Monday, April 21, 2014

Duck Breast with Mushroom Sauce



I feel a little bit guilty eating duck breast because I love watching the ducks around here. Along with the Canadian geese, they provide loads of entertainment. There's quite a bit of quacking and honking going on this mating season.

We love duck, though, and I was thrilled when I found duck breast at Fresh Market. I have roasted a lot of ducks but wasn't quite sure what to do with just a breast. It was a good thing I checked some recipes. This is a quick dish! Not counting the sauce, start to finish, it takes about fifteen minutes. It would be a fabulous dinner party dish or a romantic dinner for two.

If you're not a saucy kind of person, I think you could make this so easily without a sauce. Think steak. Nice with a sauce but not really necessary. If you hate mushrooms, duck lends itself very well to fruity sauces as well.

I served this with rice. One duck breast will feed someone with a fairly good appetite. Maybe not a professional football player. Two duck breasts could probably serve three light eaters. I have to say that the pictures don't do it justice. It makes a very pretty presentation on a plate. The meat came out soft and juicy. We'll be having it again, for certain. It might just become my favorite go-to dish for birthday celebrations.


Duck Breast with Mushroom Sauce

Mushroom Sauce:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 large shallot minced (about 1-2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon marjoram
2 garlic cloves minced
3/4 cup chicken broth
8 ounces cremini mushrooms
salt & pepper

Pour 1 tablespoon olive oil in a sauce pan and add butter. When the butter has melted add the shallots and marjoram. When the shallots begin to soften, add the mushrooms and the garlic. Cook until the mushrooms soften, then add the chicken broth and simmer without a lid. Salt and pepper to taste. *See below.


Duck:

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 duck breasts
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 450. Heat the olive oil in an oven-safe pan. Salt and pepper the meat. Score the duck skin and fat in a diamond pattern. Sear the duck, skin side down, for seven minutes. Flip the meat over and place the pan in the oven to roast it, uncovered, for six minutes. Remove from oven, place on carving board, and let rest before carving.

If you are not making the sauce, save the fat from the duck pan to fry potatoes later that week.

* If you are making the sauce, leave two tablespoons of the duck fat in the pan, and add the mushroom mixture. Combine and serve with the duck.

The duck breast.


Score it.

So tender!






11 comments:

  1. It looks lovely Krista. I haven't eaten duck in a long time. I used to ask for roast duck for my birthday growing up. My mother would roast it until very done (everyone was very done, back in the 50's!) So now it's hard to enjoy a rare piece of duck meat.:)

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  2. Wow, that looks good. Duck is one thing I've never tried to cook, along with goose. The first meal my husband cooked for me when we were dating was a duck he shot, but that was a long time ago.

    By the way, it's Canada geese, not Canadian. It's a species name, not a nationality. :-)

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    1. Really? I had no idea. Canada geese. I'll have to apologize to them. I've always suspected they flew here from Canada, though. ; )

      Karen, you could have a special date night and serve duck!

      ~Krista

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  3. This looks wonderful and has me drooling. I love duck and goose.

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    1. Me, too, Libby. Two of my big favorites. My grocery store still has the $70 frozen like a rock geese that no one bought last Christmas. I keep waiting for the price reduction but I suspect they'll throw them out and take the tax deduction instead.

      ~Krista

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    2. I "cheated" at Christmas and bought a pre-cooked goose. It arrives frozen. You pop it in the oven for about an hour to thaw and brown. It's quite good and saves a lot of work.

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    3. That's a great idea. But then you don't get all that wonderful goose fat, or do you?

      ~Krista

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  4. You could always try cooking it just a minute or two longer, Lucy. Of course, it wouldn't be quite the same. Moms always have a special way with dishes.

    ~Krista

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  5. Krista, beautiful. I've always been afraid to cook duck. What a neat idea. We have a special night coming up. Perfect!

    Daryl / Avery

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    1. Roasting duck is really easy. Honestly, this was, too. And so quick! Just don't overcook it.

      ~Krista

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  6. This is a lovely recipe, Krista! I won't mention to our tame visiting mallards (Tommy and Tuppence) that I am seriously considering making it. I love duck and this looks doable at home. Of course, not the same kind of ducks ...


    XOXO

    MJ

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