Grilled Duck Breasts With Nectarine Green Grape Chutney Recipes

GRILLED DUCK BREAST

Steps:

• Take your duck breasts out of the fridge and salt them well. Let them sit on the counter for 30 minutes to come to room temperature. If you are working with skinless breasts, keep wild duck breasts in the fridge and take domestic duck or goose breasts out of the fridge only 15 minutes before you cook them.
• Get your grill ready by setting up a hot side and a cooler side. Make sure the grates are clean. When you are ready, pat the duck dry with paper towels and coat them with a little oil. Set the duck breasts skin side down on the hot side of the grill. Keep the cover open, and have a spray bottle of water ready. If the breasts are skinless, you won't have flare-ups. If they are skin-on but fairly lean, there might be one or two, but it'll be OK. If they are fat, however, you will need to be diligent with the spray bottle to douse flare-ups. Keep grilling the skin side until the skin is nice and crispy, about 6 to 8 minutes.
• Turn the duck over and grill on the meat side until they're nicely browned, about 2 minutes on a hot grill.
• Move the duck to the cooler side of the grill and poke it with your finger. Use the finger test for doneness to determine how done the breasts are. Chances are with larger duck breasts and definitely with goose breasts, you'll need to finish them with the grill covered on the cool side of the grill for a few minutes. How long? It depends, so check, using the finger test, every 90 seconds or so.
• When the duck is ready, move it to a plate and let it rest uncovered, skin side up, for 5 minutes before slicing.

GRILLED DUCK BREASTS WITH NECTARINE- GREEN GRAPE CHUTNEY

Steps:

• In a medium saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add the onion and saute, stirring occasionally, until transparent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the nectarines and grapes, and cook, stirring, until the nectarines are a bit browned, about 4 minutes. Add the vinegar, sugar, allspice, mace, basil and salt and pepper to taste. Bring the mixture just to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Meanwhile, build a small fire in one side of a grill, using enough coals to fill a shoe box. Salt and pepper the duck breasts well and place them on the grill, withy the fat side down, along the edge of the fire. Cook them for 6 minutes, being careful of flare-ups caused by fat dripping into the fire. If flare-ups do occur, move the breasts so that they are not directly over the flames. You want them to cook slowly, allowing the fat to drip off at an even pace and giving the skin time to crisp. Flip the breasts over and cook 5 to 7 minutes more. When the duck breasts are nicely browned and as firm to the touch as the heel of your hand, they are medium rare.
• Pull the duck breasts off the fire, allow to cool for about 4 minutes, then slice them thinly on the bias and serve with the chutney.

GRILLED MARINATED DUCK BREAST WITH FRESH PLUM CHUTNEY LEEK AND GARLIC FONDUE WITH HOISIN LIME OIL

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients and marinate duck overnight, refrigerated. Season the duck and grill until medium rare, about 12 minutes. Let duck rest 5 minutes and slice. Fan duck over fondue and chutney. Drizzle with hoisin lime oil and garnish with scallion brush. Serve with steamed Chinese pancakes.
• In a saute pan coated with oil, add garlic and begin to caramelize. Season. When garlic is brown, add leeks. Cook until soft then add butter. Check for seasoning.
• In a saucepan add a little oil and caramelize onions with ginger. Add chiles, sugar and plums. Season. Stir for 5 minutes then deglaze with wine. Simmer on low heat until most of the wine is evaporated. Check for seasoning.

GRILLED WILD DUCK BREAST

Steps:

• Stir together the Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, hot sauce, garlic, and pepper. Add the duck breasts, and toss well to coat. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to overnight.
• Preheat a grill for medium-high heat.
• Grill the duck to desired doneness, about 5 minutes per side for medium-well, depending on the size of the breast, and the temperature of the grill.

GRILLED DUCK BREASTS WITH CRèME FRAîCHE, ROASTED GRAPES, AND POTATO-BACON GRATIN

Steps:

• Pound the juniper berries in a mortar until coarsely ground. Score the skin of the duck breasts with a sharp knife, and season with the juniper berries and the thyme. Cover, and refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
• Light the grill 30 to 40 minutes before cooking, and remove the duck from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 450°F.
• Using scissors, snip the grapes into six clusters. Toss the clusters gently with the olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast the grapes on a baking sheet 12 to 15 minutes, until the skin is slightly crispy and starting to blister.
• When the coals are broken down, red, and glowing, push the embers to one side of the grill. Season the duck with salt and pepper. Place the duck breasts, skin side down, on the cooler half of the grill. As they cook, rotate the breasts in a quarter-turn pattern every 2 minutes or so, to allow the fat to render and the skin to crisp. Turn the breasts over, and cook a few more minutes, until the duck is medium-rare and still springy to the touch. Remove from the heat, and rest 5 minutes, on a wire rack set over a baking sheet.
• Scatter the greens onto a large warm platter. Slice the duck breasts, and place them over the greens. Spoon a little crème fraîche over each duck breast, and arrange the clusters of roasted grapes around the platter. Serve the potato-bacon gratin at the table.
• Potato-Bacon Gratin
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Cut the bacon into 3/8-inch-thick slices, and stack them in two piles, then cut the bacon crosswise into 3/8-inch even-sided rectangular shapes, or lardons.
• Heat a large sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat for a minute. Swirl in the olive oil and add the bacon. Cook the bacon about 5 minutes, stirring often, until tender and lightly crisped. Remove to a plate with a slotted spoon, reserving the bacon fat in the pan.
• Add the onions, 2 teaspoons thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and some pepper to the pan. Cook 15 minutes, stirring and scraping with a wooden spoon, until the onions start to caramelize. Turn the heat down to low, and continue to cook, about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are a deep golden brown. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Use a mandoline to slice the potatoes into 1/16-inch-thick rounds. Pour 1/2 cup cream evenly onto the bottom of a 9-by-9-inch (or equivalent) gratin dish. Place one layer of potatoes side by side, slightly overlapping, on the bottom of the dish. Spread a third of the onions over them and scatter a third of the bacon on top. Arrange a second layer of potatoes, drizzle a 1/4 cup cream over it, and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt, a healthy pinch of pepper, and 1 teaspoon thyme. Press the potatoes down with your fingers, letting the cream soak up through the layers. This will ensure that the cream is evenly distributed and coats the potatoes well.
• Arrange another layer of potatoes on top, followed by another third of the caramelized onions and the bacon. Drizzle over another 1/4 cup cream, and continue with two more layers of potatoes. Drizzle with 1/2 cup cream and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper. Press the potatoes down with your fingers again. Scatter the rest of the onions and bacon over the potatoes, and drizzle with 1/3 cup cream. Season one last time with 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon thyme, and a pinch of pepper. The cream should cover the potatoes but not be "soupy." Add more cream if the gratin seems dry.
• Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake 1 1/2 hours, until the potatoes are tender when pierced. Remove from the oven, and carefully uncover. Turn the oven up to 425°F and return the gratin to the oven. Cook another 20 minutes or so, until the top is nice and golden brown (as in "gratinéed").
• Note
• Marinate the duck overnight and make the gratin in the morning, then reheat the gratin (giving it that beautiful gratinée color) while the ducks are on the grill.