Everyone is always surprised when they find out that I cook for myself. One of the biggest joys I have in my life is feeding people, but one of the others is eating! I think it's important to take care of yourself, just as important as taking care of others.
I've never made duck at home before. I've always been intimidated, by the fat, by it's mysterious dark meat, by the fact that I've only ever had it in fancy restaurants. I borrowed The Way to Cook by Julia Child from the library a little while ago because she makes me feel confident (or was it because I've been subconsciously influenced by buzz for the Julie & Julia movie coming out this summer?). I flipped through the duck recipes and choose to start with the easiest looking one. The recipe calls for 4 duck breasts, but I bought one since it would only be me. I got it home and thought it looked too big, so I cut it in half and threw the other half in the freezer. I can use the other half sometime in the next six months, and it should be ok.
For 4 servings:
4 skinless and boneless duck breasts
Seasonings: Salt, freshly ground pepper, and allspice (could find allspice in my cupboard so used a tiny bit of Chinese five spice)
2 to 3 tbsp duck fat or clarified butter (melt some butter and skim off the trashy looking foam)
Now Julia suggests serving it with the sauce on page 182 ,but I didn't want to buy a whole bottle of vermouth for a 'splash'. I made my own sauce, a gravy out of the pan juices, chicken broth, flour, orange zest, oj, and a splash of wine. I also left out the green peppercorns she suggests you throw in the sauce at the last minute. I just don't have those.
Here we go:
Flatten each breast slightly by pounding briefly between sheets of wax paper with a rubber hammer or pestle. Dust the meat with salt, pepper, and allspice, rub with a little duck fat or butter, wrap and refrigerate until you are almost ready to serve.
Heat the duck fot or butter in a pan until very hot but not browning. Saute the duck breast a minute or two on each side, only until the meat is lightly springy when pressed (165 F is the safe internal temperature according to the FDA. I had to cook it about 8 minutes per side), in contrast to its squashy raw state. Pour in the sauce, and bring just to the simmer. Arrange the breasts on hot plates, give the sauce a quick boil with the chopped green peppercorns, and spoon in over the duck breasts.
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