Duck Breast. never cooked one before! here goes....

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boomchakabowwow

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part of this new way of living with Covid is to find the silver linings. one such "good thing" is that a local duck producer has a surplus of duck since the restaurant industry business dropped off. i got a couple of duck breast for what i feel is a good price.

now i have to not ruin them for one of my wife's birthday dinners. hahha.

a few questions. cast iron pan or carbon steel? my guts says carbon steel since it reacts to my temp adjustments quicker. i start with a cold pan right? just salt and pepper? will one breast generate enought fat for oven baked fries?
 
that, and do not overdo it....cut the fat criss cross so it goes crisp and the fat can render out of it, slowly fry the fat side for about 12 min and a min or 2 on the other side, give it rest and slice..salt and pepper, I like to add a little ground fennel seed in the mix to lighten up the flavor.

Carbon steel any day, smalles size that fits or the fat will burn on the far edges of the pan.

You will be amazed how much fat comes out of one breast
 
When you criss cross cut the breast, try to have it as cold as possible. Just on the edge of freezing will make it easier. Score the skin trying not to cut all the way through the fat. Along with above suggestions, I like to sear the meat side a little for some color. Most of the cooking should be done skin side down though.

I like a Port wine reduction with shallots and pears. Add some veal stock or demi glace if you have some.
 
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All of the above...
  1. Lightly score skin.
  2. Cold, carbon pan that is as small as possible to comfortably fit the breast(s).
  3. I start with a small bit of duck fat or oil. Use the breast to rub that around the pan.
  4. Low to medium heat to render as much fat as possible without overcooking the breast.
  5. 75% of the cook time on the skin side. I use a 8 oz Chef's Press to encourage better rendering and even browning.
  6. Season then rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
  7. Use or save the fat.
https://bernal-cutlery.shoplightspeed.com/chefs-press-chefs-press-8oz-stainless-made-in-oakl.html
 
M1k3 said:
When you cross cross cut the breast, try to have it as cold as possible. Just on the edge of freezing will make it easier. Score the skin trying not to cut all the way through the fat. Along with above suggestions, I like to sear the meat side a little for some color. Most of the cooking should be done skin side down though.

I like a Port wine reduction with shallots and pears. Add some veal stock or demi glace if you have some.
Click to expand...
+1 to everything @M1k3 said. We used to do a fair amount of duck breast when I was cooking (in a former life). Scoring when cold helps keep the scoring pretty and accurate. If the fat's warm, it's harder to get a perfectly accurate line. Also, when the fat's warm, it's easy to score too deep, then when the skin cooks it looks like weird prickly cubes instead of nice precise diamonds. Don't ask me how I know :)
Also, keep an eye on heat. Too hot will sear the skin without rendering enough fat down. What you don't want is a nice sear, a M/MR breast, and a quarter inch of fat still there.

Big +1 for port. Maybe add cardamom?
The best duck I've had was port wine sauce with green peppercorns (the wet-packed kind not the peppermill kind) and cognac. Second best was with honey + lavender, which is a popular way to do it in in France. Some recipes do honey + orange. Duck goes well with vietnamese flavors too and lots of fresh herbs and greens. Also good with moroccan flavors--ras el-hanout, lots of roasted carrots. And Persian flavors (pomegranite, walnut, saffron, dill).
People eat a lot of duck across the world...

Shoot for this (nicely rendered, firmer warm pink, etc.)
1602266671715.png


Avoid this--too hard a sear (black not golden), too much fat, and undercooked (IMO).

1602265546500.png


FWIW, I also vote against this Michellin-starred duck:
 
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a pair is always best!

try get fresh green peppercorns, some star anise, thyme and a little orange juice, some Aurum or another good orange liquor or cognac.

Use the fat to cook some fondant taters :)
 
What you do to it depends on type of duck. What i get from grocery store has lots of fat. The long island duck (now raised in PA) used for Peking duck has very little fat and i don't score it. Duck goes great with soba.
 
M1k3 said:
I got some time to kill. :icecream:
Click to expand...
Ok years ago i lurked on the BGE website i finally signed on as "bill" the next morning the post after mine from BILL was a link to pronografraphy. I posted i am lowercase bill. Years later there were too many with "bill" as a screen name (basically an uncreative lot" and we all had to pick a new screen name. Hence lowercasebill.
 
i overcooked it ever so slightly! Argh. Still good, but it wasn’t perfect.

im gonna try tonight again on the other half. Cold pan and flame on LOW. I went a bit too hot firm the get go.
 
I usually cook my duck in a non-stick pan. I have one that's 5mm thick. I first freeze duck for 30min and score the fat. Then, salt it and leave it in fridge overnight to dry out.

When I cook it, I take duck out from fridge 30 min before. I preheat pan for 3 min with a bit of duck fat (cutoffs rendered). Then I add white pepper and dried thyme put it meat side down for 3min. Then, turn it over on skin side, and put bit of weight on it (don't need a lot, just so skin touches evenly) and cook for 7min approx on low/med heat.

Depending on how thick the breast is, you may need to add extra 1-2 min. Then, let it sit and slice! I love it with aged balsamic vinegar


duck2.jpg
 
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