Hubby fashioned this plate. As evidenced by the swoosh of a sauce, he has been watching too much Iron Chef. |
No, the cooking part was not hard. It was the butchering of the bird that was the real ordeal. It took 2 people (me and my husband) to manhandle cut the 7 pound duck. And oh, the horror of cleaning up! All the cutlery and dishes that we used just to cook two duck breasts. But it was Thanksgiving, and compared to our turkey last year, this was by far a cinch!
The duck breasts were delicious! It was perfectly cooked, and the sauce went well with it. And in case you were wondering what happened to the other parts of the bird, it will be in my future posts. :-)
This recipe is from allrecipes.com, tweaked to suit our finicky taste. Haha.
What you need:
- 2 duck breasts
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons rice wine
- 2 tablespoons wildflower honey
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon corn starch dissolved in 1/8 cup chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon tomato sauce
- dash of red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
What to do:
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Use a sharp knife to score the skin of the duck breast, about 1/4 inch per cut. Rub generously with salt, cayenne pepper and black pepper.
Hello, Mr. Duck. |
Heating the cast iron skillet. This baby is HEAVY! |
It's getting hot in here... |
To serve, slice the duck breasts and pour the sauce on top of it. Enjoy!
Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:
1. Don't like medium rare? Continue cooking until the internal temperature of the duck hits 180°F.
2. Using lemon instead of lime would give the sauce a hint of lemony sweetness.
3. Substitute wildflower honey with regular clover honey. I used wildflower because it gives a deep, sweet taste.
3. Substitute wildflower honey with regular clover honey. I used wildflower because it gives a deep, sweet taste.
4. Draining the fat off the skillet is crucial - the duck skin will not crisp up if you neglect doing it.
5. As usual, safety comes first. ALWAYS wash your hands (and other materials) with warm soapy water when working with poultry. We don't like cross contamination!
6. To clean your cast iron skillet (which is another ordeal), click here.
Happy Belated Thanksgiving!
"They will celebrate Your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of Your righteousness." -Psalm 145:7
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