Duck à l’Orange

Serves 2

• 2 duck breasts
• Freshly ground salt & pepper
• 1oz (25g) butter

or the orange sauce:

• 1 large orange
• 4 fluid oz (100ml) French red wine
• 4 fluid oz (100ml) fresh orange juice
• 2 fluid oz (50ml) duck or chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon of honey or brown sugar

Grate the orange skin and set aside the thin strips of peel. Remove as much of the pith as possible from the orange. Break into orange segments and set aside.

Clean the duck breasts under cold water and pat dry with kitchen towel. Score the breast skin with a sharp knife and then season well.

Heat the butter in a large frying pan until frothing, but do not allow to burn.

Place the duck breasts in the pan and brown on both sides (2 or 3 minutes).

Once browned, put in the oven on a baking tray and finish cooking at 200°C for 20–25 minutes. Adjust time according to how you like your duck cooked.

Spoon out most of the fat from the frying pan. Add the red wine, orange juice, honey, duck or chicken stock, the orange segments and some of the orange peel. Reduce the sauce for a couple of minutes, stirring often.

To serve, place the duck on plates, pour over the orange sauce and sprinkle with the remaining orange peel.