Mastering the Art of French Cooking - 2 x Books in 1 x Slipcased Boxed Set

Roast Duck With Orange Sauce

*Caneton à l'Orange

One of the most well known of all the duck dishes, caneton à l' orange, is roast duck decorated with fresh orange segments and accompanied by an orange-flavored brown sauce. Its most important element is its sauce-a rich, strong, meaty, duck essence darkened with caramel, flavoured with wine and orange peel, and given a light liaison of arrowroot. You can and should prepare the sauce well ahead of time so that when the duck is roasted, the dish is within 2 to 3 minutes of being done.

VEGETABLE AND WINE SUGGESTIONS
Nothing should interfere with the flavours of the duck, the sauce, and the oranges. Sauteed or shoestring potatoes, or homemade potato chips are your best choice. Serve a good red Bordeaux-Medoc, or a chilled white Burgundy­Meursault, Montracher, or Corton-Charlemagne.

For 5 or 6 people
Note: Under the ingredients needed for the sauce are 2 cups of excellent duck stock. This should be prepared ahead of time, as it must simmer about 2 hours.

Blanching the orange

4 brightly colored navel oranges

Remove the orange part of the skin in strips with a vegetable peeler. Cut into julienne (small strips 1/16 inch wide and 11/2 inches long). Simmer for 15 minutes in a quart of water. Drain. Pat dry in paper towels.

Roasting the duck
A 5 1/2-lb. ready-to-cook duckling
1/2 tsp salt
Pinch of pepper

Season the duck cavity with salt and pepper, add a third of the prepared orange peel, and truss the duck. Roast it according to the master recipe, page 274.


The sauce base
A 4-cup saucepan
3 Tb granulated sugar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 cups strong, brown duck stock (follow directions for brown chicken stock, page 236, using duck giblets instead of chicken giblets)
2 Tb arrowroot blended with 3 Tb port or Madeira
The rest of the blanched orange peel

While the duck is roasting, make a sweet-and-sour caramel coloring as follows: Boil the sugar and vine. gar over moderately high heat for several minutes until the mixture has turned into a mahogany-brown syrup. Immediately remove from heat and pour in 1/2 cup of the duck stock. Simmer for a minute, stirring, to dissolve the caramel. Then add the rest of the stock, beat in the arrowroot mixture, and stir in the orange peel. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes or until the sauce is clear, limpid, and lightly thickened. Correct seasoning, and set aside.

The orange segments
The 4 oranges, skinned

Cut the 4 oranges into neat, skinless segments and place in a covered dish.

Final assembly

When the duck is done, discard trussing strings, and set it on a platter. Place it in the turned-off hot oven, leaving the door ajar.

1/2 cup port or Madeira

Remove as much fat as you can from the roasting pan. Add the wine and boil it down rapidly, scraping up coagulated roasting juices and reducing the liquid to 2 or 3 tablespoons.

The prepared sauce base 2 or 3 Tb good orange liqueur

Strain the wine reduction into the sauce base and bring to the simmer. Stir in the orange liqueur by spoonfuls, tasting. The sauce should have a pleasant orange flavor but not be too sweet. Add drops of orange bitters or lemon juice as a corrective.

Drops of orange bitters or lemon juice

2 Tb softened butter

Just before serving, and off heat, swirl in the butter enrichment, and pour the sauce into a warmed sauce-boat.

Place a line of orange segments over the length of the duck and heap the rest at the two ends of the platter. Spoon a bit of sauce with peel over the duck, and serve.