Duck with Orange Sauce

By Gibby

Anitra all' Arancio courtesy of Umberto Menghi, one of my favourite chefs.

Ingredients

• Duck Stock:
• 1 3lb duck
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 tsp butter
• 1 small onion diced large
• 1 small carrot diced large
• 1 stalk of celery and celery top diced large
• 1/4 cup of white wine
• 3 cups of cold water
• 1 1/2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp flour
• Orange Sauce:
• 1 tsp butter
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1/4 cup orange juice freshly squeezed
• 1 cup duck stock
• 2 tbsp Grand Marnier
• rind of half an orange
• salt to taste
• 6 to 8 sprigs of watercress

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 450F, Remove giblets and neck from cavity of duck. Cut off wing tips at joints. Wash duck inside and out. Pat duck with salt and pepper.

Duck Stock
Chop giblets, neck and wing tips from duck and saute with onion carrot and celery in oil and butter in a casserole dish on high heat for approximately 5 minutes until meat is browned. Put casserole dish in oven and bake at 450F for 15 minutes.
Deglaze casserole dish with wine then empty ingredients into saucepan.Cover ingredients with water and bring to a boil on high heat, then reduce by two-thirds by simmering on low heat. Strain stock into another saucepan through a sieve lined with linen or muslin cloth and return to medium heat, Discard giblets, neck, wing tips and vegetables.
Mix butter and flour together in a skillet on medium heat stirring constantly, to make and roux, then add roux, bit by bit, to duck stock in saucepan, stir until well blended and simmer on medium heat for at least 5 minutes.
Put duck in shallow roasting pan and put roasting pan in oven and roast at 450F for approximately 1 hour (15-20 minutes per pound). Turn off and leave duck in oven for another 10 minutes- This prevents the skin from burning and allows the inner meat to keep on cooking. Place plates and serving platter in oven when cooled slightly to keep warm

Orange Sauce:
Melt butter in a skillet on medium heat, then add sugar and stir until well blended. Add orange juice, duck stock, Grand Marnier and orange rind to butter and sugar and stir until well blended and reduce by simmering on medium on medium heat until sauce is thick enough to coat duck. Season with salt and pepper.
Put duck on warm serving platter and carve into slices. Put duck slices on warm plates. coat with sauce, garnish with orange slices and watercress and serve.