Escoffier’s Wild Duck à la Bigarrade

Known Ground reconstruction of Escoffier's wild duck formula.

Source reference: No. 1981, p. 627; 1903 p. 989 · Read the public-domain source

Photograph: Reserved for a future Known Ground field photograph and testing note.

Known Ground reconstruction — not personally tested. Seville orange juice preserves the bitter-orange character. Prepared demi-glace replaces the restaurant-scale brown-sauce foundation.

Historical source vs. current safety guidance. Escoffier directs that this bird remain underdone. The Known Ground reconstruction instead follows current USDA guidance to cook duck and goose to 165°F (74°C), checked in the thickest breast and innermost thigh and wing without touching bone.

Safety note. Escoffier directs that this bird remain underdone. The Known Ground reconstruction instead follows current USDA guidance to cook duck and goose to 165°F (74°C), checked in the thickest breast and innermost thigh and wing without touching bone.

Adaptation sources: A Guide to Modern Cookery (1907) · Waterfowl Cooking Basics · Duck and Goose from Farm to Table

Mise en place

Ingredients for the Known Ground reconstruction

Servings

Known Ground reconstruction

1whole plucked wild duck, 2 to 3 pounds, patted dry
1 tspkosher salt
1sweet orange, zested, then peeled and sectioned
1/2 cupunsalted game or chicken stock, Bigarrade sauce
1/3 cupdemi-glace, Bigarrade sauce
1 tspsugar, Bigarrade sauce
1 tbspred wine vinegar, Bigarrade sauce

Bigarrade sauce

1/3 cupSeville orange juice, or 1/4 cup orange juice plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tbspunsalted butter, cold

Known Ground reconstruction — not personally tested

Escoffier's historical formula specifies wild duck directly.

Seville orange juice preserves the bitter-orange character. Prepared demi-glace replaces the restaurant-scale brown-sauce foundation.

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 475°F, season the duck, and roast breast-side up until the breast, innermost thigh, and wing reach 165°F (74°C). Rest for 10 minutes.

2. For the sauce, cook the sugar until amber, carefully add vinegar, then add stock, demi-glace, Seville orange juice, and half the zest. Simmer until lightly coating and whisk in cold butter.

3. Carve the duck, surround it with raw orange sections, and serve the clear Bigarrade sauce separately.

Historical formula

Escoffier roasts the wild duck as in the plain formula, surrounds it with orange sections skinned raw, and serves clear Bigarrade sauce separately.

Source note

Source-preserving summary from Auguste Escoffier, *A Guide to Modern Cookery* (1907), a public-domain English edition. Source location: No. 1981, p. 627; 1903 p. 989.

Historical source vs. current safety guidance

Escoffier directs that this bird remain underdone. The Known Ground reconstruction instead follows current USDA guidance to cook duck and goose to 165°F (74°C), checked in the thickest breast and innermost thigh and wing without touching bone.

Editorial record

Published after editorial review

Last revised 8/21/2026. Evidence and limitations should be interpreted as described in the article.

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