best to spray the bottom and sides of the pan and the rack with non-stick oil. Set the duck BREAST-SIDE DOWN on the rack. (You’ll know you’ve done it correctly, if the legs are on the bottom of the roasting pan and the wings are up.)
Place pan on the lower or middle rack and cook for approximately 1 hour. Then using tongs, flip the duck and cook for an additional 30-45 minutes for a total cooking time of up to 1 hour 45 minutes. (My duck was 6 1/2 pounds and it was done in 1 hour 30 minutes.) If your duck is on the smaller side, it may need to only cook for an additional 15 minutes. It’s best to use an Instant Read Thermometer for doneness. Place thermometer in the thickest/meatiest part of the duck and temp should be 155-165 degrees.
Carefully remove duck from the oven and let rest for 15 or so minutes before serving.
Place on a serving platter and either serve whole or carve. Garnish with orange slices and parsley if desired.

l'Orange Sauce

While duck is cooking, make the L'Orange sauce.
Boil red wine vinegar and sugar in a medium saucepan on medium-high heat, until it turns color, approx. 5 mins. Then slowly add broth and continue to stir.
As the vinegar and sugar are cooking, combine one tablespoon COLD water with one tablespoon cornstarch (this is called making a "slurry") and mix thoroughly until cornstarch and water are combined and then set aside.
Bring sauce to a simmer and add orange juice, orange zest, and soy sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes. Then add the Slurry (cornstarch combined with COLD water) to thicken the sauce until desired sauce thickness is achieved. (I usually add 1 1/2 teaspoons). Simmer for 1-2 minutes.
Add Grand Marnier, salt, and butter and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Stir until combined. Total sauce cooking time is approx. 15 minutes.
Reheat sauce when ready to serve duck and place in a gravy boat or small bowl.

Notes

*When making a slurry it’s VERY IMPORTANT to use a COLD liquid (either broth or water) with the cornstarch. If you use room temperature or warm liquid the slurry will be lumpy and so will your gravy and no one wants that.

Instead of making l'Orange sauce, you can make a delicious sauce with the duck drippings. Pour fat from the pan into a bowl and then with the remaining browned bits in the pan, deglaze with approximately 1/2 cup white or red wine on the stovetop at a vigorous simmer for 2-3 minutes (until reduced by half) to make a delicious au jus – add some fresh thyme or rosemary at the end and serve.

Do you like cooking with chicken schmaltz (fat)? If so, duck schmaltz is just as tasty. While the duck is resting, strain the fat and pour it into a heat resistant container. Once cooled, cover and refrigerate for later use (up to one month) to cook delicious duck-fat roasted potatoes or eggs.

Although many restaurants suggest a 1/2 roast duck as an entree for one person, when I make this recipe, the duck serves four of us without one morsel left. So I guess it depends on appetites...it can satisfy anywhere from 2 to 4 people.