The best Duck with Orange Sauce or Canard a L’Orange
Duck with Orange Sauce or Canard a L’Orange is an exquisite dish to serve on special occasions or when you want to make a memorable dinner for your family and friends.
Duck is the talk of the day! Menu planning can be very challenging at times. I usually buy different types of poultry to make the meals more interesting. Having a variety of poultry, meat, and seafood on hand will make dinner more interesting.
Every day, it is becoming very difficult to please everyone with food. Friends and family are high on the list of people to please. People close to you will always expect something new when you cook fresh home-cooked daily.
It’s hard to please every single need and wants. With food prices increasing every day and the quality of food diminishing, I find myself having to re-adjust my menu often.
Is it Canard at L’Orange or Duck with Orange Sauce?
Canard, the French translation for Duck, is flavorful and difficult to cook. Duck contains a lot of fat. You must cook it in a way so the fat can be rendered for removal. Usually, roasting will work. Once most of the fat is removed, the meat is tender, moist, and flavorful when seasoned properly.
Canard at L’orange, Gemma’s Style. Yes! I wish my father for still alive to cook this dish. Growing up, I have to admit that we were very spoiled. We regularly ate duck, lamb, turkey, goat, etc. My parents did not wait for a special occasion to cook special meals for us. I guess that is why we have no issues continuing the tradition with the new generations. But these kids are becoming too spoiled for my taste! LOL
How to cook Duck with Orange Sauce or Canard at L’Orange
Cooking Duck at l’Orange or Duck with Orange Sauce is a fancy way to cook duck. At home, we mostly cook the duck in a creole sauce because it is simpler and easier. I decided to cook and share my recipe for Duck a l’Orange because when you think of duck, you say “a l’orange.”
My recipe repertoire is very extensive. I only wish I had an assistant to write the recipes for me. But wait! It’s my fault. I confess I am a bit weird and can only cook with certain people in my kitchen. For some odd reason, my creative side does not function well when I am around people. I told you I was weird! LOL.
So the duck recipe is pretty simple. I had to add my spin to it to make it my way. We all know that duck is very fattening, and because of that, I prefer cooking my duck cut into pieces than whole because it is easier to manage. I find that the fat melts better than when the duck is whole.
I marinated the duck pieces with a mixture of Noubess Original Hot and Spicy Condiments, Poultry Seasoning, and salt. That always works for me! The same process of cutting up and cleaning as if you had a chicken applies. I always use white vinegar, lemon, or lime to clean meat.
The duck is marinated overnight, baked at 350 degrees Fahrenheit and baste with the orange sauce made with white wine vinegar, Grand Marnier, and spices. Just straightforward and delicious! The key to making this dish is the spice blend. Without a good base, the duck may not be to your liking. Try my version of Duck with Orange Sauce or Canard a L’orange, and let me know what you think.
Enjoy!
Duck with Orange Sauce or Canard a L’Orange
Ingredients
- 4-5 pounds duck
- 2 lemons or limes
- 1 tablespoon Noubess Original Hot and Spicy Sauce
- 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon powder
- 3 tablespoons Poultry Seasoning
- 2 oranges
- ½ cup sugar
- 6 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- ½ cup Grand Marnier
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut up the whole duck into pieces. Remove any excess fat or skin. Clean pieces with lemons or limes halves by rubbing each duck pieces while squeezing the juice of the lemon/lime onto the meat. Place meat in a large bowl and rinse under running water. Drain water and pat dry each piece. In a small bowl, combine Hot Pepper Sauce, chicken bouillon powder and Poultry Seasoning. Pour marinade over duck and make sure all pieces are well coated. Place in a zip lock bag or airtight container and place in the refrigerator to marinate overnight or at least 4 hours.
- Remove duck pieces from marinade and place on a prepared baking dish large enough to accommodate all pieces. (either place a rack inside the roasting pan or place a few celery stalk and carrots to help during roasting)
- Roast duck in a 350 degrees F oven for about 2 hours 30 minutes or 3 hours until fully cooked and basting every 30 minutes with the remaining marinade.
- In the last hour of cooking, with a vegetable peeler, remove the peel in wide strips from the oranges, and then stack two or three strips at a time and slice into thin julienned strips. Squeeze the juice out of the oranges in a bowl. Place the sugar and vinegar in a small heavy saucepan and stir to dissolve sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat and let boil without stirring until the mixture is a rich caramel color.
- Remove the pan from the heat and carefully pour the orange juice down the side of the pan. (Make sure you do not stand close to the pan while pouring the orange juice). Swirl the pan to mix the juice with the caramel mixture and bring it back to the heat. Bring mixture to a boil and add the orange peel and liqueur. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer for 2 – 3 minutes and remove from heat.
- In the last 30 minutes of roasting, baste the duck pieces with some of the orange sauce. Remove the pieces from the oven, arrange on a platter or serving dish and pour remaining orange sauce. Garnish with oranges and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
Nutrition info is automatically generated and provided as a courtesy and as an estimate only.
Pinned this recipe. looks wonderful and I’m sitting here salivating at the mouth 😉