Best Seared Duck Breast Recipes

SEARED CRISPY SKIN DUCK BREAST WITH DUCK FAT FRIED POTATOES RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Pat dry the duck breasts with a paper towel.
• Score the duck skin with sharp knife, making sure to not cut into the flesh.
• Season the duck breasts on both sides with salt and pepper.
• Add the potatoes to a pot of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook for 15-20 minutes, until fork-tender. Drain the potatoes in a colander.
• Using the bottom of a ramekin or your palm, gently smash the potatoes.
• Preheat the oven to 400˚F (200˚C).
• Starting with a cold and dry oven-safe skillet, place the duck breasts skin side down. Cook for 12-15 minutes over medium heat.
• Flip the breasts over and sear the other side for 1 minute. Flip to the skin side down, and transfer the skillet to the oven.
• Roast for 4 minutes for medium-rare, or 6 minutes for medium.
• Rest the duck skin-side up for 10 minutes. Do not discard the fat in the pan.
• In a small pot, combine the red wine, chicken stock, orange juice, and honey and reduce by half over medium heat.
• Fry the potatoes with remaining duck fat in the pan, until golden brown, 5-6 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and rosemary.
• Slice the duck ½-inch (1 cm) pieces.
• Serve with the sauce and the potatoes.
• Enjoy!

SEARED DUCK BREAST WITH RED WINE JUS AND ORANGE, OLIVE OIL MASH RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180˚C (350˚F).
• Lightly score the duck skin with a sharp knife. Make sure not to cut through to the flesh.
• Season each side of the duck breast with 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper each.
• Fry the duck breast skin side down on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes with the garlic and rosemaries. Flip and fry the other side for 1 minute.
• Put the duck breast in the oven for 6-8 minutes for medium rare; 10 minutes for medium well. Rest for 6 minutes before serving.
• For the mashed potato, chuck all the ingredients in the boiled potato, mix well.
• For the Red Wine Jus, use the pan you fried the duck breasts in. Take out the rosemary stalks, crush the garlic with a fork.
• Fry the garlic for a minute or two on medium low heat. Add in the flour and fry for another minute or until all the fat in the pan have binded to the flour.
• Add in the rest of the ingredients, mix well and keep simmering on a low heat for 10 minutes or until it becomes a glossy thick sauce.
• To impress your guests with your presentation game, pipe the mashed potato with a piping bag into a golf ball size mound. Shape using the back of a spoon.
• Place the duck breast, drizzle with the jus and decorate with orange zest and rosemary.
• Enjoy!

PAN-SEARED FIVE-SPICE DUCK BREAST WITH BALSAMIC JUS

Steps:

• In a large, heavy self-sealing plastic bag, combine the garlic, ginger, five-spice powder, salt, and pepper. Add the duck breasts, seal, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. Remove from the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C/gas 6. In a large ovenproof sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Sear the duck breast, skin side down, for 5 minutes; turn and sear for 5 minutes on the other side. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 5 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer the duck breasts to a plate and keep warm.
• To make a balsamic jus, pour off the fat from the pan. Return the pan to medium-high heat, add the wine, and stir to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook to reduce the wine by half. Add the balsamic vinegar and cook to reduce for several more minutes.
• Cut the duck breasts into diagonal slices and serve drizzled with the balsamic jus.

SEARED DUCK BREAST WITH CHILI, HONEY & GINGER GLAZE

Steps:

• With the point of a knife, score the skin side of the breasts in crosshatch pattern, being careful not to pierce the flesh of the meat. Season the duck breasts with salt and pepper. Heat a sauté pan over medium heat for 1 minute before adding the breasts, skin side down. Cook skin side down over medium to low heat, for approximately 10 to 12 minutes to render the fat from the skin before turning the breasts over. When the duck has rendered its fat and the skin has taken on a crisp exterior quality turn the breasts over and sauté the flesh side for 3 to 4 minutes. Carefully remove the duck from the pan, place on a platter to keep warm and pour the excess fat safely into a heat proof container. (The reserved duck fat may be chilled and used for another cooking use.)
• While the duck is cooking (or even before you cook the duck), remove the chili pepper from the water in which it had soaked and reserve the liquid. Place the chili into a blender and begin to pureé, adding as much of the reserved liquid as necessary to create a smooth and thin paste-like texture. This chili paste may be refrigerated for a day covered with plastic wrap or pour a tablespoon of olive oil on its surface and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.
• After removing the duck breasts from the pan add the onion to still hot pan and return to the heat. Add a tablespoon or two of reserved duck fat. Sauté the onion briefly before adding the ginger and 2 tablespoons of the chili paste. Add the honey and port to the ginger chili, stir to combine and cook for one minute.
• The breasts have rested for several minutes and should now be medium rare. They can be sliced lengthwise or cross-wise and several slices placed on each plate. Drizzle the warm glaze over the duck or for more impact, brush some on the duck breasts before slicing, run the duck under a hot broiler for 1 minute, caramelize the glaze and then slice and drizzle. If you desire, drizzle some around the duck breasts on the serving dish.

SEARED DUCK BREAST WITH FIG SAUCE

Steps:

• For the duck breasts: Sprinkle each duck breast liberally with salt and pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat. Add the duck skin-side down and reduce the heat to low, cooking as the fat slowly renders and the skin becomes crispy, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Once the skin is crispy and golden brown, flip and continue cooking until a thermometer reads 128 to 130 degrees F when inserted into the thickest part of the breast (for medium-rare doneness), 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate or cutting board and allow to rest about 5 minutes. It will carryover cook to about 135 degrees F. Don't tent with foil in order to ensure the duck skin will stay crispy.
• For the fig sauce: Pour off all but 1 or 2 tablespoons of fat from the skillet, reserving the excess for another use. Over medium heat, add the shallots and cook until softened. Add the sherry and reduce by half. Next, add the chicken broth, fig jam and balsamic vinegar, and continue simmering until the sauce has thickened and is syrupy, another 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper and whisk in the butter. Garnish with chopped chives.
• Serve the sauce alongside thinly sliced duck breast.

SEARED DUCK BREAST WITH CHERRIES AND PORT SAUCE

Steps:

• Place duck breast halves between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Pound lightly to even thickness (about 1/2 to 3/4 inch). Discard plastic wrap. Using sharp knife, score skin in 3/4-inch diamond pattern (do not cut into flesh). DO AHEAD: Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover and chill.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle duck with salt and pepper. Add duck, skin side down, to skillet and cook until skin is browned and crisp, about 5 minutes. Turn duck breasts over, reduce heat to medium, and cook until browned and cooked to desired doneness, about 4 minutes longer for small breasts and 8 minutes longer for large breast for medium-rare. Transfer to work surface, tent with foil to keep warm, and let rest 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, pour off all but 2 tablespoons drippings from skillet. Add shallot to skillet and stir over medium heat 30 seconds. Add broth, cherries, Port, and honey. Increase heat to high and boil until sauce is reduced to glaze, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Whisk in 1 tablespoon cold butter. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
• Thinly slice duck. Fan slices out on plates. Spoon sauce over and serve.
• What to drink:
• With the duck, pour a medium-bodied red from Spain's Rioja region. We like the Viña Santurnia 2005 Crianza Rioja ($13), which has black cherry flavors and smoky notes.

SEARED LONG ISLAND DUCK BREAST AND FOIE GRAS SAUCE RED CABBAGE SLAW AND WARM YUKON GOLD POTATO AND ONION SALAD CHINESE AND BALSAMIC VINEGAR EMULSION

Steps:

• Season the duck breasts and place skin side down in a medium heated, thick saute pan. Slowly render the duck fat away (12 to 15 minutes). When the skin browns, let breast rest, meat side down. Just prior to plating wipe out pan and bring to high temperature and quickly sear the duck, meat side first, then the skin side, 3 minutes total. Let rest again before slicing.
• For the sauce, caramelize the shallots in a saucepan with a little canola oil. Season. Deglaze with cognac and reduce by 75 percent. Add the chicken stock and reduce by 50 percent. Pour into a blender and monter au foie gras. In other words, as liquid is blending, add foie gras pieces to blender. Check for seasoning and keep warm for plating.
• RED CABBAGE SLAW:
• Mix mustard with lemon juice. Whisk in oil and check for seasoning. Toss with cabbage and scallions. This slaw may be done 20 minutes before plating.
• WITH CHINESE AND BALSAMIC VINEGAR EMULSION
• In a non-reactive sauce pan, reduce the two vinegars by 80 percent until a syrup consistency is achieved. Pour the syrup into a blender while hot. While blending at high speed, drizzle in canola oil. Check for seasoning. Caramelize red onions in a saute pan coated with a little canola oil. Set aside. In a non-stick pan, coat well with canola oil and saute potatoes until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper. Toss hot potatoes with the onions and vinegar emulsion. Check for seasoning.

SEARED DUCK BREAST WITH GINGER

Steps:

• With the point of a knife, score the skin side of the duck breasts in crosshatch pattern, being careful not to pierce the flesh of the meat.
• Season the duck breasts with salt and pepper. Heat a saute pan over medium heat for 2 minutes before adding the breasts, skin side down. Cook over medium to low heat for approximately 6 minutes to 8 minutes to render the fat.
• Before turning the breasts over, carefully remove the excess fat from the saute pan. Turn the breasts over and saute the flesh side for 3 to 4 minutes before removing the duck breasts from the pan.
• Add the shallots to the pan in which the duck breasts were cooked and return to the heat. Saute the shallots briefly before adding the ginger, add the honey and mirin, stir to combine and add the hot broth. Reduce to a simmer and cook until half the liquid has evaporated. Add the soy and cabbage and cook for 2 minutes before adding the scallions, stir, and remove from the heat.
• The breasts have rested for several minutes and should now be medium rare. They can be sliced lengthwise or crosswise and several slices placed on each plate. Quickly reheat the sauce, if necessary, and drizzle some around the duck breasts.

SEARED DUCK BREAST WITH POMEGRANATE MOLASSES

Steps:

• Season the duck breasts generously with salt. Place both duck breasts in a saute pan large enough to accommodate without crowding. Bring the pan to a medium-low heat to render the fat from the duck. Periodically remove the fat as a lot of it begins accumulate in the saute pan. This is a low and slow process, about 20 to 25 minutes.
• Once the fat has rendered and the duck skin is crispy and brown, once again remove the excess fat from the pan. Turn the heat up to medium-high and flip the duck to sear the bottom. Once the bottom is brown turn the duck so skin side is down. Add the pomegranate molasses and thyme to the pan. Cook until the molasses starts to get thick and syrupy. Turn the duck over for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Remove the duck from the pan and let rest for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the thyme bundle and add the pomegranate seeds. If the mixture is very thick add a few drops of water to loosen things up.
• Once the duck has rested, slice it on the bias and serve drizzled with the reduced molasses and seeds.
• Just Ducky!!

BOBBY FLAY SEARED MUSCOVY DUCK BREAST WITH SPICY BLACK GRAPE SAUCE

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter and sweat the onion, garlic and jalapeno for about 5 minutes. Raise the heat to high, add the port, and reduce 10 minutes to 1 tablespoonful. Add the red wine and reduce another 10 minutes to 1 tablespoonful. Add the stock and the grape juice concentrate and reduce by two-thirds. Add the grape juice and reduce by half. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve, return it to the saucepan, and reduce heat to low. Add the grapes, cook for 5 minutes, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Heat a large ovenproof saute pan over high heat until smoking. Season each breast with salt and pepper to taste. Score the skin with a knife and sear the breast, skin-side down, until golden brown and fat has rendered, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove most of the fat, turn the breasts over and place them in the oven and cook for 10 to12 minutes for medium rare doneness, remove duck and brush liberally with the Spicy Black Grape Sauce. Let duck rest for 10 minutes, slice each breast on the bias. Serve with Black Pepper Spoon Bread.;
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small saucepan, over medium heat, bring the milk to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and stir in cornmeal. Cook, stirring until cornmeal begins to thicken and remove from the heat. Continue to stir mixture off heat for approximately 5 minutes or until it is warm, not hot. Add the egg yolks, buttermilk, butter, baking soda, salt and sugar. Combine well Beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold the egg whites, half of the Parmesan and the pepper into the batter. Butter a 12 by12-inch casserole dish. Pour the batter into the casserole dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top is golden and the spoonbread is soft. Cut into squares and serve hot.;

SEARED DUCK BREAST WITH CHERRY-PORT SAUCE

Steps:

• In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the stock until steam begins to rise from the surface, about 3 minutes. Add the dried cherries and remove from the heat.
• Season the duck breast halves with salt and pepper. Using a sharp knife, score the skin by making a crisscross pattern, being careful not to cut into the meat.
• Heat a large saute pan over medium-low heat. Place the duck, skin side down, in the pan and cook until the skin is very crisp and golden, 12-15 minutes. Turn the duck over and cook until the meat is just springy when pressed, 3-5 minutes more for rare to medium-rare, or until done to your liking.
• Transfer the duck to a warmed platter, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 3 to 5 minutes before carving.
• Pour off all but 1 Tb fat from the pan. Set the pan over medium heat, add the shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and translucent, about 3 minutes.
• Add the port, bring to a boil and cook until it is almost evaporated, about 3 minutes.
• Add the stock and cherries and the demi-glace, and cook until slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the butter and whisk until completely incorporated.
• Taste and season with salt and pepper.
• Using a sharp carving knife, cut the duck across the grain into thin slices and arrange on a warmed platter. Pour the sauce over the meat and serve immediately.

CRISPY PAN SEARED DUCK BREAST WITH BASALMIC ONION MARMALADE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 to 400 degrees F.
• First don't use frozen duck breast. Go to your local butcher if they don't have it, usually they have no problem ordering it special for you. :).
• Score each breast shallowly in a crisscross fashion. Do NOT slice to the meat. These cuts allows the fat to render into the pan and the skin to get crispy.
• I like to use my cast iron skillet, you could also use stainless steel. I do NOT recommend using a non stick skillet. It needs to be oven proof.
• Sprinkle each breast on both sides with salt and pepper. You can be generous with the salt on the skin side. It really helps dry out the skin so you get a super crispy skin.
• Heat skillet over medium high heat. Place duck breasts skin side down and cook for about 5 minutes or until the skin is golden brown. Remember watch it carefully you want to crisp the skin, but not overcook the meat. You might have to lower the temperature a bit. Patience is the main ingredient for a perfect duck breast. I reserve the fat that renders off and use with roasted potatoes or anything really. It's so tasty. Remove the drippings from the pan before placing in the oven.
• Place your skillet with your duck breasts into the preheated oven. Cook for about 12 minutes or until Medium Rare. Remember watch your duck carefully because cooking time varies on how thick your breast is and how much has already cooked through on stove top. It will also carry over cook once you remove from oven. If you have a thermometer it should read about 125 to 130.
• Do NOT turn your breasts. It still should be skin side down.
• Remove to warm plate skin side up and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes and then slice about 1/2 inch thick and on the diagonal and serve with onion marmalade. ( Recipe Below).
• ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------.
• Balsamic Onion Marmalade.
• In a large heavy pan, combine the red onions and brown sugar and cook over Medium to Medium high heat, stirring often, until the onions begin to caramelize about 20 minutes.
• Stir in the wine and vinegar, increase the heat to Medium high stirring often, until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.

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.

SEARED BREAST OF MOULARD DUCK A LA D'ARTGNAN ON POTATO GALETTE

Steps:

• For the galette, blot potatoes dry on paper towels. Combine in a large bowl with onions and a liberal amount of salt and pepper, and mix well. Heat fat until hot in a 10-inch nonstick skillet, over medium high heat. Add potatoes, shaking the pan and turning them to cover evenly with fat. Once a few slices begin to brown, press potatoes with a spatula to flatten into a disk. Adjust heat to medium low, cover tightly, and cook until several slices are golden brown on the bottom, about 5 to 7 minutes. Carefully lift off cover so condensation does not fall on potatoes, and wipe dry. Mix cooked slices into other potatoes and than add shaved truffles, if desired. Replace cover, and cook until bottom of galette is golden brown, about 5 minutes longer. Shake galette onto a plate, cover with a second plate of the same size, invert then slide galette back into pan. Do not worry if some slices need rearranging. Flatten potatoes again, and cover. Cook 10 to 12 minutes longer, removing lid after 5 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown, turning heat up slightly if needed to color potatoes. Turn galette again, if necessary, and cook uncovered for a few minutes longer, or until golden brown. Galette may be loosely tented with aluminum foil and kept warm in the oven or on top of the stove. Slide galette onto a flat plate. Season with salt and pepper. Combine parsley with garlic, and sprinkle over potatoes. Cut into 8 wedges and serve.
• For the duck, score the skin. Season both sides of duck breasts with salt and pepper. Heat 2 heavy skillets until medium hot, over medium high heat. Put duck breasts in pans, skin side down, without any butter or fat. Cook for 8 minutes, checking to avoid burning. Remove fat as it accumulates. Flip breasts over, lower heat to medium and cook 4 minutes longer. Remove duck from heat and keep warm in one of the skillets. Meanwhile, heat the port wine in a saucepan to a boil. Add the diced plums and 2 tablespoons of demi-glace and simmer, partially covered, until the plums are cooked and tender (10 to15 minutes.) Puree with a hand mixer until smooth. Adjust seasoning and keep warm. Heat 2 tablespoons of sugar until lightly caramelized. Add the Armagnac in which prunes have marinated for no less than 15 days. Reduce by half. Add 3 tablespoons prune juice. Reduce until almost syrupy. Strain and season. Keep warm. Cut the breasts across the grain into 1/4-inch slices. Place the plum compote in the center of the warm plates, fan the duck slices on top and drizzle the reduction over it. Serve immediately with a potato galette. Use the prunes to make prunes in Armagnac ice cream, or prune tart, or eat them as is as a digestif.

SEARED FIVE-SPICE DUCK BREAST WITH PLUM WINE SAUCE

Steps:

• Marinate the duck breast with 5 spice powder, ginger root, scallions, salt, pepper and sesame oil for at least 6 hours or overnight.
• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Heat skillet on moderately high heat, do not add any oil. Sear duck breast skin side down, brown both sides. Transfer duck to oven proof plate and cook the duck in the oven for 10 minutes for medium rare. Pour off grease form the skillet, add plum wine, add duck stock season with salt and pepper and reduce the sauce to 1 cup. Then incorporate the butter to the sauce and set aside and keep warm. Remove duck from oven let it set for 5 minutes before slicing.

SEARED DUCK BREAST WITH GRAPE SAUCE

Steps:

• Using a sharp paring knife, score the fat in the duck breasts a couple times in two directions to create a crosshatch pattern. Cut through the fat but not into the meat of the breast. Salt the breasts and let sit outside the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes to allow them to come to room temperature.
• Add about 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large saute pan. Place the duck in the pan skin-side down. Bring the pan to a medium heat and cook the duck breasts low and slow to allow the fat to render and so the skin can get nice and crispy. As the fat renders out of the duck, pour or spoon it out of the pan and SAVE IT for another purpose. (It's yummy!) Cook the duck for 8 to 9 minutes on the skin side. Turn the duck over and cook the duck for 2 to 3 minutes on the flesh side. Remove the duck from the pan, cover with foil and let rest for about 10 minutes.
• Add the grapes to the pan with the bacon and bring the pan to a medium heat. Cook the grapes until they split and let out their juices and the bacon is crisp.
• Spoon half the grapes out of the pan and reserve. Add the port and vinegar to the pan, season with salt and reduce the port by half. Add the chicken stock and reduce it by half. Add in the reserved grapes. Taste and re-season if needed.
• Slice the duck on a severe bias and serve garnished with the sauce.

TRIO OF DUCK ROASTED BREAST, LEG CONFIT AND SEARED FOIE GRAS WITH HORSERADISH PARSNIP PUREE AND HUCKLEBERRY BRANDY SAUCE

Steps:

• On 4 warm dinner plates pipe the horseradish parsnip puree through a piping bag slightly off center on each plate. Spoon or ladle the huckleberry brandy sauce around the parsnip puree. Place a quarter of the hot duck confit around 1/2 of the parsnip puree towards the center of the plate. Place the sliced duck breast on top of the confit in a fanned circular fashion. Place 1 piece of foie gras on top of each breast and garnish with a sprig of parsley and fried parsnip strips.
• Duck Breasts:
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• French each breast by scrapping the meat, skin and tissue off of the wing bone while keeping it attached to the breast. With the heel of a chef's knife make a clean break on the bone without creating any fragments. (You can also purchase boneless duck breasts if you desire.)
• Score the skin on each breast by lightly cutting through the skin but not into the meat. Make a criss cross pattern to allow for easy rendering. Preheat a large saute pan and add the canola oil. Season the duck with salt and pepper on all sides. Place the breasts into the skillet, skin side down. Turn the heat down to low and allow the breasts to render for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the skin is very crispy.
• Turn the breasts over and place in the oven and cook for 2 to 4 minutes or until desired doneness. Remove the duck and allow it to rest for 1 to 2 minutes. Slice the breast into 4 to 6 equal pieces and serve immediately. The duck should be served medium rare.
• Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F.
• Place a heavy gauge skillet on the stove over medium heat. Add 1 ounce of canola oil to the pan and add the duck legs, skin side down. Turn up the heat to make sure that the legs are rendering but not burning. Render the legs for 15 to 20 minutes or until the skin is completely crispy. Remove the legs from the pan, saving the duck fat, and place the duck legs into a deep oven proof dish. Place the onions, garlic, celery and thyme over the duck legs. Poor the rendered duck fat over the legs and add as much canola oil as you need to completely cover the duck. Cover the dish with tin foil and place in the oven for 3 to 4 hours. Remove the dish and allow it to cool. Remove the duck legs from the fat and remove the skin. With a fork or small knife begin to shred and remove all the meat from the legs. The meat should be very tender and shredded into thin even pieces. This can be done days in advance and reheated when needed.
• Heat a saute pan over very high heat and allow it to get extremely hot. Place the foie gras into the pan with no oil and saute for 30 to 40 seconds on each side or until crisp and golden brown. Serve immediately.
• In a large sauce pot add the potatoes and the parsnips and season with salt. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Allow it to simmer until the potatoes are tender. Drain the potatoes and parsnips and place into a blender or food processor. Add the heavy cream to form a mashed consistency. Add the horseradish and puree until very smooth and season with salt, to taste. Do not over mix. Place the mixture into a pastry (piping) bag and reserve hot for the assembly.
• In a small saucepan add all ingredients together and bring to a boil. Reduce by 2/3 and season with lemon juice and salt.

SEARED DUCK BREAST WITH GINGER RHUBARB SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine first 5 ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook until reduced to 1 cup (about 18 minutes).
• Stir in preserves and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook 1 minute. Strain wine mixture through a sieve over a bowl. Discard solids.
• Sprinkle duck with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.
• Add duck; cook 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Cut duck diagonally across the grain into thin slices; serve with sauce.

SEARED DUCK BREAST WITH PLUMS AND PORT

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, 1/4 cup of the port, the shallot, ginger, red pepper flakes, cumin and pepper. Stir to combine.
• Trim away the silverskin from the meat side of the duck breasts and trim away any excess skin and fat along the edges. Score the skin by making diagonal cuts just through the skin at 1/8-inch intervals. Put the duck breasts, skin side up, on a large rimmed plate and pour the marinade over them. Marinate, turning the breasts over once or twice during the process, for 1 hour at room temperature.
• To cook the plums and make the sauce:.
• Heat the butter in a small sauté pan over medium-high heat until hot. Season the plums with salt and pepper and cook, tossing them occasionally, until they are browned, about 5 minutes. Using a flexible spatula, transfer the plums and most of the butter to a plate. To the pan the plums were cooked in, add the remaining 1 cup of port and the chicken stock. Remove the duck breasts from the marinade and pour the marinade into the pan as well. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until reduced by almost half. Add the browned plums to the sauce and continue to cook over lowest heat until the plums are tender (the time it takes for all this to happen is about the same time as it takes for the duck to cook).
• To cook the duck:.
• Pat the duck breasts dry with paper towels. Heat enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom of a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the duck, skin side down. As the meat cooks, fat will render. Pour this fat off, using a large spatula or plate to hold the breasts in place. Keep pouring off the fat as the duck cooks, adjusting the heat if the skin begins to burn (use your nose to detect any burning, as the sugar in the port as well as the soy sauce will blacken the skin). While the duck cooks, check on the sauce; if it seems to be reducing too much, remove from the heat.
• Turn the duck over when almost all of the fat in the skin has melted away and the skin is dark and crispy, about 12 minutes. Cook an additional 2 minutes on the flesh side. Take the pan off the heat and let the duck rest in the pan off the heat for at least 5 minutes before slicing it. At this point you can heat up the plum sauce over low heat, if you had to take it off the heat earlier because it was in danger of becoming too reduced.
• To serve:.
• Remove the duck breasts to a cutting board, skin side up. Pour any juices (but not the fat) from the sauté pan into the pan with the plums. Slice the breasts across the grain into thin pieces, about 6 slices per breast. Place the duck slices neatly on each plate. Spoon some sauce and plums onto each plate.

PAN-SEARED DUCK BREAST WITH CASSIS COMPOTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the duck skin side up. Using a sharp knife, score 4 (1/4-inch-deep) cuts across the skin at a 45 degree angle. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper over the meat side of each duck breast.
• Heat a well-seasoned skillet or nonstick pan over high heat. When pan is hot, add duck breasts, skin side down, and cook for 5 minutes, or until skin is brown and crispy. Flip and cook for 2 more minutes. If you are unfamiliar with duck breasts, don't be put off by their unusual look. The fat-to-meat proportions reverse themselves when cooked, as much of the fat is rendered and the meat expands.
• Remove pan from heat (save the drippings) and transfer duck breasts, skin side up, to a cooking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake on the top rack of the oven for 6 minutes.
• Carefully discard all but 2 tablespoons of duck drippings from the pan. Return pan to medium heat and add shallot. Stir occasionally for 3 minutes, or until shallot begins to turn golden. Add Cassis to the pan and stir with a wooden spoon to loosen up the browned bits left by the duck. Add jam, vinegar, and remaining teaspoon of black pepper, and stir occasionally for 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Remove duck from the oven and slice each breast at a 45 degree angle into 1/4-inch-thick strips (properly cooked duck should resemble medium-rare steak). Arrange in a fanlike pattern on a warmed plates and spoon Cassis compote overtop. Serve immediately.