Seared Duck Breasts With Red Wine Sauce And Candied Kumquats Recipes

Steps:

• With a sharp knife, score the fat of the duck breast in a crisscross pattern, being careful to not cut into the meat. Season the duck with salt and pepper. Warm a cast-iron or heavy-bottomed pan over medium-low heat and add enough oil to just coat the bottom of the pan.
• Place the duck breast fat-side down in the skillet to render off the fat, about 8 minutes. Once the fat has rendered out and the skin is golden brown and crisp, turn the duck breast over and add the butter, thyme and garlic. Turn up the heat to medium-high and, once the butter is foamy, begin basting the duck breast using a spoon. Continue basting until the duck breast reaches medium rare and measures 135 to 140 degrees F. on an instant-read thermometer, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the pan and let rest for 3 to 4 minutes before slicing.

Steps:

• Remove the tenderloins (the thin strips of meat on undersides of the duck breast) and reserve for the sauce. With a sharp knife, trim away any gristle from the undersides of the breasts and trim any excess fat. Score the skin in a diamond pattern, cutting through the fat but not quite reaching the meat. Lightly sprinkle salt on both sides, then rub 1 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns all over. Sprinkle with the garlic and a few thyme sprigs, cover, and leave at room temperature for 1 hour. (For deeper flavor, refrigerate the breasts for several hours or overnight, then return to room temperature before cooking.)
• Heat 1 tablespoon unsalted butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and the reserved duck tenderloins; let them brown well, stirring occasionally, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and a small thyme sprig and let them fry for 1 minute.
• Add the broth and 1/4 cup wine, raise the heat to a brisk simmer and let the liquid reduce to about 1 1/4 cups, about 10 minutes. Strain the sauce and return to the heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons red wine and the Cognac or brandy and cook for 1 minute more. Dissolve potato starch in 2 tablespoons cold water, then stir the mixture into the sauce. Whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Season to taste with salt. (Sauce may be made in advance and reheated, thinned with a little broth.)
• Remove and discard the garlic and thyme sprigs from the breasts. Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high. When the pan is hot, lay in the duck breasts, skin-side down, and let them sizzle. Lower the heat to medium and cook for a total of 7 minutes, checking to make sure the skin isn't browning too quickly. With tongs, turn the breasts over and let them cook another 3 minutes for rare, 4 to 5 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer to a warm platter and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice crosswise, not too thickly, at a slight angle and serve with the sauce.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• For the duck: Score the skin on the duck breasts in a crosshatch pattern and season on both sides with salt. Place skin-side down in a cold medium sauté pan. Place the pan over low heat and slowly render the fat for 10 minutes, occasionally removing and reserving the fat. Flip the breasts and cook on the flesh side for 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a sheet pan, reserving the sauté pan, and bake for 5 minutes. Set aside to rest for 10 minutes and leave the oven on for the sweet potato cake.
• Meanwhile, to the reserved sauté pan, add the shallots and salt and turn the heat to medium. If the pan is too dry, add 1 tablespoon of the reserved duck fat. Sweat the shallots, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of the stock and deglaze the bits from the bottom of the pan. When the stock is reduced by about half, add the grapes and 1/2 cup of the stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the stock by about half again.
• Remove the pan from the heat and add the port wine. Return to the heat and slightly tilt the pan forward to flambe. Reduce until the alcohol has cooked off, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining 1/4 cup stock and any juices from the duck that have accumulated on the sheet pan and reduce by about half. Finish the sauce with the butter, taste for seasoning and keep warm.
• For the sweet potato cake: Coat a small nonstick pan with olive oil. Starting in the center of the pan, arrange a layer of sweet potato slices to cover the bottom of the pan, slightly overlapping them in a circular pattern. Season with salt. Repeat the process with a second layer, adding salt, olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan. Repeat this process 4 more times, adding Parmesan on every other layer. On the last layer, add salt and Parmesan, but not olive oil. Firmly press down on the top of the potatoes.
• Place the pan over medium-low heat and slowly cook until the bottom of the potatoes is golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes, gently shaking the pan occasionally to prevent the potatoes from sticking. Cover with a flat lid, flip the sweet potato cake onto the lid, then slide the cake back into the pan (the layer of potatoes that was on the bottom will now be on the top). Cook 5 minutes more, then bake until the potatoes are fully cooked through and fork tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain off some of the excess fat, then slide the cake onto a cutting board and slice into wedges.
• For the haricot verts: While the sweet potato cake bakes, season a pot of boiling water generously with salt. It should be as salty as the sea. Prepare an ice bath and season generously with salt. Add the haricot verts to the boiling water and cook until bright green and tender, but still slightly crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the haricot verts and immediately plunge into the ice bath.
• Coat the bottom of a large sauté pan with olive oil, add the shallots, red pepper flakes and salt and sweat over medium-high heat until the shallots are soft and translucent, 5 minutes. Add a bit of the reserved duck fat and the drained haricot verts and toss to combine. Season with salt to taste, then remove from the heat.
• To serve: Slice the duck on the bias, then plate it. Spoon the sauce over the duck and around the plates and garnish with some chives. Serve alongside a wedge of sweet potato cake and the haricot verts.

Steps:

• To prepare the red wine and orange sauce.
• Combine the orange juice and honey in a large skillet and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens to the consistency of a syrup, about 15 minutes.
• Add the vinegar, stir to combine, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the wine, raise the heat to high and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture reduces by half (8 to 10 minutes). Add the chicken stock and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture reduces to a syrupy consistency, and there is about 1-1/2 cups of liquid remaining (10 to 15 minutes).
• Remove the pan from the heat, add the pumpkin pie spice, season with salt and pepper to taste and stir to incorporate. Add the butter and gently swirl with a wooden spoon until incorporated and the sauce takes on a satiny gloss. Keep the sauce war, over very low heat.
• To prepare the duck breasts:.
• Using a sharp knife, carefully remove about one-third of the fatty skin from the surface of each breast. With the tip of the knife, score the fat with a crosshatch design, being careful not to cut through to the meat. Spread the oil evenly over the duck breasts, then sprinkle them generously with salt and pepper. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of the spice mixture over each breast, a teaspoon on the fatty side and a teaspoon on the other side, and press the spices into the surfaces.
• Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Place the duck breasts, skin side down, in the skillet, lower the heat just a notch to medium-low and cook for 7-8 minutes, until the skin is crisply browned. Spoon out the excess fat from the pan as it is rendered. Turn the breasts and cook 3-4 minutes, until the meat on the opposite side is lightly browned. Transfer the breasts to a cutting board and set aside to rest for 5 minutes; they will continue to cook while resting.
• Using a sharp carving knife, cut the duck breasts in half crosswise, then cut each half into 1/4 inch slices. Divide among six warmed serving plates, arranging the slices fat side up. Spoon the sauce over the duck and serve.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180˚C (350˚F).
• Lightly score the duck skin with a sharp knife. Make sure not to cut through to the flesh.
• Season each side of the duck breast with 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper each.
• Fry the duck breast skin side down on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes with the garlic and rosemaries. Flip and fry the other side for 1 minute.
• Put the duck breast in the oven for 6-8 minutes for medium rare; 10 minutes for medium well. Rest for 6 minutes before serving.
• For the mashed potato, chuck all the ingredients in the boiled potato, mix well.
• For the Red Wine Jus, use the pan you fried the duck breasts in. Take out the rosemary stalks, crush the garlic with a fork.
• Fry the garlic for a minute or two on medium low heat. Add in the flour and fry for another minute or until all the fat in the pan have binded to the flour.
• Add in the rest of the ingredients, mix well and keep simmering on a low heat for 10 minutes or until it becomes a glossy thick sauce.
• To impress your guests with your presentation game, pipe the mashed potato with a piping bag into a golf ball size mound. Shape using the back of a spoon.
• Place the duck breast, drizzle with the jus and decorate with orange zest and rosemary.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Score the skin of the duck breasts and season. Place in a hot frying pan with no oil, skin-side down. Cook until golden brown, turn over, and place the pan in a 200C oven for 8-10 minutes, depending on how you like your meat cooked. Once cooked, remove from oven to rest.
• Heat the wine, conserve, and caster sugar in a saucepan and add stock. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 30-40 minutes to reduce and thicken. Carve and fan the duck onto the plates and dress the sauce. Serve with fresh vegetables of your choice, or as suggested above.