Orange Stuffed Christmas Duck Recipes

DUCK WITH ORANGE HAZELNUT STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Sprinkle the inside of ducks with salt; prick skin lightly several times, being careful not to cut into the meat. Rub skin grated orange zest and sprinkle with seasoned salt; set aside. Combine the first 15 stuffing ingredients; spoon into ducks. If desired, secure legs with baker's twine., Place with breast side up on a rack in a large shallow roasting pan; pour enough water below rack to thinly cover bottom of pan. Bake, uncovered, until a thermometer reads 180° in the thickest part of the thigh and 165° for stuffing, 2 to 2-1/2 hours, rotating pan halfway through and tenting with foil if needed to prevent overbrowning. , For gravy, combine 3 tablespoons pan drippings, flour, salt and pepper in a saucepan; stir until smooth. Heat until bubbly, stirring constantly. Gradually add broth. Bring to a boil; cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add marmalade; stir until smooth.

ROAST DUCK WITH ORANGE GLAZE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Sprinkle inside of duck with caraway seeds; prick skin all over with a fork. In a large skillet, sauté vegetables in oil. Stir in broth, seasonings and stuffing., Loosely stuff duck with stuffing mixture. Skewer neck opening; tie drumsticks together with kitchen string. Place breast side up on a rack in a large shallow roasting pan., Bake, uncovered, until golden brown and a thermometer reads 170° for the duck and 165° for the stuffing, 2-1/2 to 3-1/4 hours. Drain fat from pan as it accumulates. Cover loosely with foil if duck browns too quickly. Cover and let stand 20 minutes before removing stuffing and carving., Meanwhile, for glaze, combine sugars, cornstarch and salt in a saucepan. Gradually stir in orange juice, zest and hot pepper sauce until blended. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with duck.

ROAST DUCK WITH ORANGE AND GINGER

Steps:

• Rinse duck and pat dry. Remove neck and giblets and save for another purpose. Remove excess fat from cavity and tail area and trim off a bit of flappy neck skin. Prick duck skin all over with tip of sharp paring knife, making sure not to penetrate meat.
• Mix together salt and 5-spice powder. Season interior of duck with 1 tablespoon salt mixture; use remainder to generously season exterior (you may have a little left over). Combine orange zest with grated ginger and garlic, then smear mixture inside cavity. Place orange wedges in cavity. Tie legs together. Secure neck flap with wooden skewer or toothpicks. Place duck on rack in roasting pan breast-side-up and refrigerate overnight, uncovered.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, bring duck to room temperature and make the glaze: Bring orange juice, honey, sugar and soy sauce to a simmer. Add sliced ginger and star anise, then reduce mixture until you have a medium-thick syrup, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Roast duck for 2 hours, carefully pouring off fat and turning duck over every 30 minutes. Paint with glaze and roast another 30 minutes (2 1/2 hours in all). Tent with foil if glaze begins to get too dark. Duck is done when temperature at thickest part of leg reads 165 degrees. Paint duck once more, keep warm and let rest 20 minutes. Use poultry shears to cut into quarters (remove backbone first) or carve in the traditional way, removing legs from carcass and slicing breast. Serve with mashed butternut squash if desired.