Duck à l’Orange

French classic last spring in an easier, quicker version. It was good, but this time I wanted it to be perfect.

In this dish the sauce is the star. Cooking the duck itself is simple; it’s the sauce that takes time and care. The key ingredients for the sauce are a rich stock and special bitter oranges. Their complex, floral aroma is something navel oranges or lemons can’t match—and that’s the real secret to Duck à l’Orange.

First I roasted vegetables and beef bones ( yiu can use chicken too) along with the duck wings and neck (gizzards, liver, heart). I made a beef stock in the Instant Pot to save time, then added the roasted duck parts (you can also use chicken )and vegetables. The result was an amazingly rich, flavorful base for the sauce.

The traditional sauce, called sauce bigarade, is named for the bitter orange that flavors it. If you can’t find bitter oranges, you can mix sweet oranges with a little lemon juice, but be careful—it can turn out too sweet. That’s the problem with many modern recipes that simply substitute sweet orange juice cut with lemon.

I also tried something new: a gastrique, a caramelized sugar and vinegar mixture that gives the sauce a perfectly balanced flavor.

In the end the dish was simply gorgeous—rich, aromatic, and deeply flavorful. I don’t plan to make it often, but once a year, for a special occasion and the people I love, it’s absolutely worth it.