Duck a l’Orange with Persimmon

Whisk together the water, soy sauce, and orange zest in a bowl until combined. Place the duck in a large ziplock bag, and place the bagged duck in a small roasting pan. Pour the brine into the bag and press out as much air as possible when sealing it tightly. Place it in the refrigerator and allow to brine overnight.

The day of cooking, pour the water into a small pot and add the duck neck, bring the liquid to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook the neck for about 7 minutes on each side. Heat the sugar and vinegar together in a medium-sized pot over medium-high heat. They will begin to bubble a lot and turn a light caramel-color, which will take about 5 minutes. Once they do, add the orange juice, honey, salt, and pomegranate juice and whisk together until well blended. The mixture will hiss and might spatter a little when you add the liquids, so be prepared.

Gently remove the persimmons from the syrup and set them aside on a small plate. Remove the syrup from heat and set aside. Place the small pot with the duck juices over low heat and add the butter, stirring until it is melted. Bring it to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer. Whisk in the flour until it is completely combined and the mixture has thickened.

Now, whisk the duck gravy from the small pot into the syrup in the medium sized pot. Add the orange zest and the brandy and continue whisking until everything is fluidly combined. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the duck from the brine and pat it dry. In a small bowl, mix together the salt, pepper, cumin, and thyme. Set aside. Evenly distribute the chopped onions over the bottom of a casserole pan or roasting dish, reserving 1 tablespoon of the chopped onions in a separate medium-sized bowl. Add the sliced oranges, pomegranate kernels, minced garlic, and the fresh rosemary to the onions in the medium-sized bowl and toss lightly. Set aside.

Remove the innards from the duck and reserve the neck, discard the rest. Rub the duck inside and out with the olive oil, then rub it inside and out with the spice mixture. Place the duck in the pan on top of the chopped onions with the breast-side facing up. Stuff the duck with the pomegranate, orange quarters, rosemary, garlic, and onion from the medium-sized bowl.

 Pour 1/2 cup of water around the duck over the onions. Place the duck in the oven and roast for 30 minutes. Then remove the duck, lower the heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, flip it over so it’s back is facing up, pour another 1/2 cup of water and the 1/2 cup of wine around the duck over the onions, and place the pan back in the oven. Allow to roast for another 30 minutes.

Once the 30 minutes is up on the roasted duck, remove it from the oven, flip it over again so that the breast is facing up again, and ladle about 2/3 cup of juices from the pan into the small pot with the juices from the duck neck. Place the pan back in the oven and allow to duck to roast for another 30 to 45 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the duck is 170 degrees Fahrenheit and the juices run clear, basting with the pan juices every 15 minutes.

 If the tips of the wings begin to turn black but the duck itself is a nice golden brown but isn’t quite done yet, take the pan out and cover it with tin foil, then place it back in the oven and cook until the above requirements are met.

Once the duck is done, carve it and place the pieces on a serving platter. Serve the duck alongside the sauce and the candied persimmon slices.