Featured Recipe from The Little Paris Kitchen: Canard à l’Orangina (Duck with fizzy orange)
Serves 4 as a main
When I was invited to a dinner hosted by Chef Jean-François Piège, he described how his previous elaborate style of cooking at the Hôtel de Crillon had evolved into something a lot more simple and homely at his current restaurant in the Hôtel Thoumieux. He told an amusing story of how his wife wanted duck à l’orange for Sunday supper and all he could find at his local corner shop was Orangina, so he used it to make a sauce for the duck. I’m not sure exactly how he made his canard à l’Orangina, but here’s my version. A simple watercress or wild arugula salad works well with this dish.
For the Marinade:- finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
Mix together the orange zest and juice with the olive oil, cumin, and salt.
The Duck- 4 duck legs
- 7 tbsp orange soda
- 2 tbsp Cointreau
- a pinch of salt
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar
- 4 oranges, cut into segments
Rub the marinade over the duck legs and leave to marinate for a minimum of an hour (or in the fridge overnight).
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Put the duck legs with the marinade into a roasting pan and cook for 1 hour or until tender. Halfway through cooking, baste the duck with some of the pan juices.
Fifteen minutes before serving, pour the orange soda and Cointreau into a large frying pan, place on a high heat, and simmer until reduced by half. Stir in the salt and vinegar before adding the orange segments. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
Serve the duck legs hot, with the orange segments and sauce.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Resting time: 1 hour–overnight
Cooking time: 1 hour