I love this easy version of the classic duck à l’orange. It’s inspired by Pierre Koffman’s recipe for wild duck in orange sauce in Memories of Gascony and is simpler than most because it doesn’t require stock, just fresh orange juice. When they’re in season, I love to use Peter Dryden’s Poorman’s Oranges, otherwise Seville oranges work well. For this recipe, an old-fashioned citrus zester is preferable to a microplane as the long thin strands of zest are better in the sauce. I like to serve duck à l’orange with a simple green salad and steamed rice, to soak up all the sauce, though potatoes or crusty bread work well too. The tart sweetness of the sauce needs a wine with a bit of complexity, like Delatite’s MansField white blend of riesling, pinot gris, gewürz, sauv blanc and viognier.
Serves 4
Share page on:
The correct French name is canard a l’orange, or caneton à l’Orange if using ducklings. The Italians call it anatra all’arancia (or paparo alla Melarancia to use it’s Tuscan title). In English it should be duck in orange sauce, but the Franglish version of duck a l’orange seems to be more popular.
Louis-Eustach Ude, London’s most popular French chef in his day, is widely credited with publishing the first recipe for it in his 19th century book, The French Cook, he called it Canetons à la Bigarade (ducklings in bitter orange). Some suggest it came from Tuscany to France with Catherine Medici and others that its sweet and sour flavour and use of oranges, suggest a Middle Eastern origin.
Poorman’s Orange is an unusual citrus first recorded in Australia in 1820 and now grown near Wollombi in the Hunter Valley of NSW. It has a balanced sweet-sour flavour, with a tropical fruit complexity and cleansing, slightly bitter finish. It’s the tastiest orange I’ve ever had!
