Best Duckling With Port Wine And Red Currant Sauce Recipes

PAN-SEARED WILD DUCK BREAST WITH PORT WINE REDUCTION

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.)

CRISPY SKINNED DUCK WITH TRUFFLED RED CURRANT PORT SAUCE AND TRU

Steps:

• Sauce.
• Combine wine, broths, thyme sprigs and bay leaves in a saucepan, bring to boil and leave on the stove until reduced to about 11/2 cups (approx 35 minutes).
• Reduce heat, add port and red currant jam, stir to combine, remove bay leaves and thyme sprigs.
• Add butter and stir until it melts, mix a little water with the cornflour, add to sauce and stir until sauce thickens.
• Note: Sauce can be made a day ahead of time and just reheated to save time on the day.
• Parsnip Mash.
• Place chopped parsnips in a saucepan along with just enough milk to cover, bring to boil and boil until tender, drain reserving a little milk to blend.
• Add cream, stock, reserved milk and butter to parsnips and blend or process until smooth.
• In a small fry pan, heat olive oil, add mushrooms and garlic, cook until mushrooms soften, stir in thyme leaves.
• Add to mash and stir to combine, add truffle oil and mix well.
• Duck Breasts.
• Add duck breasts to hot pan, not quite smoking, skin side down, cook until nicely browned and most of the duck fat has been rendered. (about 8-10 minutes).
• Place duck breasts skin side up in an oven proof dish and place in preheated oven 180°C, cook for 20 minutes, gives a nice pink centre, or cook to desired doneness.
• To Serve: Place mash on plates top with sliced duck breast and drizzle sauce around plate, serve extra sauce on the side.
• Sauce.