Cranberry Orange Roast Ducklings Recipes

CHRISTMAS ROAST DUCK WITH CRANBERRY-ORANGE GLAZE

Steps:

• For Christmas Roast Duck
• Pat the duck dry with paper towels. Trim off excess fat on the side opposite of the cavity. Place the duck on a sturdy cutting board and score the breast skin using a sharp knife. Cut the skin in a criss-cross pattern but make sure you don't pierce the meat to avoid drying it out.
• Stuff the duck cavity with onion quarters, lemon quarters and herbs and tie together the legs. Pat the duck dry one more time with paper towels to remove as much moisture as possible and generously sprinkle with salt all over. Place in the refrigerator uncovered for a minimum of an hour but preferably at least eight hours and up to a day to allow for extra crispy skin.
• Remove the duck 30 minutes before roasting to sit in room temperature and heat oven to 425 degrees. Cover a roasting pan with tinfoil and place the rack in the roasting pan. If you don't have a roasting pan, substitute a large baking sheet and a wire rack. Place the duck on the rack. Stir together the paprika, pepper and garlic pepper and rub all over the duck.
• Roast for 15 minutes in a 425-degree oven, and then turn the temperature to 350 degrees. Continue to roast until the duck reaches your desired internal temperature. Plan for at least one hour and 15 minutes. The USDA recommends an internal temperature of 165 degrees, though many chefs prefer duck between 135-145 degrees. In the final 15 minutes, brush the duck with the glaze.
• When the duck reaches your desired temperature. Remove from the oven, cover with foil and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Carve the duck and serve. Enjoy!
• For Cranberry-Orange Glaze
• In a small saucepan, stir together the cranberry juice, orange juice, molasses, cinnamon sticks, garlic, ginger, balsamic vinegar, salt and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then simmer until it slightly reduces.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and a little bit of cold water until it becomes a smooth slurry. Whisk into the sauce to avoid any clumps forming and bring to a boil. Keep whisking and allow the mixture to boil for about a minute until it thickens. Turn off heat and stir in orange zest. Spoon some of the sauce into a small bowl and brush onto the duck in the last 15 minutes of roasting. Serve the remaining sauce on the side.

ROASTED DUCKLINGS IN ORANGE SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425°F. If convection is an option, choose it.
• Make the ducks. Cut away the flap of fatty skin from the neck, and scrape any loose fat from inside the cavities. Prick the skin all over gently with a sharp fork, or cross-hatch it with a sharp knife. Be careful not to pierce the meat.
• Fill an 18-quart stock pot (or as large as you have) about two-thirds full with water, and add the salt. Place the bunches of thyme and rosemary and the garlic cloves in it. Bring to a rapid boil. (You may need to use two pots if you do not have a single pot large enough to hold both ducklings at once; if so, divide the thyme and rosemary into smaller held-together bunches, and divide the garlic between the pots.) Place the ducks in the pot. If they pop up, keep them submerged using a smaller pot full of water or some other weight. Be aware of overflow. Bring the water back to a slow boil. Simmer the ducks for about 30 minutes. Remove them, and use paper towels to dry them thoroughly.
• Stuff each of the ducks' cavities with half of the boiled thyme, rosemary, and garlic and the quartered orange.
• Line the bottom of a large shallow roasting pan with the onions, carrots, and the orange rounds. Place the ducks, breast-side down, on top. Massage them with the Cointreau. This will give them a mahogany finish. Let them sit for 10 minutes for the skin to absorb the liqueur. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Roast until the bottoms brown, about 20 minutes. Turn them breast-side up, and lower the oven temperature to 350°F. Several times during roasting, spoon off any excess fat as it accumulates, or suck it up using a baster. Use some of the fat to baste the ducks, and set the rest aside, saving some for the sauce.
• Depending on how long you boiled the ducks and the size of the ducks, roasting time will be another hour or longer. The ducks are done when a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers at least 180°F, or until the juices run clear and the leg bones wiggle easily. You want the meat to slide off the bones. Don't be afraid of overcooking these. Ducks don't dry out easily. The skin should be crisp. If not, no worries. You will pass the pieces under the broiler before serving. (If the ducks are too crisp and the meat is not finished cooking, cover them with foil as you continue roasting.) Once the ducks are ready, remove them from the oven, and cover them with aluminum foil while you finish the sauce.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce. Combine the stock, giblets, and necks in a saucepot over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low to maintain a gentle boil, until the stock is reduced by half.
• Finish the sauce when you have retrieved rendered duck fat from the roasting duck. In a medium saucepan, warm the duck fat over medium heat. Add the flour, whisking with a fork as you do so. Remove the giblets and necks from the stock reduction, and discard. Add the stock to the duck fat-flour mixture, raise the heat to medium-high, and stir continuously to prevent lumps as you bring it to a slow boil. Add the Cointreau, vinegars, orange juice, marmalade, and orange peel to the pan. Bring back to a boil, melting the marmalade, then simmer uncovered on low heat until the sauce thickens and is reduced. Preheat a broiler with the rack set a notch or two down from the top position.
• When the ducks have rested at least 20 minutes, use a sharp knife or poultry scissors to split them and cut the breasts from the legs. Discard the orange quarters, herbs, wings, and any pockets of fat that remain. Slip the breast meat from the bones. Leave the legs intact. Put a little sauce in a broiling pan, and lay the duck pieces on top. Spoon a little sauce on top of each piece. Put them under the broiler for about 1 minute to crisp and glaze. Watch them carefully; the sugar in the sauce caramelizes quickly.
• Place the pieces on a platter, and decorate with thin, round slices of orange. Serve with additional sauce on the side.

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 CRANBERRY GLAZE

Steps:

• Rinse the cranberries carefully under running water and pick them over to remove any that have spoiled.
• Mix one cup of cranberries, the honey and one-half cup of water in a small saucepan and cook, simmering, until the cranberries are very soft. Strain through a sieve into a small bowl. The honey liquid is the glaze for the duck.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the gizzard, heart and liver from the duck and set aside. Put the orange peel, half the onion and about half a teaspoon of salt and pepper in the cavity. Paint the duck with a little of the cranberry glaze.
• Place the duck on a rack in a roasting pan and roast for 45 minutes. Every 15 minutes, paint the surface with a little of the cranberry glaze. Remove the duck from the oven and prick the skin all over with a fork to release the fat. Return to the oven and continue roasting, painting every 15 minutes with the glaze, for a total of two hours.
• While the duck is roasting, make a broth with the innards: Roughly chop the remaining half onion and the duck innards. Place in a small saucepan with the wine, another half teaspoon of salt and pepper and a cup of water. Simmer gently for an hour or more, until the broth is reduced to approximately one-half cup of flavorful liquid. Strain the broth and discard the solids.
• Mix the remaining half cup of cranberries with the remaining half cup of water, the sugar and the balsamic vinegar. Cook together for 10 minutes until the mixture is syrupy. Set aside.
• When the duck has finished roasting, remove it from the oven and set aside. It should be a beautiful dark-red color.
• Strain the pan juices into a glass measuring cup and carefully remove the duck fat that floats to the top. (Do not discard: duck fat is wonderful for roasting or frying potatoes.) Add the innard broth to the roasting juices and use this to deglaze the roasting pan, scraping up the roasting bits that have stuck to the pan. Strain the whole through a fine sieve and place in a small saucepan.
• Add the cranberry-vinegar syrup to the pan juices and broth. If there is any glaze remaining, add that to the mixture and bring the whole to a simmer just to warm it and mix everything together.
• Carve the duck if you wish, or send it whole to the table, together with the warm cranberry sauce.

CRANBERRY ORANGE DUCK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Sprinkle Chinese five-spice powder inside the duck cavity. Add chopped onion and cubed orange.
• Combine cranberries, orange liqueur, honey, white sugar, and soy sauce in a saucepan. Cook and stir until glaze reaches a jam-like consistency, 7 to 10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, about 3 minutes.
• Place duck on a roasting rack inside a roasting pan; baste with the glaze.
• Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 2 1/2 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

ROAST DUCK, WITH CRANBERRIES

Steps:

• Reserve the gizzard, heart and neck of the duck and pull off as much fat as possible from the cavity. Reserve the fat. The liver of the duck will not be used in this recipe but it can be diced and sauteed with mushrooms as an hors d'ouevre or frozen for later use.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly season the duck with salt and pepper and place it on a rack in a roasting pan. Prick the skin lightly all over and roast for one hour and 15 minutes. Prick the skin lightly from time to time while the duck is roasting.
• During the roasting time, heat one tablespoon of the duck fat in a heavy saucepan. Mince the gizzard and heart and add it to the pan along with the onion and celery. Saute the vegetables and duck innards until they are lightly browned. Add the garlic, one-half cup of the wine and stir to loosen any brown particles in the pan. Add the water, the neck of the duck and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer covered for 45 minutes. Strain this stock into a clean saucepan.
• Add the cranberries to the strained stock in the saucepan along with the vinegar and sugar. Cook over medium low heat until the cranberries soften and pop. Lower heat and simmer until the sauce has thickened somewhat.
• When the duck has finished roasting, remove it to a platter. Pour the fat out of the roasting pan (it can be reserved for another cooking purpose). Add the remaining 1/2 cup of red wine to the pan. Stir to scrape up any brown particles and pour this mixture into the sauce.
• Re-heat the sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper. Carve or quarter the duck and serve with the sauce.

CRANBERRY-ORANGE ROAST DUCKLINGS

Steps:

• Prick skin of ducklings well. Place four orange quarters, one sprig of rosemary and 1/4 cup of cranberries in each cavity; tie drumsticks together. Place breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan.
• In a large bowl, combine the orange juice, broth, soy sauce, sugar, ginger and garlic; mix well. Refrigerate 1/2 cup for the glaze. Pour 1 cup over the ducklings; sprinkle with the remaining cranberries. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour. Uncover; bake 1-1/2 hours longer basting frequently with the remaining orange juice mixture. (Drain fat from pan as it accumulates.)
• Combine the marmalade and reserved orange juice mixture; spread over ducklings. Bake, uncovered, 30-40 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 180 degrees F. Discard the oranges, rosemary and cranberries from cavities. Let ducklings stand for 10 minutes before carving.

ROAST DUCK WITH CRANBERRY GLAZE

Steps:

• Rinse the cranberries carefully under running water, and pick them over to remove any that have spoiled.
• Mix one cup of cranberries, the honey, and one-half cup of water in a small saucepan and cook, simmering, until the cranberries are very soft. Strain through a sieve into a small bowl. The honey liquid is the glaze for the duck.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F Remove the gizzard, heart, and liver from the duck and set aside. Put the orange peel, half the onion, and about half a teaspoon of salt and pepper in the cavity. Paint the duck with a little of the cranberry glaze.
• Place the duck on a rack in a roasting pan and roast for 45 minutes. Every 15 minutes, paint the surface with a little of the cranberry glaze. Remove the duck from the oven and prick the skin all over with a fork to release the fat. Return to the oven and continue roasting, painting every 15 minutes with the glaze, for a total of two hours.
• While the duck is roasting, make a broth with the innards: roughly chop the remaining half onion and the duck innards. Place in a small saucepan with the wine, another half teaspoon of salt and pepper, and a cup of water. Simmer gently for an hour or more, until the broth is reduced to approximately one-half cup of flavorful liquid. Strain the broth and discard the solids.
• Mix the remaining half cup of cranberries with the remaining half cup of water, the sugar, and the balsamic vinegar. Cook together for 10 minutes until the mixture is syrupy. Set aside.
• When the duck has finished roasting, remove it from the oven and set aside. It should be a beautiful dark-red color.
• Strain the pan juices into a glass measuring cup and carefully remove the duck fat that floats to the top. (Do not discard: duck fat is wonderful for roasting or frying potatoes.) Add the innard broth the roasting juices and use this to deglaze the roasting pan, scraping up the roasting bits that have stuck to the pan. Strain the whole through a fine sieve and place in a small saucepan.
• Add the cranberry-vinegar syrup to the pan juices and broth. If there is any glaze remaining, add that to the mixture and bring the whole to a simmer just to warm it and mix everything together.
• Carve the duck if you wish, or send it whole to the table, together with the warm cranberry sauce.

ROAST DUCK WITH ORANGE SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Fasten neck skin of duckling to back with skewers. Fold wings across back with tips touching. Place duckling, breast side up, on rack in shallow roasting pan. Pierce skin all over with fork. Loosely tie legs to the tail, if desired, to better hold even shape during cooking. Insert meat thermometer so tip is in thickest part of inside thigh muscle and does not touch bone.
• Roast uncovered about 2 hours 30 minutes or until thermometer reads 180°F and juice is no longer pink when center of thigh is cut. Place tent of aluminum foil loosely over breast during last hour to prevent excessive browning. Place duckling on heated platter. Let stand 15 minutes for easier carving.
• Heat orange peel, orange juice, jelly, lemon juice, mustard and salt to boiling in 1-quart saucepan. Mix water and cornstarch; stir into sauce. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute.
• Stir in orange sections and liqueur. Brush duckling with some of the orange sauce. Serve with remaining sauce.