Orange Honey Duck

How to make it

Allow about 5 minutes to prepare and 25–30 minutes to cook, plus 5 minutes resting.

1. Prepare the duck

   Pat both sides of the duck breasts dry with kitchen roll. Score the skin without cutting all the way through to the meat.

2. Prepare the oranges

   Peel and segment 1 orange. Zest, peel and juice the remaining oranges. Set aside the juice and orange segments.

3. Crisp the skin

   Place the frying pan over low-medium heat. Season the duck with salt and pepper, then place it skin-side down in the pan with no oil. Cook for 6–8 minutes, or until the skin is crisp and golden. Pour off excess fat, turn the breasts over and sear the meat for about 30 seconds.

4. Transfer to the oven

   Place the duck skin-side up in the oven dish. The original method gives 5–8 minutes in the oven, but its oven temperature still needs confirmation before following this step.

5. Make the orange sauce

   Return the frying pan to low-medium heat while the duck is in the oven. Add the honey, orange juice, zest, garlic and half the thyme. Reduce the sauce by about half until it starts to thicken. Add the orange segments and simmer until loosely sticky. Set the pan aside on a heatproof mat.

6. Glaze and finish

   Remove the duck from the oven and generously glaze the skin with some of the sauce. The original method returns the breasts to the oven for about 5 minutes, depending on how well done you like them; duck fillets may need only another 2–3 minutes. The unconfirmed oven temperature also applies here.

7. Rest and serve

   Allow the duck to rest for 5 minutes. I like to slice it and serve it over rice, with the sauce drizzled over the top.