Aiguillettes de Rouennais à la Bigarrade

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy lidded ovenproof casserole just large enough for the duck crown
• •Small heavy-bottomed saucepan
• •Fine-mesh sieve and shallow bowl for degreasing
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Sharp boning knife and long slicing knife
• •Warm oval serving platter and sauceboat

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the citrus

   Pare the coloured zest thinly from one bitter orange, leaving every trace of white pith behind, then cut it into a fine julienne. Put the zest in cold water, bring it just to the boil, and drain; repeat once more to temper the bitterness without erasing it. Juice the oranges and lemon separately. Fill the serving platter with hot water, then empty and dry it before carving so it becomes lukewarm rather than hot.

   White pith makes the sauce bluntly bitter. The coloured zest should bring fragrance and a clean edge, while the juice and vinegar provide the acidity.
2. 2

   Poële twenty minutes

   Let the duck crown lose its refrigerator chill for 30 minutes, dry it thoroughly, and season with the salt and pepper. Prepare it according to Poëlings (No. 250), without adding liquid during the cooking, and stop at twenty minutes. The butter must carry the flavour of the duck into the poëling liquor, while the breast remains only just cooked. At the end, the skin should be burnished and the thickest part of the breast should register about 140°F (60°C) for the rosy classical result. Transfer the crown to a board and rest it for 5 minutes.

   Food-safety authorities advise cooking poultry to 165°F (74°C). The rosy classical result is a deliberate lower-temperature choice; if that risk is not suitable for your table, continue cooking to 165°F and accept that the meat will be fully cooked.
3. 3

   Cut the aiguillettes

   Run a sharp knife closely along each side of the breastbone and rib cage to lift off the two fillets with their skin intact. Lay each fillet skin-side up and cut it lengthwise into about ten slim aiguillettes. The word carries the technique: these are long slices following the breast, not short pieces cut across it. Arrange them in overlapping fans on the lukewarm platter and cover loosely with parchment. Do not return them to the oven.

4. 4

   Extract the poëling liquor

   Set the poëling vessel over medium heat and pour in the brown veal gravy while the aromatic butter and clean browned deposits are still present. Scrape gently and boil for 4 to 5 minutes so the gravy collects the flavour held by the butter. Strain through a fine sieve into a small bowl, let the fat rise for a minute, then skim it carefully. If part of the vessel has scorched, don't scrape the black patch. Pour off the clean liquor and continue in a fresh saucepan. Ça se rattrape.

5. 5

   Build the bigarrade

   Put the sugar in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat and let it melt undisturbed until it becomes a clear, deep amber caramel. Draw the pan from the heat and add the vinegar carefully, standing back from the sharp sputter, then return it to low heat and stir until the caramel dissolves. If the sugar crystallizes before colouring, add a teaspoon of water, cover for 30 seconds, and begin again gently. If it burns black, start this small quantity over; burnt caramel cannot be reasoned with.

6. 6

   Reduce to clarity

   Whisk the strained poëling liquor into the caramel, followed by the bitter-orange and lemon juices. Simmer briskly until the sauce is clear, glossy, and lightly coats a spoon while still flowing freely, about 5 minutes. Add the blanched zest and taste. If the sauce tightens into syrup, loosen it a spoonful at a time with the warm water; if it tastes sweet rather than keen, add a few drops of vinegar. Keep it below a simmer once balanced.

7. 7

   Sauce and serve

   Spoon enough bigarrade over the aiguillettes to glaze them without hiding the rosy meat, then pour the remainder into a warm sauceboat. Serve immediately. The sauce should meet the duck at the table, not hold it captive in the kitchen. À table!

Chef Tips

• •A duck crown is both breasts left on the bone. Ask the butcher for one from a meaty young duck, preferably Rouennais when available. The crown preserves the source recipe's twenty-minute breast cookery; loose boneless breasts cook too quickly and give far less poëling liquor.
• •Poëling means butter cookery. Use real unsalted butter in the linked preparation and keep the vessel closely fitted to the crown. We don't apologize for butter, particularly when it is carrying the duck's flavour into the sauce.
• •Seville oranges have a short season. Frozen unsweetened Seville juice is an honest preserved choice. If neither fruit nor juice is available, use ordinary orange juice with an extra teaspoon of lemon juice and several drops of vinegar; the sauce will be less aromatic, but its sweet-bitter balance survives.
• •A good prepared veal demi-glace, diluted with an equal amount of water until it pours like light gravy, is the home equivalent of the stockpot the original kitchen kept constantly ready. Choose one without heavy salt, because reduction concentrates everything.
• •The platter must be lukewarm. A hot platter carries on cooking the thin aiguillettes, while a cold one sets the sauce. Warming it with hot water gives you the precise middle ground without another burner.
• •Serve with pommes Anna or a restrained celeriac purée, something able to catch the bigarrade without competing with it. A supple red Burgundy or a dry Norman cider both handle the sauce's bitterness beautifully.

Advance Preparation

• •The orange zest can be cut and blanched a day ahead. Chill it in a covered container lined with a dry cloth, and juice the fruit shortly before cooking for the brightest flavour.
• •Brown veal gravy can be prepared up to 3 days ahead and kept chilled, or frozen in small portions for up to 2 months. Warm it before adding it to the poëling vessel.
• •Trim the duck crown and measure every sauce ingredient several hours ahead, but poële and slice the duck only when the guests are ready to eat. The aiguillettes lose their tenderness if cooked and reheated.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 155g)