Duck Breast Recipe

Seared Duck with Cherries

Duck breast should be cooked like a steak, rare to medium. That means the proper internal temperature of a duck breast, after the meat rests, is between 125°F and 140°F.

4 duck breasts (breasts from two ducks)

Salt

1 teaspoon duck fat or olive oil

CHERRY SAUCE  

This keeps in the fridge for weeks and is wonderful on lamb or beef.

1 medium onion, diced 

1 ½ tablespoons tamarind concentrate

2 cups pitted sour cherries or frozen dark red cherries

2 cups dried cherries

Juice of 2 lemons

1 ½ teaspoons ground Kitchen Porch raz el hanout ( combination of ginger, cloves, allspice cinnamon and cumin)  if you don’t have combine ½ ginger or cinnamon and ½ allspice 

Salt and pepper

1 ½ cups  beef stock

1 ½ cups red wine

2 tablespoons chopped parsley or cilantro

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté until transparent, then add the tamarind, pitted sour or frozen cherries, fried cherries, lemon juice, allspice, salt, pepper, beef stock and wine. Simmer together for about 20 to 25 minutes, until the sauce is slightly thickened. Here, I place the mixture in a food processor and blend until smooth, but you can do as Joan does and keep the sauce chunky.

How to Cook:

Take the duck breasts out of the fridge. If you are using a domestic duck or a very fat wild duck, score the skin (but not the meat) in a cross-hatch pattern, making the cross-hatches about 1/2 inch across. This maked the skin crispy and  renders the fat. 

Salt it well on both sides, then let it sit on a cutting board for at least 15 minutes to come to room temperature as it will cook best at room temperature.

Pat the duck breasts dry with paper towel. 

In a cast iron skillet, add  1 teaspoon of duck fat 

Don't use non-stick pans, as they don't like the high temperatures you want to sear meat as well as steel or cast iron.

Lay the breasts skin side down.

THEN  Turn the heat to medium-high. 

Do not preheat the pan as you want as much fat to render out as possible, so start with a cool pan.  

NOTE if you have wild duck breast, they are much thinner and have a lot less fat, so you can start with a hot pan)

 Let this get hot, but do not let the fat smoke. 

When the duck breasts start cooking, you will notice the  on the edges of the fat and skin to get all poarts of it to crisp.

Now, How long to cook it  depends on how the temperature that you like!

I go for a pink  medium to a reddish medium-rare. For wild smaller, small ducks,  about 3- to 4  and then turn, salt and cook for 1-2 minutes more and allow to rest.For Store bought will be 8-9  minutes on one side (but the  cook time should be MOSTLY ) and then turn the breats over.  

Lightly salt the skin immediately as this absorbs any extra oil and definitely gives you an even crispier skin. 

 Cook  3 to 4 minutes for medium ducks 4 to 6 minutes for large thicker duck breasts e

Here is a trick: Use thick side of the breasts by standing two halves against each other. You will notice that duck and goose breasts plump up and contract as they cook. One side of the fillet will be wider than the other, and this side will need some heat. Just tip the breasts on their sides and cook for 30 to 90 seconds, just to get some good color.

Take the duck off the heat and let it rest skin side up. 

 And eat just like a steak: If you don't rest it, the juices will run all over your cutting board - PLEASE WAIT!!

Make your sauce and then slice and always serve it skin side up, with its sauce underneath.