Indulge in a culinary journey with our delectable Breast of Duck with Port Sauce recipe, offering a tantalizing fusion of flavors and textures. This dish showcases succulent duck breast seared to perfection, enveloped in a rich and velvety port sauce that exudes a symphony of sweet and savory notes. Accompanying the duck is a medley of roasted root vegetables, caramelized to perfection, adding a delightful crunch and natural sweetness to the dish. For a touch of elegance, a garnish of fresh herbs and a drizzle of balsamic glaze complete this gastronomic masterpiece. Our collection also features variations of this classic recipe, including a tantalizing Duck Breast with Orange Sauce, where the tangy citrus flavor of oranges complements the richness of the duck, and a hearty Duck Breast with Cherry Sauce, where the sweetness of cherries adds a delightful twist to the dish. Whether you prefer the classic port sauce or are looking for a unique flavor combination, our recipes cater to every palate, ensuring an unforgettable dining experience.
Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!
PAN-SEARED WILD DUCK BREAST WITH PORT WINE REDUCTION
Adapted by Sally Schneider's A New Way to Cook Notes: I cannot give you a foolproof way of cooking your duck breasts. I've described what we do below to yield a perfectly medium-rare duck breast from our kitchen, but every piece of meat is different, every oven is different, every pan is different, etc. There are so many factors and truthfully, we ruined several duck breasts before we figured out just how to get it right. The rub and the sauce recipes below, however, are simple and foolproof.
Provided by Alexandra Stafford
Categories Duck
Time 4h5m
Yield 2
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Schneider's recipe calls for a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder because she started with whole peppercorns and allspice berries. I simply stir my salt, freshly ground pepper, sugar, zest and thyme in a small bowl. It works just fine. The mixture should look like sand.
- Place the duck breasts on a platter and rub the spice mixture into them. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. About 20 minutes before cooking, remove the duck breasts from the refrigerator and return to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Pat dry with paper towels. With a paring knife, remove the tenderloin, the thin strip of meat that runs lengthwise down the underside of each breast.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat. When the pan is hot - it doesn't have to be smoking - put the duck breasts in fat side down. Let the breasts sizzle for about a minute (or longer if your kitchen isn't getting too smoky) or a minute and a half, then place the pan in the oven. After two and half minutes total have passed, open the oven, flip the breasts over, close the oven and cook for another two to two and a half minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, transfer the breasts to a platter, and let rest for five minutes. Turn your oven off.
- While the breasts are resting, finish reducing the sauce. (See my notes below with the sauce recipe - I make the sauce a day in advance, and then heat as much as I think we need for the two of us while the breasts are resting.) Place your sauce in a small sauce pan or frying pan and heat over medium-high heat. In no time, the sauce should start to thicken up, at which point you should remove the pan from the stovetop. Slice the breasts, if desired, and pour your beautiful sauce over top. (Or, don't slice the breasts, just pour the sauce over top.)
DUCK BREASTS WITH PORT REDUCTION SAUCE
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Ingredients Meat & Poultry
Number Of Ingredients 9
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.
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.
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.
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.
DIVINE BONELESS DUCK BREAST WITH PORT WINE SAUCE
I first found and tried this recipe in 1999 on Epicurious. It does take a lot of work but it is so worth it! The sauce can be made the day before and slowly reheated. This is divine duck! But(hiccup), here's the lesson I learned, don't drink too much wine while making it or you'll get lost in the many steps.
Provided by Penny Stettinius
Categories Duck Breasts
Time 9h
Yield 8 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 18
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 WITH PORT-CHERRY SAUCE
Steps:
- Whisk soy sauce and Sherry in medium bowl to blend. Using sharp knife, make diagonal cuts at 1/2-inch intervals in duck skin (not through meat). Place duck, skin side up, in glass baking dish. Pour marinade over. Cover duck with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours.
- Bring cherries, chicken stock, beef stock, Port and thyme sprig to boil in heavy medium saucepan over high heat. Simmer until mixture is reduced to 1/2 cup, about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat heavy large skillet over medium heat. Remove duck from marinade. Add duck breasts, skin side down, to skillet. Cook until skin is crispy, about 10 minutes. Turn duck over and continue cooking to desired doneness, about 5 minutes for medium. Transfer duck to work surface.
- Add cornstarch mixture to Port-cherry sauce. Bring to simmer, whisking constantly. Add butter 1 piece at a time, whisking until butter is melted before adding next piece. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
- Slice duck breasts thinly on diagonal and fan out on plates. Spoon Port-cherry sauce over duck and serve.
Tips:
- Choose high-quality duck breasts. Look for breasts that are plump and have a good amount of fat. This will help ensure that the duck is juicy and flavorful.
- Score the skin of the duck breasts. This will help the fat render out and crisp up the skin.
- Cook the duck breasts in a hot skillet. This will help to sear the outside of the breasts and keep them juicy on the inside.
- Do not overcrowd the skillet. If you are cooking multiple duck breasts, make sure to cook them in batches so that they have enough room to sear properly.
- Cook the duck breasts to your desired doneness. Medium-rare is a good option for duck, as it will still be juicy and tender.
- Make sure to let the duck breasts rest before slicing. This will help the juices redistribute throughout the meat.
- Serve the duck breasts with your favorite sauce. Port sauce is a classic choice, but you can also try other sauces, such as orange sauce or a red wine sauce.
Conclusion:
Duck breast is a delicious and versatile dish that can be cooked in a variety of ways. By following these tips, you can create a perfect duck breast that is juicy, tender, and flavorful. Serve it with your favorite sauce and enjoy!
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