Caneton Braisé à l’Orange

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •5½ to 6-quart (5.2 to 5.7 L) heavy cocotte or oval Dutch oven with a tight lid
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Small heavy saucepan
• •Rimmed roasting tray fitted with a rack
• •Fat separator or shallow skimming spoon
• •Sharp paring knife or flexible citrus knife

Instructions

1. 1

   Brown the duckling

   Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Pat the duckling completely dry, then season it lightly inside and out with the salt and pepper. Set the trimmed cavity fat in a heavy cocotte over medium heat until it renders, remove the spent pieces, and lay in the duckling breast-side down. Brown it patiently on the breast, back, and both sides until the skin is deep bronze, about 12 to 15 minutes in all. Lift it out and pour the rendered fat into a heatproof bowl, leaving the brown fond fixed to the pot.

2. 2

   Braise to tenderness

   Stir the Sauce Espagnole and ¾ cup (180 ml) brown stock together in the cocotte, scraping the fond from the floor, and bring them to a bare simmer. Return the duckling breast-side up, cover tightly, and transfer it to the oven. Braise for about 2 hours, turning it onto one side after 45 minutes, onto the other side 45 minutes later, then breast-side up for the finish. It is ready only when the leg moves loosely, a spoon presses through the thigh joint without resistance, and the thickest part of the thigh has reached at least 175°F (79°C). If the liquid falls below the lower third of the bird before the meat is tender, lower the oven slightly and add reserved brown stock a spoonful at a time.

   A bubbling braise tightens the meat and reduces the sauce before the duck is ready. Look for an occasional tremble around the edge, never an eager boil.
3. 3

   Prepare the citrus

   While the duckling braises, remove only the colored yellow rind from half an orange and half a lemon, leaving every trace of bitter white pith behind. Cut the rind julienne-fashion into fine match-shaped rods, prepare it using Blanchings (No. 273), then cool and drain it thoroughly. Cut two sweet oranges into suprêmes, skinless sections removed raw from between their membranes, and keep them covered. Juice the other two oranges and half the lemon separately, reserving 1 teaspoon of orange juice for the final correction.

4. 4

   Defat and reduce

   Lift the tender duckling carefully onto a rack set over a rimmed tray. Pour the braising sauce into a saucepan, let the fat rise for several minutes, then skim it away completely; gloss is welcome, grease is not. Boil the sauce over lively heat until it becomes stiff, dark, and concentrated enough that a spoon drawn across the pan leaves a clean path for a moment. Pass it through a fine-mesh sieve, the honest home equivalent of a tammy. If it becomes pasty, loosen it with a spoonful of brown stock now. Ça se rattrape, but make the correction before the citrus enters.

5. 5

   Glaze the duckling

   Reserve 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of the stiff reduction and brush about two-thirds of it in a thin coat over the duckling. Heat the broiler with the rack about 8 inches (20 cm) from the element, then glaze the bird for 1 to 3 minutes, watching without wandering away, until the coating catches the light like dark lacquer. This brief broiling replaces the old salamander. Pull the duckling the moment the glaze is bronze and glossy; blackened sauce is bitter sauce.

6. 6

   Finish off heat

   Take the remaining strained reduction completely off the heat. Stir in the orange juice in three additions, then the half-lemon juice, watching the stiff sauce return to a smooth consistency that coats the back of a spoon. Fold in the drained orange and lemon julienne. If the sauce turns too thin, stir in the final spoonful of reserved stiff reduction off the heat; if it remains too tight, add the reserved teaspoon of orange juice. Once the citrus enters, the saucepan never returns to the burner. If one bubble appears, pull it away immediately and stir in the reserved fresh juice. Ça se rattrape. Repeated boiling, however, dulls the orange and draws bitterness from the rind.

7. 7

   Dish and serve

   Set the glazed duckling on a warmed oval platter and coat it lightly with the finished sauce, leaving the bronze skin visible. Arrange the raw orange suprêmes around it and carry the remaining sauce to the table in a warmed sauceboat. The meat should yield to the serving spoon, the sauce should cling rather than flood, and the citrus should smell freshly cut. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose a young duckling close to 5 pounds (2.3 kg). A much larger bird carries more fat and needs longer cooking, which works against the spoon-tender result this particular braise demands.
• •Begin with a prepared Espagnole and brown stock that are lightly salted. Both reduce severely, and an aggressively seasoned foundation becomes punishing before it reaches the required stiff consistency.
• •Seville oranges are excellent for the juice when their fragrant bitterness is wanted, but never use their sections around the bird. Garnish with sweet orange, exactly as the classical entry directs.
• •Serve a red Burgundy or another fresh, restrained Pinot Noir. The wine needs enough acidity for the orange and enough delicacy for duckling, without tannin that bullies the sauce.
• •Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and keep them for up to 3 days. Warm the duck covered and heat the sauce very gently without allowing it to boil.

Advance Preparation

• •The Sauce Espagnole and brown stock may be prepared up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated, or frozen in measured portions. Keep them separate until the braise begins.
• •The citrus julienne may be prepared using Blanchings (No. 273) several hours ahead, then drained, covered, and chilled. The orange suprêmes may also be cut up to 4 hours ahead; bring them toward room temperature before serving.
• •For a dinner party, braise the duckling one day ahead, cool it in its braising liquid, and refrigerate it within 2 hours. Reheat it covered at 300°F (150°C) until hot and tender, then proceed with degreasing, reducing, glazing, and the last-minute citrus finish.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 470g)