Roast Duck à l'Orange
Roast Duck à l'Orange is a classic French dish featuring a whole roasted duck, traditionally a duck à la presse, served with a vibrant, sweet-and-sour orange sauce. The sauce is typically made from fresh orange juice, vinegar, sugar, and stock, often flambéed with brandy or Grand Marnier for depth. It's a signature dish of French haute cuisine, particularly associated with Parisian restaurants.
🍽️ Nutrition at a glance
This dish is high in fat and protein from the duck, with the sauce contributing a significant amount of sugar and carbohydrates. A typical serving provides a good source of iron and B vitamins from the meat, with a calorie count that can range from 600 to over 800 calories, depending on the portion size and sauce richness.
Nutrition breakdown
| Calories | 450 kcal |
| Protein | 30 g |
| Carbs | 25 g |
| Fat | 25 g |
| Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 20 g |
| Sodium | 600 mg |
| Potassium | 400 mg |
| Phosphorus | 250 mg |
| Iron | 3 mg |
| Zinc | 4 mg |
| Vitamin B12 | 1.5 mcg |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.5 mg |
| Niacin (B3) | 8 mg |
| Selenium | 20 mcg |
Per 1 serving (approx. 200 g, including meat and sauce) · estimated, varies by recipe
💡 What's interesting
Culturally, it's a prime example of the 'gastrique' (sweet-and-sour) technique in French cooking, where the caramelized sugar and vinegar base creates a glossy, balanced sauce. Nutritionally, the high fat content from the duck is somewhat offset by the vitamin C in the orange sauce, though it remains an indulgent, celebratory dish.
