Duck A L’Orange with Spiced Red Cabbage

French food is one of my favourite cuisines. Be it tasty pastries or beautifully cooked duck. One of my greatest “foodie” experiences was enjoying a salad of confit duck at A La Biche Au Bois, a classic French bistro in Paris. Another is the fabulous Duck A L’Orange which would have to be the signature dish at local Brissie restaurant, C’est Bon.

This version of Duck A L’Orange is pretty close to the C’est Bon classic (although, even I have to admit that nothing can top Michael Bonnet’s creation!). The best thing about this recipe is you don’t have to venture out to enjoy it; you can easily make it at home!

Ingredients

4 duck breasts, skin on
1 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice

Spiced Cabbage
½ red cabbage, thinly sliced
60ml water
2 tablespoons caster sugar
5cm piece of orange rind
2 bay leaves
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
Salt and pepper, to season

Orange Sauce
375ml fresh orange juice
375ml chicken stock
1 whole cinnamon quill
1 star anise
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier (plus a little extra for the cook!)
100g butter, chopped

Caramelised Orange Segments
2 naval oranges, segmented
1 tablespoon caster sugar

Method
1. Place cabbage, spices, water, vinegar, sugar and orange rind in a saucepan. Over medium heat, cook cabbage until tender, stirring occasionally. Cover, set aside and keep warm.

2. Add orange sauce ingredients to a saucepan and gently boil until liquid has reduced by half.

3. Whisk in butter pieces.

4. Preheat oven to 200°C.

5. Score duck fat with a sharp knife. Sprinkle duck with the chinese five spice. Heat a heavy based frying pan over a high heat. Cook duck breasts, skin side down, until golden brown and skin starts to turn crispy. Turn over and cook for a further minute, or until meat is browned and sealed. Now cook duck in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes until medium rare (cooking time will depend on size of duck breasts). Stand, covered, and rest for 10 minutes.

6. To make the caramelised orange segments, drain duck fat from frying pan. Add orange slices and sprinkle with caster sugar. Cook over a medium heat until oranges caramelise.

7. To serve, spoon cabbage onto 4 plates. Top with duck (which has been thickly sliced), and then spoon over sauce. Garnish with the caramelised orange segments.

Bon Appétit!