Roast Duck with Grand Marnier Sauce

I really love duck, it is one of my most favourites meats, and feel that I don’t really cook it enough. Unfortunately it is very expensive to buy here in Dubai which probably restricts many of us from eating it often.

The glaze isn’t really necessary but does add quite a rich orange-y taste and of course a great colour.

Ingredients:

1 whole duck

Despite their size a duck doesn't actually contain that much meat and really one duck will only feed two or three people. You can stretch it out to four but piling on the veggies, but the serving is going to be pretty small.


For the Glaze:

100ml orange juice
100ml cointreau or Grand Marnier liquer
2 tsp orange zest
1 tbsp brown sugar

For the Sauce:

100ml orange juice
250ml chicken stock
100ml Grand Marnier
2 tbsp port
4 tsp orange zest
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp butter


And then you need to

For the glaze heat all ingredients together in a saucepan until very hot and all the sugar has melted. Lower heat to a simmer and reduce by about half.

Prick duck all over with a fork, give it a really good going over. Cover with foil, place on wire rack over roasting tray and place in hot oven (200C/400F). After 30mins take out, remove foil and pour off some of the fat and then pour the glaze over. Put back in and roast for another 30 to 45 mins. If you glaze the bird at the beginning the skin will burn with all the sugars in the glaze.

To make the sauce heat the balsamic vinegar and sugar over low heat until the sugar has melted. Never heat balsamic over a too high a heat as it can taste a bit bitter as a result.

Add stock and orange juice and boil for about 10 minutes. Add port and orange zest, boil for a further 5 minutes. Add Grand Marnier and boil again for a further 5 minutes, reducing and thickening the sauce all the time. Just before serving cut the butter into small cubes and whisk into sauce (off the heat).

Remove the duck from the oven and let sit for about 10 minutes or so. Slice the duck and put onto a platter, spoon some of the sauce over the duck and bring to the table. Pour the rest of the sauce into a gravy boat.