DUCK BREASTS WITH ANCHO CHILE DULCE DE LECHE GLAZE

Duck Breasts with Ancho Chile Dulce De Leche Glaze image

This wonderfully exotic recipe for duck breasts with ancho chile dulce de leche glaze is courtesy of chef Aaron Sanchez.

Provided by Martha Stewart

Categories Food & Cooking Dinner Recipes

Number Of Ingredients 10

Ingredients

3 dried ancho chiles (1 1/4 ounces), stemmed and seeded
2 cups boiling water
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup prepared dulce de leche
1/2 cup homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
6 Muscovy duck breast halves (3/4 pound each), rinsed, patted dry, trimmed of excess fat, and scored
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Steps:

Place chiles in a small, dry, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, and toast until slightly darkened, turning once, about 40 seconds. Transfer to a small heatproof bowl and pour over boiling water. Let stand until softened, about 20 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer chiles to the jar of a blender. Add 1 cup soaking liquid and garlic; blend until smooth. Set aside.
Place orange juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until liquid is reduced by half; add dulce de leche and chicken stock. Bring mixture to a simmer and immediately remove from heat; set aside.
Working in batches, season duck with salt and pepper and place, skin side down, in a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. As fat begins to render out, drain into a heatproof bowl and discard or save for another use. Continue cooking until skin is well-browned, about 15 minutes. Turn, and continue cooking duck until meat is browned, about 3 minutes more. Transfer duck to a plate and repeat process with remaining duck breasts.
Return all duck breasts to skillet, cover, and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted horizontally in the center of a breast registers 135 degrees for medium-rare, about 6 minutes. Transfer duck to a carving board and let stand, uncovered.
Pour out and discard all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet. Add reserved chile and orange juice mixtures to skillet, along with any duck juices that have accumulated on the cutting board. Place over medium-high heat and cook, stirring, scraping up any browned bits that have accumulated in the bottom of the skillet, until thickened, about 6 minutes. Whisk in butter until melted. Season with salt, and chopped cilantro.
Slice duck breasts and serve immediately with sauce.