Duck Breasts With Apricot Sauce And Grilled Fruit Food

DUCK BREAST WITH BERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Season the duck breast with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Brown the duck breast, skin side first, then flip over, reduce heat and cook other side, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the duck breasts to a platter, reserving the juices in the pan. Work in batches, if necessary.
• To make the sauce, add the balsamic vinegar and red wine to the pan and cook until reduced by half. Add the stock and reduce by half again, then add brown sugar, rosemary and berries and cook for 3 minutes. Strain into a bowl and whisk in the butter to finish. Place the duck breast on each plate and drizzle the sauce around.

ROAST DUCK BREAST WITH DRIED CHERRIES AND PORT

Steps:

• Wrap each duck breast in plastic wrap and pound them with a meat mallet until each breast is about 1 inch thick. Place the duck on a plate, sprinkle both sides with a total of 4 teaspoons salt, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
• When ready to cook the duck, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Score the skin of the duck breasts with a sharp knife, making a crosshatch pattern but not cutting down to the meat.
• In a large (12-inch) heavy-bottomed, ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Place the duck breasts in the pan, skin side down. Cook uncovered over medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes, discarding the fat from the pan occasionally, until the skin is very browned. Turn the duck with tongs, place the skillet in the oven, and roast for 12 to 18 minutes, until the internal temperature of the duck is 120 degrees F for rare. Remove from the oven, cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil, and allow the duck to rest for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce. Melt the butter over medium-high heat in a medium saucepan. Add the shallots and saute for 2 minutes, until tender. Add the vinegar and cook for one minute. Add the Port, chicken stock, cherries, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the crème fraîche, orange zest, and orange juice and keep warm over low heat.
• Transfer the duck to a cutting board and slice diagonally, fanning the slices out on 4 dinner plates. Spoon the sauce generously on top, sprinkle with salt, and serve hot with extra sauce on the side.

DUCK BREASTS WITH APRICOT CHUTNEY

Steps:

• For chutney, in a saucepan, combine orange juice and sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Add the apricots, cherries, raisins, ginger, coriander, cumin, salt, pepper and cloves. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cook until apricots are tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; stir in lemon juice. Let stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours., Season both sides of duck with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, saute duck, skin side down, in oil until skin is browned; turn and cook for 1 minute. Set aside 1 tablespoon drippings. , Place duck on a greased rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake at 350° until meat reaches desired doneness (for medium, a thermometer should read 165°; well-done, 180°), 30-35 minutes. , For orange sauce, saute garlic in reserved drippings for 1 minute. Add wine; bring to a boil. Cook and stir until reduced by half. In a bowl, combine the cornstarch, orange juice, broth and orange zest until blended. Stir into wine mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add butter and basil; whisk until smooth. Remove skin from duck if desired before slicing. Serve with orange sauce and chutney.,

DUCK BREAST WITH DRIED FRUIT AND VIN SANTO

Steps:

• Duck is one of those dishes that can be intimidating because it seems fancy and elegant. But there's nothing to be scared of-making great duck just takes patience. To get a really beautiful, crackling, brown piece of skin you have to take your time and render the fat SLOWLY. If you rush it, you'll end up with crispy skin but a thick layer of fat between the skin and the meat-which is totally icky. Taking your time to render the fat will not only make your duck absolutely delicious, but it will also leave you with a treasure trove of duck fat-an ingredient that in restaurant kitchens is considered liquid gold and makes killer duck fat potatoes. I think that duck lends itself to sweet flavors, so in this dish I use a sweet Tuscan wine-Vin Santo-to reconstitute dried fruit to make a chutney-like sauce with rich chicken stock. Together the rich, meaty, succulent duck and the intense, fruity sauce make this dish perfect for a holiday, a special occasion, or even a Tuesday.
• In a small bowl, soak the apricots, apples, and cherries in the Vin Santo.
• Using a knife, cut or score the fat of the duck breasts in a crosshatched pattern, cutting through the fat, down to the meat, but not into the meat (this allows the fat to escape more easily as it cooks). Season generously with salt.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Coat a large saute pan with about a tablespoon of olive oil. Place the duck breasts skin side down in the pan (be sure that the duck fits in the pan comfortably and is not crowded). Bring the pan to low heat and render the fat from the duck breasts. This needs to be done S-L-O-W-L-Y; otherwise the fat will be sealed into the skin and will not render out. This process will take about 20 to 25 minutes, maybe more. As the fat builds up in the pan, scoop it out, but SAVE IT!
• When the fat has rendered from the breasts you will see the meat through the score marks. At this point, crank up the heat and brown both sides of the duck, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Then move the duck to a rimmed baking sheet and place it in the preheated oven for 5 to 6 minutes for medium-rare. Remove any remaining fat from the pan and set the pan aside to make the sauce (look at me-saving you dishes!). Remove the duck from the oven and let rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.
• Strain the Vin Santo from the dried fruit, add it to the saute pan, bring to medium-high heat, and reduce it until it's almost a syrup. Add 1/2 cup of the chicken stock, all the dried fruit, and the thyme leaves to the pan; season with salt. When the chicken stock has reduced and the sauce looks kind of chunky, add the remaining chicken stock; bring to a boil (BTB), cook for 2 to 3 minutes, and turn off the heat. Taste to make sure the sauce is yummy and reseason if needed.
• Slice each duck breast on the bias, fan the meat on a plate, and spoon some of the sauce on and around the duck.

APRICOT GLAZED DUCK

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Melt 1/4 cup of butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the duck breasts skin side down for about 2 minutes without shaking the pan. Turn over and cook on the other side for another 2 minutes. Remove to a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Transfer the duck breasts to a cutting board and set aside to rest.
• Using the same pan you cooked the duck in, saute the onions, over medium heat, until golden brown. Add in the chopped apricots, apple cider vinegar, chicken stock and white wine. Cook until reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
• In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with a little cold water to create a slurry. Slowly add it to the apricot mixture, stirring constantly until the desired consistency is reached.
• Allow to cook until the paste taste disappears, about 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the tarragon and the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter.
• Slice the duck breast on a bias. Lay a little sauce on the base of each white serving plate and top with the duck. Spoon a little more sauce over the duck and serve.

GRILLED WILD DUCK BREAST

Steps:

• Stir together the Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, hot sauce, garlic, and pepper. Add the duck breasts, and toss well to coat. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to overnight.
• Preheat a grill for medium-high heat.
• Grill the duck to desired doneness, about 5 minutes per side for medium-well, depending on the size of the breast, and the temperature of the grill.

ROAST DUCK BREAST WITH BALSAMIC AND APRICOT SAUCE

Steps:

• Make sauce:
• In a 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan cook shallot in 1 teaspoon butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Carefully add Port and brandy and boil until reduced by half. Add demiglace and simmer 5 minutes, or until reduced to about 2/3 cup. Pour sauce through a fine sieve into a small bowl and return to pan. Stir in apricot, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer sauce until apricot is just heated through and stir in remaining tablespoon butter.
• Preheat oven to 450° F.
• Put duck breasts, skin sides down, on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife and following shape of breast, trim all sinews, excess skin, and fat. With a fork carefully prick skin all over without piercing meat.
• Heat an ovenproof cast-iron skillet over moderately high heat until hot and add oil, swirling skillet until coated evenly. Pat duck dry and season with salt and pepper. Put duck, skin sides down, in skillet. Reduce heat to moderate and cook duck until skin is deep golden, about 3 minutes. Turn duck over and cook 2 minutes more. Remove duck from skillet and pour off fat. Return duck, skin sides down, to skillet and roast in middle of oven 5 minutes for medium-rare. Keep duck warm and reheat sauce over low heat.
• Slice duck on the diagonal and serve with sauce.