Learning how to adapt your favorite proteins into every seasons fresh fruit and veg is a HECKYEAH!
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 grapes2. Find complimentary flavor profiles that hit all the “YUM” points:
alison kent
– 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)
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!
Duck Breast – Your Way
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
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
