DUCK BREASTS IN RED WINE SAUCE…IN UNDER 30 MINUTES

THIS CLASSIC DUCK RECIPE PUTS FRANCE ON YOUR TABLE IN NO TIME.

Duck breasts take just minutes to achieve crispy perfection. And the sauce this recipe serves them in takes about another 10 minutes or so, you can serve this recipe-quality entrée in under 30 minutes.  It’s one of several recipes from a wonderful new cookbook by Hillary Davis “French From The Market” (Gibbs Smith 2024).  Her name may be new to you but buy the book and Hillary will be a treasured companion in the kitchen.

WHO IS HILLARY DAVIS, THE AUTHOR OF TODAY’S RECIPE FOR DUCK BREASTS?

 Accomplished cookbook author, Hillary’s previous cookbooks include “Le French Oven”, “French Comfort Food” and “French Desserts”.  Perusing “French From The Market” is like taking a walk through a French village stopping at every food purveyor in town. In this case, the village is Bar-Sur-Loup, ‘high in the hills above the Riviera’ as Ms. Davis writes. The book is filled with page after page of glorious images of La Belle France. They are the work of Ms. Davis’ incredibly talented photographer Deborah Ritchken.  The equally beautiful food photography is by Sheena Bates. The whole book is a feast for the eyes.  It’s immediately obvious that the focus here is on fresh, seasonal ingredients assembled to create delicious dishes inspired by its author’s passionate love for France. And she’s written this book for home cooks—nothing is too complicated.

THERE ARE THREE DUCK RECIPES IN “FRENCH FROM THE MARKET”

There’s a whole chapter on poultry. And once you’ve gotten chicken—so essential to French cooking– out of the way, you come to duck. I can’t wait to see how “Warm Duck and Walnut Salade Landaise” turns out.  Landes, in Southwest France, is known both for its ducks and its walnuts.  And it looks glorious.  Ms. Davis then presents the crowning glory of French Duck Cookery with “ Whole Duck a L’Orange” which she promises will be easy. It does require marinating overnight. So we chose instead the “Duck Breasts in Red Wine In Under 30 Minutes”. We were happy to see that Bell &Evans, purveyor of Air Chilled Chicken fame, sells duck at our local Whole Foods. That’s what we used here. We served our duck with Asparagus and a side of fries. Ms. Davis recommended serving it atop a serving of egg noodles.  Here is the recipe followed by some other ‘ducky’ recipes on Chewing The Fat. Click on their links or the photo to go straight to the recipe.

DUCK BREASTS IN RED WINE SAUCE

March 19, 2024

Servings: 2

Prep: 5 min

Difficulty: EASY

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Duck breasts take just minutes to achieve crispy perfection. And the sauce this recipe serves them in takes about another 10 minutes or so. You can serve this recipe-quality entrée in under 30 minutes.

By: Monte Mathews

Ingredients

• 2 duck breasts
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 shallots, minced
• 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• ½ cup red wine of choice
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 rosemary sprigs
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Cooked buttered noodles, for serving

Directions

• Step 1 With a very sharp knife, score the duck breast skin in a crosshatch pattern without cutting into the flesh below. Season each side generously with sea salt and pepper. Place the breasts in a skillet on the stovetop, turn the heat to medium, and sear the skin for 7 to 9 minutes until browned and crispy.
• Step 2 Flip the breasts, drain off most of the duck fat into a measuring cup, and cook the other side for about 4 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 130 degrees F. Transfer the duck to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut the duck into ⅛-inch-thick slices and tent it with aluminum foil to keep it warm.
• Step 3 Pour any remaining duck fat in the skillet into the measuring cup. Measure 2 tablespoons of fat and put it back into the skillet to cook the sauce. Save the remaining duck fat to use as you would any fat.
• Step 4 Place the skillet over medium heat, add the shallots, and cook for 3 minutes. Sprinkle on the flour, stir to coat the shallots, and cook for 1 minute.
• Step 5 Pour in the wine, broth, and vinegar and add the mustard, bay leaves, and rosemary. Bring to a boil and let boil until the liquid is reduced by half.
• Step 6 Taste and season with sea salt and pepper, as needed. Fish out and discard the bay leaves and rosemary. Whisk in the butter.
• Step 7 Fan duck slices on each plate, then spoon the sauce over the top.

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