Double Duck Breasts With Baked Figs Recipes

DOUBLE DUCK BREASTS WITH BAKED FIGS

Steps:

• Using a mortar and pestle or spice mill, finely grind peppercorns, allspice, juniper, cloves, and bay leaves. Transfer to a small bowl; add salt and stir to combine. Season both sides of each duck breast with spice mixture, rubbing spice into the flesh using your fingers.
• Place one duck breast on top of a second duck breast, skin sides out. Using butcher's twine, tie duck breasts together firmly; repeat process with remaining duck breasts. Wrap each with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place duck breasts in a shallow roasting pan and allow them to come to room temperature. Transfer roasting pan to oven and roast for 15 minutes. Carefully pour off fat and discard.
• Turn duck breasts and continue roasting until browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 125 degrees, about 15 minutes more.
• Carefully pour off any fat and discard. Let duck breasts stand 10 to 15 minutes. Remove twine and slice duck breasts crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Arrange slices on a warmed platter with baked figs. Drizzle with vinegar and serve.

SEARED DUCK BREAST WITH FIG SAUCE

Steps:

• For the duck breasts: Sprinkle each duck breast liberally with salt and pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat. Add the duck skin-side down and reduce the heat to low, cooking as the fat slowly renders and the skin becomes crispy, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Once the skin is crispy and golden brown, flip and continue cooking until a thermometer reads 128 to 130 degrees F when inserted into the thickest part of the breast (for medium-rare doneness), 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate or cutting board and allow to rest about 5 minutes. It will carryover cook to about 135 degrees F. Don't tent with foil in order to ensure the duck skin will stay crispy.
• For the fig sauce: Pour off all but 1 or 2 tablespoons of fat from the skillet, reserving the excess for another use. Over medium heat, add the shallots and cook until softened. Add the sherry and reduce by half. Next, add the chicken broth, fig jam and balsamic vinegar, and continue simmering until the sauce has thickened and is syrupy, another 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper and whisk in the butter. Garnish with chopped chives.
• Serve the sauce alongside thinly sliced duck breast.

SAUTEED DUCK BREAST WITH FIGS AND PORT

Steps:

• Remove excess fat from duck breasts. Brush breasts with oil; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon thyme and pepper. Cover and let stand 1 hour. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Refrigerate.)
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add duck bones, chicken backs and onion and cook until brown, turning occasionally, about 12 minutes. Add both stocks. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until reduced to 3/4 cup liquid, about 1 hour. Strain and degrease duck stock. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Season duck breasts with salt; add to skillet skin side down and cook 4 minutes. Turn and cook about 2 minutes longer for medium-rare. Transfer to heated platter and tent with foil to keep warm.
• Pour off fat from skillet. Add 1 tablespoon butter to skillet and melt over medium heat. Add shallot and sauté until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add Port and figs. Increase heat and boil until liquid is reduced to glaze, scraping up any browned bits, about 4 minutes. Add duck stock and boil until syrupy, adding any juices accumulated on duck platter, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Season with salt and pepper.
• Thinly slice duck on diagonal. Arrange on plates. Spoon sauce over. Sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon thyme.

DUCK BREAST WITH FRESH FIGS

Steps:

• Combine five-spice powder and 1 teaspoon pepper in a bowl. Stir in soy sauce. Score fat on duck in crisscross. Rub duck on both sides with marinade. Set aside 2 hours.
• Heat a grill to very hot. Heat the oven to 200 degrees. Sear duck on fat side about a minute, until dark brown (flare-ups are normal). Turn and sear on flesh side about 1 1/2 minutes, until browned. Or sear duck over high heat in a cast-iron skillet. Place duck in a baking dish in oven.
• Dust figs with pepper; sear on grill 3 to 5 minutes, until starting to sizzle. Remove from grill and halve. Or sear figs in a skillet.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet, add shallots and cook until soft. Stir in thyme and half the wine. Cook until wine just films pan. Stir in stock. Add figs and remaining wine; cook until wine is reduced by a third. Stir in remaining butter. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
• When duck has baked for 45 minutes, serve it, or reduce heat to 150 degrees and keep in oven up to 30 minutes longer. To serve, slice duck on the bias. Reheat sauce and spoon over duck.

ROASTED DUCK WITH FIGS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Place a pan over high heat. Sear the ducks all around (about 2 minutes a duck). Place them in the roasting pan.
• Salt and pepper in the duck cavities and skin, brush with oil, and arrange the ducks breasts down. Roast for 15 minutes. Turn the ducks breast side up, and roast for 30 minutes more. Remove them from the oven, and pour off any fat.
• Scatter the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, rosemary and thyme around the ducks. Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees; then, return the ducks to the oven. Cook for 30 minutes more. Brush the duck breasts and legs with honey. Cook for 30 minutes, brushing on more honey from time to time.
• Remove the ducks from the oven, place on a platter and keep warm. Strain the vegetables, and place them in a saucepan. Add the Port, bring to a simmer and reduce by about one-quarter.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat, add figs and cook about 2 minutes. Add sauce from ducks, cover and simmer for 10 more minutes. Keep warm.
• To serve, carve the breasts and legs from the ducks. In the center of four large, warm plates, place a breast and a leg, reserving the rest of the duck for other uses. Add three figs on one side and the spinach timbale on the other. Pour the sauce evenly over the meat.

LACQUERED DUCK WITH GRILLED FIGS

Steps:

• Put all the syrup ingredients in a small, heavy-based saucepan. Add 6 tbsp water, season lightly with salt and pepper and simmer over a medium heat for 8-10 minutes until the syrup has reduced by just over half and is very sticky. Remove from the heat.
• Put the duck breasts skin side down in a cold frying pan (it's unusual to start frying in a cold pan, but with duck this is often a good idea - it makes the fat render slowly from under the skin, keeping the flesh really moist). Fry slowly for about 15 minutes until the skin is golden. At least 100ml/31⁄2fl oz fat will be rendered from the skin. (Once cool, keep the fat in the fridge - it's great for roasting potatoes.)
• Preheat the oven to fan 180C/ conventional 200C/gas 6. Sit the duck breasts skin side up on a rack in a roasting tin. Spoon a little of the syrup on top and leave for 2-3 minutes until sticky. Tip any syrup that drips into the bottom of the roasting tin back into the syrup in the saucepan, and reheat to liquefy if necessary. Repeat this technique - spooning the syrup over the duck and leaving it to stand - until there are three or four layers and you have used up most of the syrup. If it gets too thick, just add 1-2 tbsp water. Conversely, if it's too thin, add another 1 tbsp sugar. Arrange the orange slices round the duck and spoon the last splash of syrup over the top.
• Roast the duck for 8-12 minutes until done to your liking. Meanwhile, cut the figs in half lengthways, tip into a bowl and toss with the olive oil and plenty of seasoning. Heat a ridged cast-iron griddle pan (or a heavy frying pan) on the hob until very hot, then chargrill the figs for 2 minutes on each side.
• Once the duck is cooked, take it out of the oven and let it rest for 3 minutes, then cut each breast at an angle into two or three slices. Transfer to four serving plates with the orange slices and figs, and garnish with extra bay leaves and the star anise from the syrup.