Duck à l'Orange

Name: Duck à l'Orange
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 105 min
Total time: 115 min
Ingredients: 1 duck, plucked, gutted and cleaned.; 30 grams unsalted butter.; 2-3 sprigs of parsley.; ½ an orange (blood orange if possible).; About ¼ cup marmalade.; Juice of 2-3 oranges.; Up to 200 ml chicken stock.; Salt and ground black pepper to taste.; 1 teaspoon cornflour.; Water.; ½ lemon, juiced.

SpotX Wild Foods Recipe from John Currin
Prep:10 minutes Cook:1 3/4 hours Difficulty:2

Ingrediants:

1 duck, plucked, gutted and cleaned.
30 grams unsalted butter.
2-3 sprigs of parsley.
½ an orange (blood orange if possible).
About ¼ cup marmalade.
Juice of 2-3 oranges.
Up to 200 ml chicken stock.
Salt and ground black pepper to taste.
1 teaspoon cornflour.
Water.
½ lemon, juiced.

Directions:

Put 15 grams of butter, parsley and half an orange inside the cavity.
Secure cavity with presoaked string and skewers.
With a skewer prick the skin (not the meat) every square inch.
In a small pot soften the remaining butter and mix with the marmalade.
Spread all over the duck.
Put duck in covered roasting dish with orange juice and 100ml of stock.
Preheat oven to 170°C and cook for 1½ hours.
Baste frequently, adding more stock if necessary.
When the bird is tender to the knife, remove the lid.
Baste and cook a further 10 or so minutes to brown.
Remove the duck and keep warm.
Scrape up any sticky bits in pan and add sufficient stock to make a sauce.
Thicken with the cornflour.
Add the salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.
Bring to a simmer stirring constantly.
Serve gravy separately with carved duck.

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Duck
Duck Hunting duck is one of those Kiwi activities steeped in tradition, especially in rural communities.
The first weekend in May is eagerly awaited and has greater status than some religious holidays. In anticipation of opening day considerable preparation will have gone into the maimai, the traditional duck hunter’s lair, and preparing ponds, which are sometimes pre-fed.
Prior to the big event, gun clubs hold shooters’ ‘eye-openers’. A number of clubs and pubs host hunters’ evenings to determine the most realistic duck caller, camouflage and the like. Shotguns are given that extra bit of attention and the faithful gundog gets caught up in all the hype too. The scene is being set for what is a special annual occasion for some 80,000 people around the country.
Like all sports, bird shooting has become more sophisticated as time goes by. The traditional side-by-side shotgun has largely given way to ‘under and overs’. Now semi-automatic guns with magazines capable of up to five rounds are the order of the day. Lead shot over our waterways has been banned to appease the green element – a vocal minority. Decoys are moulded from plastic and can be made to move on the water or to simulate flight, with wings that flap.
Even the species have changed. Areas that were once the domain of the grey duck have been taken over by the mallard, which in turn has been superseded in many regions by the larger, domineering paradise shelduck. But at the end of the day you still have to put shot in the air in the right place to intercept dinner – and that has not changed.
The rewards are worth it. Wild duck is excellent fare and can be prepared in a variety of ways. Traditionally the birds have been hung for a day or two then plucked and drawn, before being roasted or casseroled. More commonly today they are breasted out and presented in a variety of ways, including manufactured into salamis and sausages; recipes for some of which are outlined below.