Female duck, orange and champagne sauce

This recipe is one of my guests' favorite one. You will be sure to win a great success with it.

Makes 4 Servings
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients :
- 1 farm female duck (about 2.5 kg, not too fat, the Dombes female duck from Miéral is just perfect).
- One half bottle of Champagne Brut
- 1 or 2 oranges
- A hint of allspice
- White pepper, salt
- 500 ml of veal basis (1 spoon of veal basis diluted in 500 ml of water) : it does need to be precise
- Farm double cream (not liquid)
Preparation :
Slightly smear the female duck with olive oil. Put a little ground pepper and salt on the poultry.
Squeeze the juice of 1 orange. Peel the zest of the second orange.
Mix the orange juice with the zests and add a 1/2 teaspoon of allspice. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Marinate the female duck in the orange zest juice in an ovenproof dish about three to four hours and turn it over from time to time.

Mix the veal basis with the champagne.

Put the dish in the cold oven at 180°C , in the first third of the oven from the bottom (Select the standard cooking bottom on the oven).

Let the female duck turn golden on each side, then lower the temperature to 170/175°.
During the cooking, turn over the poultry and baste it from time to time with champagne and veal basis.

Cooking time: from 1h30 to 2 hours. Duck is ready when the flesh is tender.

Sauce: when the duck is perfectly cooked, put some cooking juice in a container going in a bain-marie , heat it and add some double cream. Whip smoothly, adjust the seasoning if necessary.

For the service, cut the breast of the duck and present them in plates delicately covered with some champagne-orange sauce. Garnish with a celery mousse purée,a new turnip mousse purée, a home-made Dauphine potatoes or Vonnas pancakes. It is also very nice with a gratin dauphinois.

To serve with a mature, complex champagne with fine bubbles like the Champagne Arlaux Spéciale Réserve (blend of 75% chardonnay and 25 % of Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir.

Complementary Wines: Champagne, Champagne, Champagne, Champagne Brut, Champagne Brut

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