Duck Breast a l’Orange
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Total time: 65 minutes Servings: 2
Ingredients:
For the Duck:
2 duck breasts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Orange Gastrique:
2 tablespoons honey
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
3/4 cup veal stock
1/2 teaspoon of orange zest
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter, to finish sauce
For the Brussels Sprouts:
1 cups Brussels sprouts, halved
2 tablespoons duck fat
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Prepare the gastrique. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the honey and orange juice. Let it simmer without stirring until it becomes thickened.
Remove the saucepan from heat and carefully add the veal stock. Return to heat and stir until the caramel is completely dissolved. Add the orange zest and lemon juice and stir. Keep the gastrique warm until ready to serve. Add the butter to the gastrique right before serving. Stir until melted.
Prepare the duck. Score the skin of the duck breasts in a crosshatch pattern being careful not to pierce the meat and season with salt and pepper.
In an oven-safe skillet over medium heat, cook the duck breasts skin-side down slowly until golden brown and crisp, which could take up to 20 minutes. A lot of duck fat will render out of the skin during cooking. Cook the breast skin side down, basting with the duck fat occasionally, until rare (internal temperature of 120-125 degrees). Flip and sear the other side for 1 minute.
Transfer the skillet to the oven to finish, up to five minutes, for an internal temperature of 135 degrees for medium-rare. Adjust the cooking time to reach your perfect, preferred level of doneness. Pour off the duck fat and reserve for later. Let the duck rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
Prepare the brussels sprouts. Slice the sprouts in half lengthwise and steam them for around two minutes. Remove to a wired rack, cut side down to drain and cool. In the same pan that the duck breast was cooked in, sear the Brussels sprouts cut side down in 2 tablespoons of duck fat until crispy and browned.
To serve, slice the duck breast and place it on a plate, drizzle with the orange gastrique, and accompany with pan roasted Brussels sprouts.