Recipes · Main dishes
Duck Breast with Orange Sauce
AI-written · not yet kitchen-tested
With duck breast, everything depends on the skin: it goes into a cold pan so the fat renders slowly and the skin turns crisp instead of tough. Cook it with a thermometer rather than by the clock, because the thickness of the breasts varies a lot.
This recipe was written with AI assistance and has not yet been kitchen-tested. Check quantities and times as you cook, and follow safe core temperatures for meat, poultry, fish and eggs.
Ingredients
- 2 duck breasts skin on, about 12 oz (350 g) each
- 1 tsp fine sea salt fine
- 0.5 tsp black pepper freshly ground
- 3 sprig fresh thyme
- 4 oranges juice 3 of them (about 1 cup / 250 ml), cut 1 into segments
- 1 shallot finely diced
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 100 ml (3.4 fl oz) water
- 1 tsp cornstarch stirred into 1 tbsp cold water
- 20 g (0.7 oz) butter cold, cubed
- salt and pepper to taste
Method
- Take the duck breasts out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Score the skin in a diamond pattern about 1/4 inch (5 mm) apart without cutting into the meat, and season both sides with salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C) conventional, or 325 °F (160 °C) with convection.
- Juice three oranges. Cut the peel and white pith off the fourth with a knife and cut out the segments between the membranes, adding the juice that runs out to the rest of the juice.
- Place the duck breasts skin side down in a cold ovenproof skillet, add the thyme and cook over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until the skin is golden brown and crisp and the fat has rendered. Pour the fat into a heatproof jar from time to time. Caution, risk of burns: the fat and the pan are very hot.
- Turn the breasts over and sear the meat side for 1 minute. Put the skillet in the oven (the handle will be hot afterwards) and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until a thermometer at the thickest point reads 136 to 140 °F (58 to 60 °C). That gives pink meat. If you want the duck cooked through, leave it in the oven for about 15 minutes, until it reaches 162 °F (72 °C).
- Transfer the breasts to a board and let them rest for 10 minutes under loosely laid foil. The internal temperature still rises by 5 to 8 °F (3 to 5 °C).
- For the sauce, pour all but 1 tablespoon of the fat out of the skillet. Cook the shallot over medium heat for 2 minutes until translucent, add the honey and let it caramelize for 30 seconds. Deglaze with the vinegar and simmer for 1 minute.
- Pour in the orange juice and water and simmer over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until reduced by about half and slightly syrupy. Stir in the starch mixture and simmer for 1 minute.
- Take the skillet off the heat, stir in the cold butter until it melts, then add the orange segments and just warm them through. Season with salt and pepper. Slice the duck breasts against the grain and serve with the sauce.
Tip: Pink duck breast is not suitable for small children, pregnant women, older people or anyone with a serious health condition; for them, cook the breast to an internal temperature of at least 162 °F (72 °C).
Tip: Do not throw away the rendered duck fat. Strained and kept in the refrigerator, it is good for frying potatoes.
Food safety: Duck breast cooked pink is a matter of taste; it is safe from a core temperature of 158 °F (70 °C).