Crispy Orange Duck ('Knusperente mit Orangensauce')

Cut up the duck:

Cut up the duck into seven pieces: two breasts, two legs, two wings, and the carcass. Trim away any excess fat and skin. You can render it in a pan over low heat to save the delicious duck fat.

Cook your duck stock:

Place the duck carcass along with the two wings in a large stockpot. Stud the onion halves with the cloves and add them to the stockpot. Then add the star anise, thyme, and orange peel. Add enough water to just barely cover the duck carcass so that everything is submerged in water. Bring the water to a light simmer and cook the stock, covered, on the lowest possible heat for 1.5 hours. If using a pressure cooker, cook the stock on the high-pressure setting for 30 minutes while letting the pressure decrease naturally afterward. Strain the finished stock through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth.

Cook your duck:

Generously season the duck breasts and legs with salt on all sides. Place the duck legs on a steaming tray, skin-side down. Leave them to steam for 45-60 minutes, or until tender to your liking. Shortly before serving, pre-heat the broiler of your oven to its highest setting. Place the duck legs under the broiler for about 3-5 minutes to crisp up the skin and reheat them.

Score the skin of the duck breasts with a sharp paring knife. Place them skin-side down in a cold saute pan along with a tablespoon of canola oil. Turn the heat up to medium and let the duck breasts slowly render their fat and crisp up the skin. Once they are cooked 90 % to your liking, turn them over and sear the other side briefly. Remove the duck breasts from the pan once they have reached your desired level of doneness. I recommend serving them pink with an internal temperature of 130 °F (54 °C). Let the duck breasts rest at least 10 minutes before slicing them for serving.

Cook the sauce:

In a large saute pan, combine the sherry and orange juice. Bring the liquid up to a boil and reduce by two thirds. Be careful not to let the reduction burn! Once reduced, add the duck stock and reduce by half. Dissolve the cornstarch in a few tablespoons of water and begin to slowly drizzle the cornstarch slurry into your boiling sauce until it has thickened to your liking. It's best to do this bit by bit so that you don't accidentally turn your sauce into pudding. Season the thickened sauce to taste with salt and sherry vinegar. Be generous with the vinegar, the acidity is needed to balance the sweetness of the sauce. When ready to serve, whisk a tablespoon of butter into your hot, but not boiling, sauce.

Serve the duck:

The traditional way to serve duck in Germany is with potato dumplings and braised red cabbage. If you want, you can cleave the meat across the bone Chinese-style and place it on a large serving plate to let diners serve themselves on the table.