Ingredients
- 1 whole duck, about 2.2 kg
- 180 ml fresh orange juice
- 60 ml Québec maple syrup
- 60 ml red wine vinegar
- 2 oranges, zested and segmented
- 250 ml chicken stock
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Method
- Heat the oven to 180°C. Prick the duck skin, season it, and roast breast-side up for 75 minutes, draining fat twice.
- Simmer the orange juice, maple syrup, vinegar, zest, and stock for 12 minutes until lightly reduced.
- Brush the duck with the glaze and roast 30–40 minutes more, basting every 10 minutes.
- Rest the duck 15 minutes, then serve with the orange segments and remaining sauce.
Conversion and rationale
Original sweetener (classic version): 100 g white sugar in the caramelized orange sauce
Conversion used: Replace 100 g sugar with 60 ml maple syrup and reduce the orange juice by 60 ml; reduce the sauce until it coats a spoon. Roast at 15°C below the classic 195°C setting so the syrup does not burn.
Why Quebec maple syrup: Maple deepens the bitter-sweet orange sauce with toasted notes that suit duck fat. The adaptation preserves the traditional citrus contrast while favoring a regional sweetener.
General rule: 1 cup (250 ml) sugar ≈ 3/4 cup (180 ml) maple syrup; reduce liquids by 45–60 ml per cup of syrup and lower oven by 15 °C. Substitution calculator →