(With roasted butternut squash purée and a blackberry reduction sauce)
Duck is a great protein that sometimes gets a bad rep because it's a little higher in fat, and if not done right the skin can get chewy. BUT, if done properly duck is an amazing break from chicken, with much more flavor and a deliciously crunch skin makes for a great texture. The trick to cooking a delicious duck is to start it in a room temp pan. Because there is so much fat on the duck you want to slowly render it out. If you place duck in a hot pan (like you would most any other protein), the outside fat will sear and crisp up, but you will have a thick chewy layer duck.
Ingredients
2 whole garlic cloves
4 whole springs of thyme
2 duck breasts, scored
Directions
To score your duck, take your sharpest knife and make diagonal incisions along the fat cap. Slice through the fat (but not into the meat) and space them about ½" apart. When serving I generally slice my cooked duck along my score lines, so use that as a guide on how to space them. Season the duck liberally with salt and pepper and work the seasoning into the scores.
To cook, place thee duck breasts skin side down in a COLD pan. Once in the pan add another pan on top of the ducks and flatten them out. This helps the duck from contracting when the fat is rendering and will leave you with nice even breasts. Turn on the heat and bring it up to mid-low. Slowly let the fat cook out, and as the fat starts to build up, tilt the pan and remove the fat with a spoon or small ladle (note: if you like flavor save the fat in a mason jar and use it to make duck fat potatoes). Slowly cook your duck, after about 5 min of
cooking you can remove the top pan (If you duck starts to ball up, put the pan back on top).
After approx 12 min of rendering, add butter to the bottom of the pan along with 2 whole garlic cloves and a bundle of thyme. Tilt your pan and using a spoon baste the top of the duck with your flavored butter. You will see the melted butter actually start to cook the other side of the duck. Once you think your skin is done, turn the heat to medium and flip your duck. Only cook for 2 min (duck should be medium to medium rare in the middle). Remove and let rest for 5 min. Slice duck along the score lines and serve with a roasted butternut squash purée
and blackberry reduction sauce.
Blackberry Reduction
12 oz Fresh blackberries
1 Tbsp Fresh lime juice
¼ C Balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp Cold butter
1 Tbsp Sugar
Combine blackberries, balsamic, sugar and lime juice in blender or food processor. Purée until very smooth, then press through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds. Place a med saute pan over med heat. Add sauce and reduce by half (approx. 15 min) stirring often so it doesn't burn. Taste, if too sweet add more lime juice. At the very end once it is reduced, stir in cold butter. This will bring the sauce together and give it nice sheen. Serve along side duck.
