Crispy Duck Breasts With Pear And Green Peppercorn Sauce Recipes

DUCK BREASTS WITH GREEN PEPPERCORN SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees F/200 degrees C. Score the duck breast and render the fat in a saute pan. Pour off the fat, and transfer to the oven to finish, about 10 minutes. Remove the duck, and set aside to rest while you make the sauce.
• Deglaze the saute pan with the wine and cognac and reduce by half. Add the veal stock and peppercorns and reduce by half again. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter.
• Carve the duck breast. Spoon over the sauce and serve.

WHOLE DUCK WITH GREEN PEPPERCORN GLAZE

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 500 degrees F and arrange the oven rack in the center of the oven.
• Remove the innards of the duck and reserve them for another use, or discard. Remove any loose pockets of fat surrounding the cavity. Season the inside of the duck with salt.
• In a pot large enough to hold the duck, combine the water, 3/4 cup of the soy sauce and 1/3 cup of honey. Bring the mixture to a simmer over low heat. Add in the brine from the green peppercorns, lower the heat and submerge the duck, breast side down, into the pot. Let it simmer 30 seconds, basting the top side with the liquid. Remove the duck and arrange it, breast side down, in a roasting pan fitted with a rack that elevates it off the bottom of the pan. The rack will allow hot air to circulate around it as it cooks. (Cook's note: Ideally, the duck should sit overnight to allow the flavors to meld with the meat and for the skin to dry out. This will mean a crispier skin, once the duck is cooked.)
• Put the roasting pan into the oven and turn the temperature down to 400 degrees F. Allow about 15 minutes roasting time for each pound of duck. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, remove the pan from the oven, then flip the duck. Using a turkey baster, remove the excess fat from the bottom of the roasting pan and transfer it to a heatproof liquid measuring cup. Return the duck to the oven and cook for another 45 minutes to1 hour, depending upon the size of your duck.
• Meanwhile, in a medium pot, combine the champagne vinegar with the remaining 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup honey, Marsala and the reserved green peppercorns. Bring the ingredients to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and simmer gently, allowing the glaze to reduce and the flavors to blend. Taste for seasoning. Allow it to cook until all the flavors meld together.
• Remove the duck from the oven and baste it with the drippings in the bottom of the pan. The duck should register about 150 F when an instant-read thermometer is inserted into the thigh meat. Transfer it to a platter and pour half of the glaze over the breast and thigh meat. Reserve the remaining glaze for plating. Allow the bird to "rest" for about 15 minutes. Carve the duck and arrange on a serving platter. Season the flesh, with salt, if desired, and top with remaining glaze.

CRISPY DUCK BREASTS WITH PEAR AND PEPPERCORN SAUCE

Steps:

• Trim excess fat from duck breasts.
• Heat a 12-inch heavy skillet over high heat until very hot.
• Pat breasts dry and season with salt.
• Put breasts, skin sides down, in skillet and reduce heat to moderate.
• Cook breasts 20 minutes, or until skin is crisp and mahogany-colored, removing fat from skillet as it is rendered.
• Turn breasts and cook about 2 minutes for medium-rare or to desired doneness.
• Transfer breasts to a plate and keep warm, covered loosely.
• While duck breasts are cooking, peel pear and cut into 1/4-inch dice.
• Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon fat from skillet and sauté pear until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
• In a measuring cup stir together apple juice and cornstarch.
• To pear add Calvados or Armagnac.
• Stir in cornstarch mixture, peppercorns, demiglace or bouillon cube, and thyme and simmer, stirring, 2 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
• Serve duck breasts, sliced, with sauce spooned over them.

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.

CRISP DUCK BREAST WITH PINK PEPPERCORN SAUCE

Steps:

• Halve duck breasts and trim excess fat. Pat duck dry. Pierce skin of duck all over with a fork and score with a knife to allow fat to drain and help skin become crisp. Season duck with salt. Heat a large heavy skillet (preferably cast-iron) over high heat until very hot. Put duck, skin sides down, in skillet and immediately reduce heat to moderately low. Cook duck 20 minutes, or until skin is mahogany-colored and most of fat is rendered. Remove fat from skillet with a metal bulb baster or by very carefully pouring it off. (Reserve 1 tablespoon rendered fat for Sautéed Kohlrabi and Watercress) Turn duck over and cook 2 minutes more. Transfer duck to a cutting board and let stand 5 minutes. (Duck will continue to cook as it stands until it reaches medium.)
• While duck is standing, in a small saucepan boil demiglace until reduced to about 3/4 cup and add vinegar, sugar, and peppercorns. Remove pan from heat and keep sauce warm, covered.
• Diagonally cut duck breast halves and serve with sauce.