Duck L’Orange sounds like an intimidating dish, but it’s actually shockingly simple to make. There are only a few main steps, and none are complicated. Aside from the duck, the recipe uses many ingredients that you likely have in your pantry and refrigerator. Read on for our full recipe and Duck L’Orange wine pairing.
The basic five steps to duck l’orange are: 1. Prepare the duck. 2. Season the duck and stuff the cavity. 2. Roast. 3. Make the orange sauce to go with it. 5. Slice and serve!
Duck L’Orange Wine Pairing
One of the most epic pairings for Pinot Noir is duck. The bright red berry flavors in the Pinot Noir practically sauce the duck for you. Its light tannins cut through the duck fat, while not overpowering the dish. Finally, both duck and Pinot Noir have an earthy quality that marries together magically.
Pick any Pinot Noir you like – whether it’s an elegant Burgundy or a saline-tinged Sonoma Coast Pinot, it’s hard to go wrong.
A Note About Duck Brands
The traditional Duck L’Orange recipe calls for Pekin duck. I used the Mary’s brand of Pekin duck, which is easy to find at Whole Foods. Mary’s raises their ducks humanely on a vegan diet, without antibiotics or hormones. It turned out to be delicious and I would absolutely use this brand again (and no, I did not receive any form of sponsorship from Mary’s for this article!). In fact, the duck was only available in frozen form at the time I was at the store, and still came out very tender and flavorful. I simply thawed it in the fridge for 24 hours and then went to work!
Since grocery store duck is often not labeled by breed, Pekin duck may not be easy to identify. However, rest assured that most major grocery store duck brands (Maple Leaf, Liberty Duck) are also of the Pekin breed. To note, you may want to avoid the Muscovy breed for this particular recipe, as it is leaner and gamier in flavor.
Duck L'Orange
Ingredients
Duck
- 1¾ tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 5–6-lb. whole Pekin duck, neck and giblets removed
- 1 orange
- 1 small onion, sliced into 8 wedges
- 1 carrot, halved lengthwise
- 1 celery stalk, halved
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 2 sprigs parsley
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 1/3 cup chicken or vegetable stock
Sauce
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
- Salt to taste
- 2 tsp all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1-2 tbsp orange zest
Instructions
1. Place the rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat to 475°. Mix salt, black pepper, coriander, and cumin in a bowl. Pat the duck dry. Rub spice mixture inside and out.
2. Cut orange into one half and two quarters. Stuff the inside of the duck with the orange quarters, 4 onion wedges, thyme, and parsley. To note, it may be hard to fit all the onion depending on the size of your onion. Fit what you can, and don't sweat it!
3. Spread out the carrot, celery, and remaining onion wedges in a roasting pan (or a pan with high enough edges to hold liquid). Put the duck atop the vegetables. Roast for 30 minutes.
4. While the duck is roasting, juice the other orange half into a bowl. Add the white wine and stock. Mix.
5. Lower oven temperature to 350°. Remove the pan from the oven and add the orange-broth mixture. Return the pan to the oven. Roast duck until an instant-read thermometer registers 170°, 1–1 1/2 hours depending on how cold your duck is before it starts cooking.
6. As the duck roasts, make the sauce. Stir the sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. When it melts and turns caramel in color, reduce heat to low and slowly add ⅓ cup orange juice and white wine vinegar, keeping a safe distance to avoid the hot liquid as it splatters. Add sea salt to preference. Stir until combined, and remove from heat.
7. When the duck is done cooking, remove it from the oven. Turn on the broiler (I prefer the lower setting on my oven). Broil duck until its skin is golden brown, carefully monitoring to ensure it doesn't burn. This should take about 3 minutes.
8. Let the duck rest for 15 minutes. Then, let its juices drain from the cavity into the pan. Transfer to a cutting board and slice.
9. Discard vegetables from the roasting pan. Pour the broth from the pan through a sieve into a bowl. Skim duck fat (save it if desired).
10. In the saucepan with the orange sauce, add flour, butter, orange zest, and 2/3 cup of the pan broth. Whisking constantly, simmer until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.
11. Serve duck with orange sauce and Pinot Noir.
Enjoyed this duck l’orange wine pairing? Check out our other easy, delicious wine pairings and recipes:
