甜橘烧山鸭 Orange Mountain Duck

（翻译暂缺）

Dwarves are widely renowned for their "unsweet tooth," but that doesn't deny them good taste, as evidenced by the southern Faerunian gold dwarves' affinity for orange and persimmon mountain duck. The uniquely hot-and-tart sauce brightens the succulent gamey meat and yields a divine duck-skin treat. Perhaps years of living near humans wore them down or broadened their palate, but it is said modern dwarves have actually come to blows over the coveted crispy skin alone! While this dish might not grace the subterranean banquet halls of days long gone, it is surely on the surface dwarf menus of today.

4人份用料
3 or 4 oranges, preferably navels
4 boneless duck breast halves (about 8 ounces each)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 shallot, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1又1/2 tablespoons honey
1又1/2 tablespoons brandy or cognac
Pinch of cayenne
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 firm-ripe Fuyu persimmon, peeled and diced into neat 1/4-inch pieces (optional)

Finely grate 2 teaspoons zest from one of the oranges and set aside. Cut the peel and pith off the zested and a second orange. Working over a strainer set in a bowl, separate the orange segments. Discard any seeds and reserve the segments. Shake the strainer so all the juice drips into the bowl; pour the juice into a measuring cup. If necessary, squeeze one or both of the remaining oranges for enough juice to equal 2/3 cup and then set aside.
Preheat the oven to 200°F with the rack in the middle of the oven. With a sharp paring knife, cut four or five diagonal slashes in the skin on each duck breast half, taking care to cut down to, but not into, the flesh. Dry the halves well and sprinkle all over with salt and pepper.

Place the duck breasts skin-side down in a large nonstick skillet, set the skillet over medium heat, and cook, undisturbed, until most of the fat is rendered (if necessary, pour or spoon the fat out of the skillet occasionally) and the skin is deeply browned and crisp, 12 to 14 minutes, adjusting the heat, if necessary, to prevent scorching. Turn the halves skin-side up and continue cooking, undisturbed, until an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part registers about 125°F for medium-rare or 130° to 135°F for medium, 2 to 8 minutes more. Transfer the duck to a heatproof plate, tent loosely with foil, and place it in the oven to rest and keep warm, about 5 minutes.

Pour or spoon off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the skillet. Return the skillet to medium-low heat, add the shallot, thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, until softened, about 1 minute. Add the orange juice, adjust the heat to medium-high, and bring to a simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the consistency is slightly syrupy and the juice is reduced by half, about 4 minutes.

Add the broth and any accumulated duck juices to the skillet, return to a simmer, and simmer vigorously, stirring occasionally, until the consistency is slightly syrupy and the volume is reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes more. Adjust the heat to medium-low and add the honey, brandy, cayenne, and reserved orange zest. Simmer, stirring, to melt and incorporate the honey and brandy, about 1 minute more. Add the butter and stir constantly while it melts and incorporates into the sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning with additional salt and pepper, if necessary. Add most of the parsley and stir to incorporate. Pour or spoon about half of the sauce onto a warm serving plate.

Meanwhile, diagonally cut each duck breast half into 1/2-inch slices. Fan the slices over the sauce, top with the reserved orange segments, persimmon (if using), and the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley and serve hot.