GLAZED, ROASTED DUCK WITH ORANGE AND STAR ANISE
SERVES
4-5
PREPARATION TIME
2 hrs, plus overnight salting
This roast duck is an elegant and festive centrepiece – crisp skin, a succulent pink breast, slow-cooked legs and a glossy, aromatic glaze.
Created for us by Ed Cudlipp, also known as ‘Cud Cooks’, this recipe balances artful technique with rich, seasonal flavours.
The duck is salted overnight to dry the skin, then prepared using Professional kitchen knives, allowing the legs and wings to be slow-cooked for tenderness while the crown is roasted pink.
The glaze is made with warming spices, fresh ginger, orange zest, soy sauce, honey, sugar and vinegar, reduced to a glossy, sticky finish in a 316 Series saucepan.
Once the legs are tender, the duck is brought together in the 316 Series Low Casserole and glazed in stages at a high heat until lacquered and aromatic.
Meanwhile, the orange sauce is made by softening herbs in butter, flambéeing with Grand Marnier, and reducing with chicken stock, honey, Dijon mustard and fresh orange juice.
It’s finished with butter for richness and thickened lightly with cornflour until the sauce is glossy without becoming heavy.
Finished with roasted orange segments and served on a large platter, this duck makes the perfect winter centrepiece.
INGREDIENTS
Duck and glaze:
1 whole duck (around 2.2kg), butchered into crown, legs and wing tips
2 tsp fine salt
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
4cm piece fresh ginger, sliced
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp honey
Zest of 1 orange
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
200ml fresh orange juice
Orange Sauce:
30g butter (plus extra for finishing)
2 sprig rosemary
2 sprigs thyme
150ml Grand Marnier
500ml chicken stock
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp Dijon mustard
150ml fresh orange juice
Cornflour slurry (1 tsp cornflour mixed with 1 tbsp water - start with this amount and add more as needed)
1-2 oranges, segmented
Salt and black pepper, to taste
METHOD:
1. Prepare the duck
Salt the duck all over the night before and leave uncovered in the fridge.
The next day, separate the crown, legs, and wing tips using a Professional Flexible Utility Knife. Score the duck breast skin diagonally, taking care not to cut into the meat.
2. Slow-cook the legs
Place the legs and wing tips on a tray and roast at 150°C for one hour, until tender.
3. Make the glaze
Combine cinnamon, star anise, ginger, brown sugar, honey, orange zest, vinegar, soy sauce and orange juice in a saucepan.
Bring to a boil, then reduce until glossy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
1. Prepare the duck
Salt the duck all over the night before and leave uncovered in the fridge.
The next day, separate the crown, legs, and wing tips using a Professional Flexible Utility Knife. Score the duck breast skin diagonally, taking care not to cut into the meat.
2. Slow-cook the legs
Place the legs and wing tips on a tray and roast at 150°C for one hour, until tender.
3. Make the glaze
Combine cinnamon, star anise, ginger, brown sugar, honey, orange zest, vinegar, soy sauce and orange juice in a saucepan.
Bring to a boil, then reduce until glossy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
4. Glaze the roast
Increase oven temperature to 210ºC. Transfer the slow-cooked legs and duck crown into the 316 Series Low Casserole. Brush everything generously with the glaze.
Roast for 10 minutes, re-glaze, roast for another 10 minutes, re-glaze again, then roast for a final 10 minutes, until the breast reaches 50°C internal temperature. This will rise to 55°C while resting. Rest in a warm place.
5. Make the orange sauce
In a 316 Series 1.8L saucepan, melt the butter and soften the rosemary and thyme. Add Grand Marnier and flambée. Add the stock, honey, mustard, and orange juice. Simmer for around 15 minutes, strain through a sieve, and then finish with butter. Add the cornflour slurry gradually – only adding more if needed – until the sauce is glossy and lightly thickened. Fold through the orange segments.
To serve
Carve the rested duck and arrange on a large platter.
Pour over the orange sauce and garnish with additional orange segments.
4. Glaze the roast
Increase oven temperature to 210ºC. Transfer the slow-cooked legs and duck crown into the 316 Series Low Casserole. Brush everything generously with the glaze.
Roast for 10 minutes, re-glaze, roast for another 10 minutes, re-glaze again, then roast for a final 10 minutes, until the breast reaches 50°C internal temperature. This will rise to 55°C while resting. Rest in a warm place.
5. Make the orange sauce
In a 316 Series 1.8L saucepan, melt the butter and soften the rosemary and thyme. Add Grand Marnier and flambée. Add the stock, honey, mustard, and orange juice. Simmer for around 15 minutes, strain through a sieve, and then finish with butter. Add the cornflour slurry gradually – only adding more if needed – until the sauce is glossy and lightly thickened. Fold through the orange segments.
To serve
Carve the rested duck and arrange on a large platter.
Pour over the orange sauce and garnish with additional orange segments.