Oranges With Star Anise Thai Style Recipes

Steps:

• Bring 1/2 gallon of cold water to a boil. Add 8 finely crushed star anise pods, 1 teaspoon orange blossom water, the scrapings of 1 vanilla pod or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, a pinch each of ground cloves and ground cinnamon, and 1/2 cup Chinese black tea leaves.
• Boil for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 cup sugar and a few drops of red food coloring (optional, though traditional). Cover, steeping until tepid.
• Strain & place in the refriderator for a few hours to really chill.
• Pour the tea over plenty of crushed ice. Top with half-and-half or sweetened condensed milk.

Steps:

• Rinse duck and pat dry. Remove neck and giblets and save for another purpose. Remove excess fat from cavity and tail area and trim off a bit of flappy neck skin. Prick duck skin all over with tip of sharp paring knife, making sure not to penetrate meat.
• Mix together salt and 5-spice powder. Season interior of duck with 1 tablespoon salt mixture; use remainder to generously season exterior (you may have a little left over). Combine orange zest with grated ginger and garlic, then smear mixture inside cavity. Place orange wedges in cavity. Tie legs together. Secure neck flap with wooden skewer or toothpicks. Place duck on rack in roasting pan breast-side-up and refrigerate overnight, uncovered.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, bring duck to room temperature and make the glaze: Bring orange juice, honey, sugar and soy sauce to a simmer. Add sliced ginger and star anise, then reduce mixture until you have a medium-thick syrup, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Roast duck for 2 hours, carefully pouring off fat and turning duck over every 30 minutes. Paint with glaze and roast another 30 minutes (2 1/2 hours in all). Tent with foil if glaze begins to get too dark. Duck is done when temperature at thickest part of leg reads 165 degrees. Paint duck once more, keep warm and let rest 20 minutes. Use poultry shears to cut into quarters (remove backbone first) or carve in the traditional way, removing legs from carcass and slicing breast. Serve with mashed butternut squash if desired.

Steps:

• Combine the water, sugar and star anise pods in a medium saucepan.
• Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.
• Simmer the liquid until it is reduced to a generous 1 cup. This will take about 15 minutes.
• Remove pan from heat and stir in the orange blossom flower water. Remove star anise and set aside.
• Cover liquid and chill until cold.
• Use a sharp knife and cut off the orange peel and white pith.
• Slice oranges crosswise into 1/3" rounds. Set the oranges slices on a platter and pour the syrup over them.
• Garnish with the fresh mint. (If desired, garnish the fruit with the star anise that was set aside).