
Roast duck recipe, slow-cooked with an orange and honey glaze – The London Economic
While the bird can be prepared in a great variety of ways , a whole roast duck isn’t just an impressive centrepiece, it’s also far easier to cook than you might think.
Eaten in many cuisines around the word, duck is high in protein and iron, but also in fat, which deters some people from cooking the bird at home, with a general consensus suggesting sweet is difficult to cook well. The fact that duck breast could be served pink, like most red meats, actually makes it far more forgiving than most poultry; and when the thick layer of subcutaneous fat (for insulation) is rendered properly, it’s absolutely delicious. In addition to the breasts, confit duck legs are a wonder of the culinary world, the particular liver is commonly used for foie gras, in place of goose, and the fat is amongst some of the world’s most cherished for cooking.
The key to perfect beef roasts duck will be crispy skin. This can be achieved by following a number of practices, but leaving the duck to dry out in the fridge, uncovered, overnight is perhaps the easiest, followed by pouring a kettle of boiling water over the skin plus leaving in order to dry for an hour or two before cooking. This, along with slow-cooking the sweet, helps to perfectly render the particular fat, which usually I’d suggest reserving for use in other dishes. Slow-cooking will produce meat that’s more well-done, yet extremely tender, cloaked with that crispy pores and skin. It’s also worth noting that most whole ducks will include the giblets and a neck bone, which can be used to make a delicious gravy , and excess fat within the cavity, which should also be reserved and utilised either in other dishes or even for roast potatoes to accompany this dish.
This particular roast duck recipe is also finished having a glaze inspired by sweet a l’orange, the popular British take on canard à l’orange, a dish consisting of duck with bigarade sauce most commonly associated with France, but actually alleged to originate in Florence, Italy .

Servings: 4
- one whole duck approx. 2kg
- 4 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
- 4 large oranges
- A few sprigs fresh thyme
- Several sprigs new rosemary
- 130 g honey
- 2 tbsp marmalade
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- one tsp black pepper
- Salt
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Before cooking food, uncover the duck plus leave in order to dry overnight in the fridge.
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To prepare the particular duck, remove any giblets and the neck and set aside (use to make a delicious gravy). Also get rid of any excess fat in the cavity and reserve to use for another dish. Place in a large roasting tin, breast-side up, and pour a kettle associated with boiling water on the skin. Remove the excess water and leave the sweet to dry for an hour.
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Pre-heat the oven to 150C/Gas 2 .
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Once dry out, generously season the duck with salt and stuff the hole with one of the oranges, cut in half, the particular garlic cloves, and the herbs.
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Use a sharp knife to score the skin on the duck’s breast in a diamond pattern, trying to cut only the skin without going through to the meat. Prick the skin all over with a skewer or cocktail stick, then fold the wings under the duck to prevent them from burning.
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Return the duck to a roasting tin plus cook with regard to 1 hour, breasts side up. You won’t need any oil, as the fat will quickly begin to render and pool at the bottom of the tin.
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After an hour, remove the duck from the oven and prick the skin all over again. Flip the sweet breast-side down and beef roasts for another hr. Repeat the process of pricking your skin one final time, then return the particular bird towards the oven, breast-side up, another hour.
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During the final hour, prepare the glaze. Combine the juice of three oranges, the particular honey, marmalade, orange zest, and dark pepper in a small saucepan plus simmer until the liquid thickens. This should take around 10 minutes. Once reduced, remove from your heat and set aside.
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Once the duck has been cooking regarding 3 hours, increase the heat to 200C/Gas 6 and continue to make for 15 minutes, then brush with the glaze over and continue to cook for another 5-10 short minutes. Keep an eye on the duck during these final moments to make sure the particular glaze doesn’t burn.
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Remove from the oven and rest for at least 15 minutes prior to carving plus serving.
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