Sauce For Roast Duck

Asked by darius4869. Answered on 27th January 2018

Full question

I think the Roast Duck recipe is brilliant. So crispy and tasty. However, I had an issue with the sauce as mine was too bitter. I followed the recipe, though reduced the amount of star anise, and it was just too bitter. Was it too much orange skin?

Image of Nigella's Roast Duck — Photo by Jonathan Lovekin

Roast Duck with Orange, Soy and Ginger

By Nigella

Our answer

Nigella's Roast Duck With Orange, Soy and Ginger (from AT MY TABLE) has a sauce that is made with an infusion of orange zest, star anise, fresh root ginger and soy sauce. It is also lightly sweetened with honey. The sauce is very thin and light.

Star anise adds a slight liquorice note to the sauce but is not usually bitter. We suspect that the bitterness came from any white pith that was left on the orange skin. You need to try and pare the skin of the orange so that only the zest is cut away. The zest contains the essential oils that hold most of the orange flavour but the spongy white pith contains tannins that can taste bitter. Use a swivel vegetable peeler and lightly peel the zest away from the orange, leaving the white pith behind. Using a slight side to side motion as you draw the peeler across the skin of the orange can also help. If possible try to find unwaxed oranges, otherwise scrub the orange thoroughly with hot soapy water, rinse well and dry before using.