Sous Vide Duck Breast a l’Orange

Duck à l'Orange, or Canard à l'Orange if you want to get technical about it, is a classic French favorite. Traditionally, the duck is roasted and served with an orange sauce, but for our modern twist — Sous Vide Duck Breast a l’Orange — we prepared duck breast with the Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker. Since we packed the duck breast in with orange zest and juice, as well as garlic, shallot, thyme and pepper, the sous vide perfectly developed the deep flavor needed for the sauce. So, be sure to reserve the cooking juices. Read on for the perfect Sous Vide Duck Breast a l’Orange recipe. Sous Vide Duck Breast a l’Orange Serves: 2 Active Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 3.5 hours Temp: 135°F (57°C) Finishing step: Sear the duck breasts and reduce the sauce.
Ingredients:

• 2 6-ounce duck breasts
• 1 orange, zest and juice
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 shallot, quartered
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
• 1 cup chicken (or duck) stock
• 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

Directions: Set the Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 135°F (57°C). Place the duck, orange zest and juice, garlic, shallot, thyme, and peppercorns in a bag, seal, and cook for 3.5 hours. Remove the duck from the bag (reserving the bag ingredients and juice), pat dry, and score the top of the skin in a wide criss-cross pattern with a sharp knife — carefully, as not to pierce it. Season with salt and pepper, and brown the skin in a non-stick saute pan over medium heat, about five minutes. Remove the duck from the pan and set aside. Clean out the rendered duck fat and return pan to medium-high heat. Deglaze the pan with the vinegar, then pour the contents of the cooking bag into the pan and add the stock. Simmer until it has reduced to ¼ cup. Whisk in the cold butter and remove the pan from the eat. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Slice the duck and serve with the orange sauce.