Šventinė antis su karamelizuotų citrusų padažu | Unilever Food Solutions

Festive duck with caramelised citrus sauce | Unilever Food Solutions

What's Christmas without a special dish on the festive table? One of the most popular accents on it is duck. Kitchen professionals from Unilever Food Solutions suggest you prepare this special dish inspired by classic French cuisine.

Renaldas Bujokas, Unilever Food Solutions Baltic Executive Chef, has added Christmas accents to this dish with the perfectly balanced flavours and aromas of cinnamon, star anise and orange. The preparation will be simple and the result will be flawless: an indescribably delicious, perfect-looking duck with a crispy skin and a flavourful golden caramelised fruit sauce that perfectly complements the presentation.

For more information on how to prepare the duck and the sauce, watch the live video online tutorialand below we share the complete recipe:

Ingredients for duck:

2 kg duck
2 l water
70 g salt
20 g of sugar
4 stars of star anise
1 cinnamon stick
Peel of one orange
Smoking chips to give a smoky flavour, e.g. Holm oak (optional)

Ingredients for the caramelised citrus sauce:

50 g sugar
2 tbsp. 50 g of water
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
200 ml freshly squeezed orange juice
2 stars of star anise
100 ml chicken broth
2 tbsp. KNORR Citrus Essence

Duck production:

Make a marinade of water, salt, sugar, allspice, star anise, cinnamon stick and orange peel. Soak the duck in the cool water. Recommended for at least one day.

Remove the duck from the marinade before preparing to roast. Bring the marinade to the boil and baste the duck with it. Drain the duck or leave at room temperature to dry the skin. This will ensure that the duck has the crisp, evenly coloured skin that everyone loves.

Roast the duck at 140-150 degrees Celsius on indirect heat until the desired internal temperature. For the meat to fall off the bone, the internal temperature should be around 90 degrees. Use a meat thermometer to measure the temperature

It is recommended that the duck be roasted or placed on a rackor placed in a foil dish, or by placing a dish under the grill to collect the fat. Duck is fatty and the fat, which begins to melt from the heat, is highly appreciated by kitchen professionals. It adds a unique flavour to potatoes or various other vegetables and dishes. In addition to protecting the deflector, the container will also protect against flame tongues caused by fat on the coals.

To give your duck a smoky smell and even more beautiful colour, smoke it. Duck is a more strongly flavoured meat and therefore suits the smell of smoke from different woods. For a milder, subtle flavour that gives a golden colour, you can choose Lemonwood, Orangewood, apple shavings. Meanwhile, alder, a common Lithuanian tree for smoking, will already give a bright flavour and dark colour. A versatile and safe option - olive, Holmo Oak wood shavings.

Sauce production:

While the duck is roasting, prepare the sauce: first heat the spices in the pan in which you will make the sauce.
Add the sugar and the water first. Once the sugar has melted, heat the pot over low heat. Turn the pot gently to stir. The sugar will soon start to caramelise and turn golden in colour

As soon as the sugar starts to turn golden, pour in the orange juice. Do not be afraid that the sugar will stick together. Continue to cook, stirring gently.

Add the vinegar and chicken stock and cook until the sauce is the right consistency. You can tell this with a spoon: dip it into the sauce and pull it out. Turn it upside down and pierce it with your finger. If the sauce sticks and does not run back, it is ready to serve. Remove the pot from the heat.