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.

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.

SEARED DUCK BREAST WITH CHERRIES AND PORT SAUCE

Steps:

• Place duck breast halves between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Pound lightly to even thickness (about 1/2 to 3/4 inch). Discard plastic wrap. Using sharp knife, score skin in 3/4-inch diamond pattern (do not cut into flesh). DO AHEAD: Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover and chill.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle duck with salt and pepper. Add duck, skin side down, to skillet and cook until skin is browned and crisp, about 5 minutes. Turn duck breasts over, reduce heat to medium, and cook until browned and cooked to desired doneness, about 4 minutes longer for small breasts and 8 minutes longer for large breast for medium-rare. Transfer to work surface, tent with foil to keep warm, and let rest 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, pour off all but 2 tablespoons drippings from skillet. Add shallot to skillet and stir over medium heat 30 seconds. Add broth, cherries, Port, and honey. Increase heat to high and boil until sauce is reduced to glaze, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Whisk in 1 tablespoon cold butter. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
• Thinly slice duck. Fan slices out on plates. Spoon sauce over and serve.
• What to drink:
• With the duck, pour a medium-bodied red from Spain's Rioja region. We like the Viña Santurnia 2005 Crianza Rioja ($13), which has black cherry flavors and smoky notes.

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.

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.

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.

DUCK BREASTS WITH SHALLOTS AND PORT

Steps:

• Score the skin on the duck breasts down to their meat, and season both sides with salt, pepper and herbs on both sides. Set aside.
• Heat skillet, and sear duck on both sides for 5-6 minutes on each side, or until most of the fat is rendered, skin is crisp, and meat is to cooked to desired doneness.
• Heat butter in saucepan, and saute onion, garlic and shallots until tender.
• Add brown sugar, and cook until carmelized, about a minute or two.
• Slowly add vinegar (step back, as it will steam!) and wine and allow to cook down.
• Add arrowroot which has been dissolved in 2 Tablespoons water.
• If desired, finish duck breast in the oven.
• To serve, cut the duck breast into diagonal slices and spoon some sauce on top. Serve at once.