How to make a rich and nutritious orange honey sauce to serve at the table with roast duck (or other types of poultry) and use as a tasty glaze for the crispy skin.
Roast duck is on the menu for Christmas dinner this year, so I thought I would share the recipe for the orange honey sauce I will be serving with the sliced breast at the table.
This simple and delicious condiment also works incredibly well as a glaze for the crispy duck skin after it comes out lightly smoked from the Weber barbecue or oven.
The orange honey sauce is the perfect complement for duck meat lightly flavored with traditional orange-cherry fruit stuffing.
Unfortunately, most orange sauce recipes contain sugar and/or cornstarch, which is an undesirable way to prepare it.
Stay away from commercial versions also, which contain a host of unhealthy additives and GMOs.
My traditional method to make this tasty sauce is to naturally thicken it by reducing some of the duck juices on the stovetop combined with fresh orange juice, herbs, and spices.
Then, I drizzle in raw honey after the sauce is ready and cooled a bit (never cook honey!).
Since only a small portion of the meat juices are needed to make the orange honey sauce, the rest is available for straining into rich and nutritious duck fat for culinary use many months afterward!
Orange Honey Sauce (and glaze)
How to make a rich and nutritious orange honey sauce to serve at the table with roast duck or use as a glaze for the crispy skin.
Instructions
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Place the orange juice and drippings in a medium saucepan.
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Stir in the sea salt, herbs, and chopped garlic.
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Bring to a low boil and turn down the heat to medium.
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Reduce the sauce by half by simmering for 5-10 minutes.
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Remove the pot from the stove, scoop out the pieces of garlic with a slotted spoon, and let stand for 5 minutes.
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Stir in the raw honey and glaze the finished duck breasts if desired.
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Serve the remaining sauce at the table.
Nutrition Facts
Orange Honey Sauce (and glaze)
Amount Per Serving (2 Tbsp)
Calories 149
Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Fat 8g12%
Saturated Fat 2.5g13%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 4g
Potassium 56mg2%
Carbohydrates 20g7%
Protein 0.5g1%
Vitamin C 11mg13%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
