DUCK À L’ORANGE

an impressive french meal that is as easy as grilled chicken

2 servings

Ingredients:

2 duck breasts, skin on
3 oranges & zest from one
4 garlic cloves, skin removed
1/2 cup honey/agave
Salt
Pepper

The Blistered Peppers Take:

Guys, duck should NOT be intimidating. I find people are scared of the flavor, for fear it is game-y, which it is not. The duck flavor is truly more of an elevated chicken flavor. Or as if chicken and steak had a baby.

This recipe is a twist on a French classic and as we all know, French food is impressive to say the least. Make this for a date night, or to show off your cooking skills to your friends, anyways, try this out! It is absolutely divine!

Recipe:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Prepare the duck breast: using a sharp knife, create a cross-hatch pattern on the skin. Cut diagonally one way, all the way down the breast, and then cut diagonally the opposite way - beware not to cut into the meat! Season both sides of the duck breast with salt and pepper (about 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper).

3. In a cold pan, place the duck breast skin side down. Set the flame to low-medium and cook slowly, you are essentially searing the skin to ensure crispiness and rendering the fat simultaneously. This will take approximately 12 minutes. As you see the fat filling the pan, transfer the fat to a small bowl or measuring cup - fat is flavor and will be used later!

4. Once the skin has browned and is crispy, flip the breasts so the meat side is down. Cook for 1-2 minutes on medium-high heat. Transfer to a baking safe dish. Set aside.

5. Create the orange sauce. Using the same pan, add some of the fat back in (about 1/4 cup). Add the honey or agave, juice from 3 oranges, zest from 1 orange, and the garlic cloves. Cook on low-med heat until the sauce begins to thicken, approximately 10 minutes.

   • I like to mash the garlic a bit before adding to the pan. The aromatics and flavor will be a bit stronger this way.

6. Once the sauce has thickened, baste the duck with a few spoonfuls, covering both the meat and skin sides. Place in the oven, skin side up, and cook for approximately 5 minutes - if you have a meat thermometer, it should read 135-140.

7. Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes.

   Serve warm with a few more spoonfuls of the orange sauce.

Serve warm with a few more spoonfuls of orange sauce, and a side of roasted potatoes or broccolini or both!