One you have tasted duck prepared perfectly, you will be addicted. No, it does not taste like chicken.
There are two tricks to duck. First cooking it properly, and the directions below guide you there. Second, you to adorn the duck with a sauce that simultaneously complement and intensify the flavor experience. Duck flavor is intense but perhaps a tad one-dimensional. Adding some wine‑based flavors and sweetness is just the amplification that duck demands.
Duck is a spectacular bird, and this recipe is crafted to make the most of every morsel. The bottom picture shows the cooked duck breast with sauce and alongside it a twice-baked potato topped with sour cream and caviar. That recipe? Tomorrow!
Seared Duck Breast Glazed with Roasted Garlic, Pomegranate Molasses, Ginger and Armagnac
Yield: serves to 8
Ingredients:
For the Duck:
- 8 Muscovy duck breasts, skin side scored
- 2 garlic heads, top end sliced off to reveal the cloves
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
For the Sauce:
- 2 cups fruity semi-sweet white wine such as Gewurztraminer (or sweet Sauternes)
- ½ cup Armagnac
- ¼ cup pomegranate molasses
- 1 ounce ginger, thinly sliced lengthwise
- Salt, pepper and sugar (taste for sweetness from wines first prior to adjusting) to taste
- 1 teaspoon tapioca starch diluted with 1tablespoon water
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400°F for 20 minutes.
Drizzle the garlic heads with some olive oil, wrap in aluminum foil and place in the oven to roast until caramelized and softened, about 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, while the garlic is roasting, make the sauce. In a small pot add the wine, Armagnac, pomegranate molasses, and ginger. Cook the alcohol off and reduce by half, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
In a dry skillet over medium heat, place the duck breasts, skin side down and cook until golden crisp, about 4 minutes. Flip and cook to medium rare, about 4 minutes more. Transfer duck breast to a baking sheet and let rest for 15 minutes. Transfer duck fat to a small heatproof jar, if you wish to keep. Deglaze pan with wine reduction, whisking in diluted tapioca starch. Keep whisking, lifting brown bits until sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and, if necessary, sugar (only a touch to balance the savory note if the reduced wine is not already doing it).
Place a duck breast on a dinner plate and liberally adorn with sauce.
Source: Corinne Trang at Cooking by the Book
Photo Information: Canon T2i, EFS 60mm Macro Lens, F/5.0 for 1/60th second at ISO‑800