about last NIGHT | 20.11.15 Seasonal Duck Breast Dinner

Learning how to adapt your favorite proteins into every seasons fresh fruit and veg is a HECKYEAH!

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If you’ve been reading (and I SEE YOU all clicking that ‘follow’ button!! Heeeeey!!), you know I love cooking with Duck Breast. I love the taste, I love that ducks are infinitely more sustainable than cows as far as animal protein goes, and I love the flavors that can come into play to compliment it. It’s a rich, dark meat that I can’t eat ALL the time, but what a treat when it’s cooked well.

While my absolute fave is still the Duck Breast Cassis Raspberry with Shaved Chocolate, I enjoy finding new ways to cook these beautiful bird bits.

So, what’s the best place to start when looking to create a new recipe? Simply. Remember the K.I.S.S. principle? Keep It Simple, Stupid? They drilled it into us in Architecture school Lol. Starting with a good quality salt and pepper, and then a trip to my local foodie market at Granville Island to see what’s fresh and in season, will determine this weekends flavors!

I have a favorite chicken recipe that uses green grapes + tarragon – duck would pair well with a deep, dark grape and thyme…

But, once I saw these figs I was sold. Duck Breast with a Whiskey Fig Compote it is! Really, you can do any flavor with a basic cook/sauce recipe. SO OF COURSE I’m here to help! Check out my ‘any flavor profile goes’ Duck Breast Recipe below!

PRO tip

1. Choose a ‘main’ ingredient(s) to go with your Protein:
– raspberries + dark chocolate
– figs + whiskey
– mushrooms + tarragon cream
– black currants + cinnamon
– savoury sauteed grapes

2. Find complimentary flavor profiles that hit all the “YUM” points:
– sweet (honey, fruit)
– sour (citrus, alcohol, vinegar)
– salt (sea salt, bacon, cheese)
– fat (butter, duck fat, olive oil)
– savory (herbs, vegetables)
– heat (chilis, peppery greens)

alison kent

Seems like a good resource when researching ingredients that I literally just googled : HERE and, honestly, this whole venture has led me to start research in Food / Ingredient Pairing – will report back what I find. These tips and pairings work equally well for any number of proteins – go ahead and experiment!

In the meantime, here’s my “Duck Breast – Your Way” Recipe. Enjoy!
And don’t forget to tell me in the comments what you created!

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Duck Breast – Your Way

Want a recipe that works, but flavors that are all your own? I've got ya.
Course Main Course
Cuisine French

Ingredients
  

  • 1 breast Magret de Canard Duck Breast – Magret are big and juicy enough for smaller helpings for 2 people. If you buy a smaller version, use 1 per person.
  • Salt + Pepper
  • YOUR FAVORITE INGREDIENTS!

Instructions
 

  • DUCKS!
    – Cross hatch the fat side with a knife, careful not to go the whole way through the fat to expose the meat if possible. Place fat side down into a pan on low heat and slowly render the fat. The fat should be thin and golden to a crisp, not squishy.
    – Remove most of the fat from the pan leaving a Tbsp or two behind (it's great to save it in the fridge for searing other meats!)
    – Turn duck breast over to flesh side and roast on the pan for another 5 minutes or so (depending on size of breast).
    – Sprinkle a mix of salt, sugar and your favorite complimentary seasonings onto the fat side and place in a pan for broiling
  • GRAVY!
    – With the bits of duck fat in the pan, add your FAVE FLAVORS!
    – Be sure to include a balance of liquids (butter, liquor, wine, stock, etc), fruits (figs, grapes, raspberries, etc) and herbs (thyme, tarragon, salt/pepper, other seasonings).
    – If you want to thicken further, sprinkle a Tbsp of flour over the mixture and whisk in.
    – As always, taste and adjust!
  • FINISHING TOUCHES
    – Broil the Duck Breast, fat side up, watching closely to avoid burning
    – Remove from the oven and let rest 5 minutes before slicing and arranging the slices on a platter
    – Cover with the thickened fruity gravy
    – Sprinkle with herbs or shaved dark chocolate
    – SERVE!

Notes

Need more flavor varieties?!
Try some of these!
  • Thin sliced steak with a tablespoon of the buttery drippings it was cooked in, fine chopped parsley
  • Sliced bacon ‘bits’ with a tbsp of leftover fat, with green onions and a dollop of sour cream
  • Leftover taco fixings!
  • Quartered cherry tomatoes with chopped prawns and chives
  • Bits of saved duck confit with thinly shredded kale
  • Mandolin slices of frozen smoked duck breast with a poached egg and green onions
 
Keyword dinner, duck, duck breast, entree, seasonal