Crisp Duck Breast à l'Orange with Burnt Honey & Seville Gastrique

⏱ 55 min · Serves 2

The bistro classic, sharpened up: duck breasts rendered to glass-crisp skin, sliced pink, and lacquered with a glossy gastrique of burnt honey, bitter orange and a slug of Grand Marnier. Salty-sweet-sour in every bite, and far easier than its reputation suggests.

Per serving: 662 kcal · 42.0g protein · 38.0g carbs · 36.0g fat

Ingredients

• 2 duck breasts (approx. 180g each), skin on
• 1 tsp flaky sea salt
• 3 oranges (1 Seville if you can get one, otherwise use 1 extra tbsp lemon juice)
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 150ml good chicken or duck stock
• 2 tbsp Grand Marnier or Cointreau
• 1 small shallot, finely chopped
• 1 star anise
• 10g cold unsalted butter
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 200g Tenderstem broccoli or green beans, to serve
• 1 tsp olive oil

Method

1. Score the duck skin in a close diamond pattern, cutting through the fat but not the meat. Rub with the flaky salt and leave at room temperature for 20 minutes.
2. Zest half an orange into fine strips and set aside. Juice 2 oranges (you want about 200ml). Peel and segment the third orange, keeping the segments whole.
3. Place the duck skin-side down in a cold, dry heavy frying pan. Set over a medium-low heat and cook for 12-14 minutes, pouring off the rendered fat into a bowl every few minutes, until the skin is deep gold and crisp.
4. Flip and cook for 3-4 minutes for blushing pink. Transfer to a board, skin-side up, and rest for 8-10 minutes.
5. Pour all but 1 tsp of fat from the pan. Add the shallot and soften for 2 minutes. Add the honey and let it bubble to a dark amber — 60-90 seconds, until it smells nutty, not acrid.
6. Deglaze with the vinegar (stand back), then add the orange juice, stock and star anise. Simmer briskly for 8-10 minutes until reduced to a syrupy sauce that coats a spoon.
7. Add the Grand Marnier and orange zest strips, simmer 1 minute more, then remove the star anise. Whisk in the cold butter off the heat for shine. Season with pepper and a pinch of salt.
8. Meanwhile, blanch or steam the broccoli for 3 minutes, then toss with the olive oil and a little sea salt.
9. Slice the duck thickly against the grain, spoon over the sauce, scatter with the orange segments and serve with the greens.