DUCK BREAST
The finest cut on the duck. They are delicious if correctly prepared – as well as beautiful on the plate.
Keep in mind
The skin is fatty and the meat is rich. When it comes to duck, a lot is about arranging an appetizing presentation.
How to cook duck breast
Duck breasts will go dry if you cook them any further than medium rare. The internal temperature must not be more than 60°C (140°F) when the meat has rested and is ready to serve. How to fry perfect duck breast:
• Preheat oven to 200°C (390°F).
• The key to serving appetizing, delicious duck breast is crispy skin. Cut a decorative pattern in the skin to help salt and seasoning get in (and fat can get out). Add salt and pepper. A generous amount of salt helsp to extract some of the water out of the fat in the skin.
• Start with a cold frying pan with no fat. You want the duck breast to fry in its own fat. You want to melt and render it, leaving the skin crispy.
• Place the breasts in the pan skin side down. Increase the heat gradually. This is to avoid the skin sealing up and retaining the fat. You want as much of it as possible to melt and seep out.
• 80 to 90 % of the cooking takes place skin side down, on high heat so that the skin turns brown, crispy, and delicious. Turn the breasts over and sear and seal the meat side.
• To avoid the duck breats drying out, place them in the oven. Important:
• Turn the breats over again so that they go into the oven skin side down. (Using an oven tray is fine, as long as it is properly hot – from being in the oven – when you put the duck breasts in it.)
• Don't throw away the duck fat ! Almost any vegetable tastes great when fried in it, with just a little bit of added salt.
• The inner temperature of the duck breast – after resting for at least 7 minutes – should be between 55 and 60°C (130 and 140°F). For a perfect, pink core they should be elastic to the touch, not firm and unyielding.
• To ensure a tender experience on the plate, cut the duck breast crosswise at a decorative angle (a bit like you would slice a loaf of bread).
The classic
The duck breast is traditionally served with an orange or cherry sauce, but a classic red wine sauce with hints of both sweetness and sourness works just as well. Decorate with colorful “fillets” of orange in different shapes.
