“Duck A l’Orange,” or “How To Embrace Your Inner French Chef Without Sacrificing Your Morals”

I get great pleasure from modernizing classic dishes. There’s no doubt that duck and orange go together like peas and carrots and the flavor combination has stood the test of time. Duck A l’Orange can be found in any classic French cookbook, and each chef, Escoffier included, argues that their recipe is the best and only rendition of this dish that has so perpetuated the ethos of French culinary superiority. This is Duck A l’Orange only in that it is duck and orange, and not necessarily a strict adherence to any classical French recipe or dogma.

The dish features both duck confit and seared duck breast. I first cured the duck legs in a mixture of salt, sugar, orange zest, and fresh thyme for 2 days. Afterward I cooked the legs in their own fat for 5 hours at about 200° F with plenty more orange zest, fresh thyme, cracked pepper, and a few drops of pure orange oil. The result is a tender, sweet, and delicate duck confit inundated with the flavors of orange and thyme.

The duck breasts I marinated overnight in fresh orange juice and thyme, with a touch of the curing mixture. After marninating, I dried the breasts well, then seared them in a smoking hot cast iron pan. Once I seared the skin to a deep caramel brown, I flipped the duck breasts then added (once again!) orange peel and fresh thyme with a chunk of whole butter to the hot pan. I spooned the browned, flavored butter over the breasts (a technique called poulet) and then brushed the skin side with a glaze of raw honey, orange juice, and orange oil. I finished cooking the duck breasts in a 400° F oven to medium-well, brushing the skin twice more with the honey-orange glaze

The duck breasts being seared with a poulet of butter, orange zest, and thyme

The third flavor I added to the dish was fennel because I believe it pairs fantastically with both duck and orange. The white bulb I segmented then cooked sous vide at 185° for 2 hours, until the fennel was unnaturally tender. I finished the wedges by searing them in a very hot pan to create a nice char.

Fennel bulb segments vacuum sealed and ready to be cooked sous vide at 185° F.

Fennel stalks, chopped and separated into equal sized portions. Ready to be blanched and pureed.

Because they believe them to be too tough and light on flavor, chefs all to often discard the green fronds and stalks of the fennel bulb. This is an unfortunate waste. To make a light sauce that adds a touch of brightness to the contrastingly rich components of the dish, I made a fresh fennel puree by quickly blanching the stalks and trimmings, then pureeing with a bit of water, sugar, salt, and lemon juice.

Finally, navel and blood orange supremes add more bright flavor and vibrant color to this rich, early-spring dish while keeping it appropriately seasonal.

Voila! Duck A l’Orange

The stunning, professional photographs in this post were taken by Mike Boehmer.

Mike is a very talented, Chicago-based photographer and a regular contributor to The Windy Pixel. Please visit www.mikeboehmer.com for more fantastic photography!

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