Seared Duck Breasts with White Wine-Orange Pan Sauce
Fruits pair well with duck, especially orange, blackberry, cherry, and blueberry. Sauces are a common element in waterfowl recipes and one with a combination of acid and sweetness helps balance the richness of the meat. Round out the meal and serve the duck with spinach and roasted corn tossed in a warm bacon and Dijon dressing.
Serves: 4
Time: 40 minutes
¼ c. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. honey
1/3 c. canola or other neutral oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tbsp. water
4 skinless wild duck breast halves
2 Tbsp. clarified butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 navel orange, peel cut off, sectioned to remove membrane, juices reserved
½ c. dry white wine
1 Tbsp. salted butter
Combine vinegar, honey, oil, garlic, and water in a shallow dish. Add the duck breasts and turn to coat with the marinade. Allow to sit at room temperature, covered, for about 20 minutes.
For sauce, in a small bowl whisk together the mustard, honey, juice concentrate, cornstarch, and reserved orange juice; set aside.
Remove the breasts from the marinade, pat dry thoroughly, and season with salt and pepper. Heat a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add clarified butter to the pan and swirl to coat. Sear the breasts on both sides until medium-rare, about 4 minutes per side (internal temperature of 135°). Transfer to a plate and lightly cover with foil. Using the same sauté pan, reduce heat to medium, add white wine, scrape to deglaze any brown bits and simmer to reduce by half. Whisk in the sauce mixture, stirring constantly until slightly thickened. Gently stir in orange sections until warmed through then remove the pan from the heat. Slice the duck ¼” thick across the grain, divide the slices among four plates and spoon the sauce over, making sure each portion gets several orange slices.
My first attempts at cooking duck were awful, so I shied away from it. Had I known a few basics, I would have spared disappointment and enjoyed a delicacy that’s simple to prepare, but a bit of a challenge to bring home if your shotgun skills are wanting.
Most wild duck meat is dark, rich, and fine-grained. The flavor varies from species to species based on its diet. Dabbling or puddle ducks (mallard, teal, wood ducks) eat seeds, nuts, aquatic grasses, insects, and crops like corn, soybeans, and wheat. Fish-eating diving ducks (canvasbacks, mergansers, redheads) taste “fishy.” Much of the duck’s flavor is concentrated in the fat, so cooks have a choice to make – leave the skin on or take it off? Whatever the species, duck should be cooked rare to medium-rare. Cooked longer and the meat becomes tough, which is the most common mistake and the reason many people don’t like it.
To get a good sear on meat it’s important to thoroughly dry the surface. A wet surface will steam instead of sear and lose the added flavor that browning provides. Using clarified butter allows a cook to add butter flavor without burning it. Off-the-shelf butter burns at about 250°, but when it’s been simmered to remove all the water and milk solids it can handle temperatures up to 400°. Clarified butter will last for months when refrigerated.