Best Duck Breast With Orange Gastrique Recipes

PAN-SEARED DUCK BREAST WITH ORANGE PAN SAUCE RECIPE

Steps:

• Season duck breasts with salt, heavily on the skin side and lightly on the flesh side.
• Increase heat to medium and further brown skin if needed, about 1 minute, before flipping and cooking on the flesh side. For medium-rare meat, cook until breast registers 130°F (54°C) on an instant-read thermometer, about 1 to 2 minutes. Continue cooking until duck registers 140°F (60°C) for medium or 155°F (68°F) for well-done. Remove duck from pan and set aside to rest.

DUCK A L'ORANGE

Steps:

• For the gastrique sauce: Combine the orange juice, sugar, garlic, orange liqueur, ginger and 2 cups of the vinegar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the mixture reduces by half, about 20 minutes. Remove 1 cup of the reduction and set aside for the candied kumquats.
• Strain the remainder of the reduction left in the saucepan and transfer to a large high-sided saute pan. Cook over high heat until reduced by half again, about 15 minutes. Make small slits in the habanero with a paring knife, add it to the reduction and let cook for 5 minutes more. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the butter and cook until it melts. Add the parsley, chives, peppercorns and thyme and season with salt and pepper.
• For the duck confit: Whisk together the cinnamon, chile powders, cumin, coriander, ginger, sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, allspice, cloves, fennel seed, cayenne, chile de arbol and 2 tablespoons of the black pepper in a small bowl and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large nonstick pan over medium heat, add the bacon and cook until lightly golden brown on both sides and the fat has rendered, about 10 minutes. Remove the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and place a baking rack on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Season the duck legs with salt, pepper and some of the spice rub. Store any remaining spice rub in an airtight container for a later use. Place the legs fat-side down in the baking drippings in the nonstick pan. Cook slowly over medium heat until the skin is very crisp, about 10 minutes. Turn them over and cook until the other side is crisp, 10 minutes more. Transfer the prepared baking sheet and keep warm in theoven until ready to serve.
• For the duck breasts: Season the duck breasts on both sides with salt and pepper and place skin-side down in a cast iron pan. Cook slowly over medium heat, draining the rendered fat from the pan a few times, until the skin is very crisp, about 25 minutes. Turn the breasts over and continue cooking to medium and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 140 degrees F. Remove to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
• For the candied kumquats: Bring the reserved 1 cup gastrique to a boil in a small saucepan, reduce the heat to low, add the kumquarts and cook until soft and candied, about 20 minutes.
• For the cranberry relish: Combine the orange juice and honey in a small saute pan, bring to a boil and cook until reduced by a quarter, about 3 minutes. Add the cranberries and cook until they pop and the mixture thickens slightly, about 10 minutes more. Set aside until ready to serve.
• To serve: Spoon some of the gastrique onto 4 large dinner plates. Top with the duck confit and the sliced duck and spoon some of the cranberries and kumquarts on the sides. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.

PAN-ROASTED DUCK BREAST WITH ORANGE SAUCE AND TOURNE POTATOES

Steps:

• For the sauce: Place a large sauté pan or rondeau over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and duck bones and necks and deeply brown on both sides. Add the onions, carrots, celery, lemongrass, garlic, bay leaves, thyme and a large pinch of salt and stir. Add the wine and stock and simmer for at least 1 hour, allowing the flavors to meld.
• Meanwhile, place a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the sugar and vinegar and bring to a simmer, whisking to dissolve the sugar. Add the orange juice and continue to simmer the gastrique until syrupy, 8 to 10 minutes. You should have around 1/2 cup.
• When the stock mixture is ready, strain it and add 1/2 cup to the gastrique, whisking to combine. Simmer until reduced by half, 10 to 15 minutes, then keep the sauce warm.
• For the duck: While the sauce is reducing, score the skin on the duck breasts in a crosshatch pattern using a very sharp knife and being careful not to cut into the meat. Season the breasts on both sides with salt and pepper and place skin-side down in a cold large sauté pan coated with a drizzle of olive oil.
• Place the pan over medium-low heat and slowly render most of the duck fat, 8 to 10 minutes. When the skin is deep golden brown and crisp, flip the breasts over and briefly brown on the other side. Place the star anise, ginger and thyme into the rendered fat and then baste the breasts until they have finished cooking, 3 to 5 minutes for medium. Transfer to a cutting board and keep warm. Reserve the duck fat in the pan for the potatoes.
• For the parsley salad: Combine the parsley stems and orange supremes in a medium bowl. Toss with the orange juice, a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and set aside.
• For the potatoes: Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and salt it generously. Meanwhile, tourne the potatoes. Trim each end so it's flat. The length of each potato should be roughly 2 inches. Using a paring knife or bird's beak knife, make 7 slices the length of the potato until you end up with a football shape. Put each potato in cold water after you tourne it to prevent oxidation.
• Add the potatoes to the boiling water and boil until crisp-tender, 6 to 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes and pat dry.
• Place a sauté pan over medium heat, add the reserved duck fat and heat until shimmering. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a heatproof bowl, then add 1 tablespoon of the fat back to the pan. Add the potatoes and cook, turning often, until light golden brown on all sides. Turn the heat down to low. Season with salt and pepper, then add the thyme and continue to cook, turning the potatoes occasionally, until tender.
• Add the breasts to the pan, then pour off any excess fat. Remove the pan from the heat, add the Grand Marnier and flambe. When the flame goes out, return the pan to the heat, add the reserved sauce and heat through. Stir in the parsley and butter, season with pepper, then remove from the heat. Thinly slice the breasts, flesh-side up, against the grain. Place the potatoes on a platter, followed by the sliced duck, fat-side up. Drizzle with the sauce and top with the parsley salad.

DUCK BREAST WITH ORANGE GASTRIQUE

Steps:

• Render fat Using a sharp knife, trim away excess skin from the duck (leaving enough to amply cover the breast) and score the skin, first cutting diagonally in one direction and then the other in a crosshatch manner. Cut all the way through the skin and most of the fat but avoid the flesh. Season both sides with salt and pepper and place in an unheated 10-inch skillet with the skin side down. Cook over medium-low heat until a small pool of fat forms in the pan. Use tongs to turn breast over and then cook the other side 1 minute. Turn breast over again (skin side down) and pour out fat into a heatproof bowl. (Reserve fat for another use; allow it to cool before storing in an airtight container at room temperature.) Continue cooking duck until the skin is nicely browned and crisp, 10 to 12 minutes, spooning off and reserving excess fat as necesary.
• Sauté Turn duck once more, skin side up and cook until duck is medium rare, 8 to 12 minutes. It should register 125°F on an instant-read thermometer (insert into thickest part). Transfer to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet to rest for 5 to 8 minutes. The duck will continue to cook slightly during this time.
• Make gastrique Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add orange zest and simmer for 2 minutes, then drain. (This will remove some of the bitterness and also help soften the the zest.) Heat sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat without stirring. Once the sugar has started to melt, swirl the pan (to redistribute the melted sugar so it caramelizes more evenly) and continue cooking until it is uniformly amber, about 5 minutes more. Pour in vinegar and stir with a wooden spoon to combine, then continue simmering (and stirring every so often) until slightly reduced and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Pour in orange juice and add zest; simmer until reduced to a thick syrup and a foam forms on top, about 5 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper.
• Serve Slice duck crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices, fan out on serving plates, and drizzle with sauce before serving.

CHEF JOHN'S ORANGE DUCK

Steps:

• Score duck skin almost all the way through the skin and fat each way on the diagonal in a crosshatch pattern. Generously season with salt and rub salt into each breast. Let rest, skin-side up, at room temperature, for 15 minutes.
• Whisk chicken broth, orange liqueur, sherry vinegar, orange marmalade, orange zest, and cayenne pepper together in a small bowl.
• Pat duck breasts dry with paper towels. Re-season skin-side of duck breasts with salt.
• Heat duck fat in a heavy skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. Place duck in skillet, skin-side down, and cook for 6 minutes. Flip duck breasts and cook until they start to firm and are reddish-pink and juicy in the center, about 4 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 140 degrees F (60 degrees C). Transfer breasts to a plate to rest. Pour any rendered duck fat into a glass jar.
• Return skillet to medium heat and whisk flour into pan; cook and stir until flour is completely incorporated, about 1 minute. Pour orange mixture into skillet; bring to a boil. Cook until sauce thickens and is reduced, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low. When orange mixture stops bubbling, add butter; stir until butter is completely melted and incorporated into the sauce, about 1 minute. Season with salt to taste.
• Slice duck breasts across the grain, arrange on a plate, and spoon orange sauce over the top.

DUCK BREAST A L'ORANGE

Steps:

• Place sugar in a medium saucepan and set over medium-high heat. As sugar begins to melt, use a fork to gently stir sugar from edges to center of pan. Continue stirring in this manner until sugar is a deep amber color.
• Remove caramel from heat and carefully stir in vinegar, orange zest and juice, chicken broth, and shallot. Return to medium-high heat and boil, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 2/3 cup, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Score fat of duck breasts with the tip of a knife in a crosshatch pattern to form 1-inch diamonds. Season both sides of breasts with salt and pepper. Place breasts, fat side down, in a medium skillet and place over medium-high heat. Cook undisturbed until skin is crisp and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Flip and continue cooking to desired doneness, about 8 minutes more for medium-rare (125 degrees). Allow meat to rest 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
• Add orange supremes to sauce and pour over sliced duck just before serving.

ROAST DUCK WITH ORANGE AND GINGER

Steps:

• Rinse duck and pat dry. Remove neck and giblets and save for another purpose. Remove excess fat from cavity and tail area and trim off a bit of flappy neck skin. Prick duck skin all over with tip of sharp paring knife, making sure not to penetrate meat.
• Mix together salt and 5-spice powder. Season interior of duck with 1 tablespoon salt mixture; use remainder to generously season exterior (you may have a little left over). Combine orange zest with grated ginger and garlic, then smear mixture inside cavity. Place orange wedges in cavity. Tie legs together. Secure neck flap with wooden skewer or toothpicks. Place duck on rack in roasting pan breast-side-up and refrigerate overnight, uncovered.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, bring duck to room temperature and make the glaze: Bring orange juice, honey, sugar and soy sauce to a simmer. Add sliced ginger and star anise, then reduce mixture until you have a medium-thick syrup, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Roast duck for 2 hours, carefully pouring off fat and turning duck over every 30 minutes. Paint with glaze and roast another 30 minutes (2 1/2 hours in all). Tent with foil if glaze begins to get too dark. Duck is done when temperature at thickest part of leg reads 165 degrees. Paint duck once more, keep warm and let rest 20 minutes. Use poultry shears to cut into quarters (remove backbone first) or carve in the traditional way, removing legs from carcass and slicing breast. Serve with mashed butternut squash if desired.

DUCK BREAST WITH ORANGE AND CHILES

Steps:

• In a shallow saucepan just large enough to fit all four pieces of the duck breast, combine the olive oil, orange zest, guindilla or ancho pepper, thyme and garlic over medium heat until the temperature of the oil reaches 140 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Adjust the heat to maintain that temperature.
• Lightly score the skin of the duck breasts in a diamond pattern, and season thoroughly with salt and pepper. Place a skillet over medium-low heat. When the pan is hot, add the duck breasts skin-side down. Allow them to sear, without moving them at all, until they are crispy and golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Once the skins are golden brown, remove the duck from the pan and place skin-side up in the oil. Cook until firm and medium rare, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from the pan, let them rest for 5 minutes and slice. Serve with farro salad.

PAN-SEARED DUCK BREAST WITH BLUEBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a small bowl mix together the salt, ground black pepper, thyme, and rosemary; set aside. This will be your spice blend for seasoning the roasted potatoes and the duck breasts.
• Place cubed potatoes into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle 2 tablespoons of your spice blend over the top of the potatoes. Toss the potatoes in the pan until they are evenly coated with oil and seasonings. Spread into a single layer across the bottom of the baking dish and bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven.
• While the potatoes are roasting, stir together the blueberries, water, apple juice, sugar, and jalapeno in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low, and simmer until the mixture has reduced to the consistency of syrup, about 10 minutes.
• Cook the pancetta in a large skillet over medium heat until crispy. Remove the pancetta to drain on a paper towel, leaving the drippings in the skillet. Add the shallots and the mushrooms to the hot skillet; stir and cook them until soft and just beginning to brown. Remove the shallots and mushrooms and set aside. Increase heat to medium-high and place the bok choy in the hot skillet. Stir and cook the bok choy until the leaves are wilted and the white stalk pieces are tender, about 5 minutes. Return the shallots, mushrooms, and pancetta to the skillet, turn off the heat and set aside.
• Rinse the duck breast halves and pat dry. Rub the remaining spice blend onto both sides of the duck breasts. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat, when the pan is hot put in the vegetable oil and butter. Immediately place the duck breasts in the pan, skin and fat side down. Do not move the duck breasts until the skin is deep brown, about 5 minutes. Turn the breasts and cook until the internal temperature of the thickest part is 160 degrees F (71 degrees C) for well done. Remove the duck from the pan and place on a plate, covered with foil to rest for 5 minutes. While the duck is resting, place the skillet with the bok choy mixture onto a burner over medium heat to warm through.
• Slice each duck breast diagonally into 1/2 inch strips. Divide the bok choy mixture among four plates and drizzle each serving with 1/2 tablespoon of aged balsamic vinegar. Arrange the sliced duck breasts on top of the bok choy mixture; ladle on blueberry sauce. Serve with oven-roasted potatoes on the side.