Breast Of Duck With Port Sauce Recipes

DUCK BREASTS WITH PORT REDUCTION SAUCE

Steps:

• Using a sharp knife, trim away excess skin from the duck (leaving enough to amply cover the breast). Using a sharp knife, score the skin, first cutting diagonally in one direction, and then the other, in a crosshatch manner. Cut all the way through the skin and most of the fat, but avoid the flesh. Alternatively, you can use a Jaccard tool to pierce the skin. On a small rimmed baking sheet or a plate, place a 1/4 inch layer of salt rough the size of the duck breast. Place duck breast skin-side down on bed of salt. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Remove and brush off salt with a stiff brush. Line a small rimmed baking sheet or shallow dish with ice cubes and cover with plastic wrap. Place duck breast skin-side down on plastic wrap and weight it with a cheesecloth bundle filled with pie weights or dried beans for 25 minutes at room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove cheesecloth bundle and season flesh side with pepper, and place skin side down, in an unheated 10-inch skillet. Top again with cheesecloth bundle and cook over medium-low heat until a small pool of fat forms in the pan. As fat accumulates, spoon off into a heatproof bowl and reserve for another use; allowing it to cool before storing in an airtight container at room temperature. Continue to cook duck until the skin is nicely browned and crisp, about 25 minutes. Use tongs to turn breast over and top with cheesecloth bundle for 1 minute. Remove bundle and transfer skillet to oven and cook until duck is medium rare, 8 to 12 minutes. It should register 125 degrees on an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part. Transfer to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet to rest for 5 to 7 minutes. The duck will continue to cook slightly during this time.
• Drain all of fat from the pan and place over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Increase heat to medium high and add the port, chicken stock, and thyme, scraping the bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Bring to a simmer and cook until sauce is syrupy and reduced to 1/3 cup. Remove from heat and whisk in butter until fully incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.
• Slice duck crosswise on a slight angle into 1/4-inch-thick slices, fan out on serving plates, and drizzle with sauce before serving.

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.

PAN-SEARED WILD DUCK BREAST WITH PORT WINE REDUCTION

Steps:

• Schneider's recipe calls for a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder because she started with whole peppercorns and allspice berries. I simply stir my salt, freshly ground pepper, sugar, zest and thyme in a small bowl. It works just fine. The mixture should look like sand.
• Place the duck breasts on a platter and rub the spice mixture into them. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. About 20 minutes before cooking, remove the duck breasts from the refrigerator and return to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Pat dry with paper towels. With a paring knife, remove the tenderloin, the thin strip of meat that runs lengthwise down the underside of each breast.
• Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat. When the pan is hot - it doesn't have to be smoking - put the duck breasts in fat side down. Let the breasts sizzle for about a minute (or longer if your kitchen isn't getting too smoky) or a minute and a half, then place the pan in the oven. After two and half minutes total have passed, open the oven, flip the breasts over, close the oven and cook for another two to two and a half minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, transfer the breasts to a platter, and let rest for five minutes. Turn your oven off.
• While the breasts are resting, finish reducing the sauce. (See my notes below with the sauce recipe - I make the sauce a day in advance, and then heat as much as I think we need for the two of us while the breasts are resting.) Place your sauce in a small sauce pan or frying pan and heat over medium-high heat. In no time, the sauce should start to thicken up, at which point you should remove the pan from the stovetop. Slice the breasts, if desired, and pour your beautiful sauce over top. (Or, don't slice the breasts, just pour the sauce over top.)

SEARED DUCK BREAST WITH ROASTED GRAPE AND PORT WINE SAUCE WITH SWEET POTATO CAKE AND SAUTéED HARICOT VERTS

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.

BREAST OF DUCK WITH PORT SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the marinade:
• In a bowl whisk together the wine, the vinegar, the soy sauce, the lemon juice, the garlic, the gingerroot, the oil and salt and pepper to taste.
• Put the duck breasts in a large resealable plastic bag, pour the marinade over them, and seal the bag. Put the plastic bag in a large bowl and let the duck marinate, chilled, overnight. Remove the duck from the marinade and pat it dry between layers of paper towels. Score the skin of each duck breast in a crosshatch pattern with a sharp knife and sprinkle both sides of the duck with salt and pepper to taste. Heat 2 heavy skillets over moderately high heat until they are hot and in each skillet cook 1 of the duck breasts, skin side down, for 10 minutes. Turn the duck and cook it for 2 minutes more, transfer the skillets to the middle of a preheated 450°F. oven (wrap the skillet handles with a double thickness of foil if the handles are not ovenproof), and roast the duck for 5 to 7 minutes, or until a meat thermometer registers 145°F. to 150°F. for medium meat.
• While the duck is roasting, in a small heavy saucepan combine the sugar and the water, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved, and boil it, swirling the pan, until the mixture is a golden caramel. Add the vinegars carefully, swirling the pan until the caramel is dissolved, and reserve the mixture.
• Transfer the duck to a cutting board and let it stand, covered loosely with foil, for 5 minutes. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from 1 of the skillets and in the fat remaining in the skillet cook the shallot and the garlic over moderately low heat, stirring, until the shallot is softened. Add the dry red wine and boil the mixture until it is reduced by half. Add the broth, boil the mixture until it is reduced by one third, and pour the mixture through a fine sieve set over the reserved vinegar mixture, pressing hard on the solids. Whisk in the cream and the Port, simmer the mixture for 1 minute, and add the beurre manié, a little at a time, whisking until the sauce is smooth. Simmer the sauce, whisking occasionally, for 2 minutes, whisk into the sauce any juices that have accumulated on the cutting board, and season the sauce with salt and pepper.
• Cut the duck diagonally across the grain into thin slices, divide the duck slices among 8 plates, and spoon the sauce over the duck. Serve the duck with the dried cherry and shallot confit.

DUCK BREASTS WITH CITRUS PORT CHERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Score the skin of the duck breast with a knife in 2 directions, crossing over each other (makes a crosshatch). Season both sides of each duck breast with salt and pepper.
• In a large nonstick skillet, over medium-high heat, place the duck breasts skin side down. Sear the breasts until the skin is golden brown about 10 minutes, flip and sear the other side for just 3 minutes. Place the seared duck breasts in a baking dish skin side up, and put them in oven. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove the duck breasts from the oven and allow them to rest for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, pour off most excess fat from skillet, and place it back on the stovetop over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute until translucent. Pour in the port wine and orange juice, and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the orange zest and chopped cherries and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 5 minutes to reduce the mixture and thicken, mashing the cherries with the back of a wooden spoon to extract flavor as they cook.
• Slice the breasts into 1/4-inch slices on a diagonal. Pour the cherry port sauce over the top and enjoy!
• Cook's Note: excess duck fat can be refrigerated and is great for cooking potatoes or eggs.

PEPPERED DUCK BREAST WITH RED WINE SAUCE

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.

DIVINE BONELESS DUCK BREAST WITH PORT WINE SAUCE

Steps:

• marinade:.
• In a bowl whisk together the wine, the vinegar, soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic, gingerroot, oil and salt and pepper to taste.
• Put the duck breasts in a large resealable plastic bag, pour the marinade over them, and seal the bag.
• Put the plastic bag in a large bowl and let the duck marinate, chilled, overnight.
• Remove the duck from the marinade and pat it dry between layers of paper towels.
• Preheat oven to 450.
• Score the skin of each duck breast in a crosshatch pattern with a sharp knife and sprinkle both sides of the duck with salt and pepper to taste.
• Heat 2 heavy skillets over moderately high heat until they are hot and in each skillet cook 1 of the duck breasts, skin side down, for 10 minutes.
• Turn the duck and cook it for 2 minutes more.
• Transfer the skillets to the middle of the preheated 450°F oven (wrap the skillet handles with a double thickness of foil if the handles are not ovenproof), and roast the duck for 5 to 7 minutes, or until a meat thermometer registers 145°F to 150°F for medium meat.
• While the duck is roasting, in a small heavy saucepan combine the sugar and the water, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved, and boil it, swirling the pan, until the mixture is a golden caramel. Add the vinegars carefully, swirling the pan until the caramel is dissolved, and reserve the mixture.
• Transfer the duck to a cutting board and let it stand, covered loosely with foil, for 5 minutes.
• Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from 1 of the skillets and in the fat remaining in the skillet cook the shallot and the garlic over moderately low heat, stirring, until the shallot is softened.
• Add the dry red wine and boil the mixture until it is reduced by half.
• Add the broth, boil the mixture until it is reduced by one third, and pour the mixture through a fine sieve set over the reserved vinegar mixture, pressing hard on the solids.
• Whisk in the cream and the Port, simmer the mixture for 1 minute, and add the beurre manié, a little at a time, whisking until the sauce is smooth.
• Simmer the sauce, whisking occasionally, for 2 minutes, whisk into the sauce any juices that have accumulated on the cutting board, and season the sauce with salt and pepper.
• Cut the duck diagonally across the grain into thin slices, divide the duck slices among 8 plates, and spoon the sauce over the duck.
• **A beurre manié is made by kneading together 3 tablespoons softened unsalted butter and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour.

SUSAN'S DUCK BREAST WITH FIG AND PORT SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• In a pan, combine beef stock and chicken stock. Bring to boil and let simmer until mixture is reduced down to 1/2 cup. Set stock reduction to the side.
• While stock is reducing on the stove,lightly score fat side of duck breast, with a sharp knife, in a diamond pattern. Sprinkle duck breasts with thyme, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper to season. Let sit, for 20minutes.
• In a hot skillet pan, heat to medium high. Add olive oil. Add duck breast, fat (skin) side down, and cook for 6 minutes.
• Turn duck over and let cook 2 minutes.
• Remove duck breast to foil lined baking pan, meat side down, and bake in oven for 5-6 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest on cutting board for at least 5minutes.
• Meanwhile in skillet, drain off most of fat. Add 2tbsp of butter to pan.
• Add shallot and cook until tender.
• Add port wine and bring to a boil. Reduce by half.
• Add 1/2 cup stock reduction and bring mixture to a boil. Simmer sauce low until reduced by 1/3 or sauce is a syrupy glaze.
• Add fig preserves. Stir until completely melted and combined into sauce.
• In a cup combine remaining 1 tbsp flour and 1 tbsp butter (beurre manie).
• Add flour mixture to sauce and stir well to combine. Bring sauce to boil, stirring, until sauce thickens. That will take only 2 minutes or so. Remove from heat.
• Cut duck breast, into 1/2 inch slices, angled, against the grain.
• On serving plates, place sauce on bottom and place several slices of duck breast on top. Drizzle just a bit more sauce over top of duck slices. Repeat on all serving plates.
• Serve immediately. Bon Appetit.