Prep 10 min Cook 20 min
The tartness of the pomegranate syrup combined with the sweet tones of cinnamon and cloves gives the duck breast dish a perfect balance with Moroccan overtones.
I love duck breast. It is not at all “gamey” and is much more succulent than chicken. It is quicker to cook than duck legs which are usually served as a “confit”, slowly cooked for hours in their own fat. However, believing it is was the realm of haute cuisine, I shied away from either, until recently.
They are surprisingly easy to cook and take about 20 minutes from stove top to plate. The secret is to slowly and gently render the fat so that you end up with a just a little fat and that famous crispy skin.
Duck breast is a dark meat and like a beef steak is traditionally served medium rare but I prefer it on the medium side with only a hint of pink in the center.
As to the sauce, there are a myriad of fruit based concoctions using oranges, apples, cherries or plums which tend to overpower and drown a dish but this recipe caught my eye. It is more of a glaze that you add just before serving and is adapted from one that appeared in Spicelines.
So next time you want to cook a fancy meal for two, try this easy and sumptuous dish.
Duck Breast With Pomegranate Citrus Glaze
by
Derek Farwagi
Equipment
- 10-12" Cast Iron Skillet
- Meat thermometer
Ingredients
- 2 Boneless duck breasts
- Salt and Pepper
- 2 tbsp White vermouth or wine
- Juice of one orange
- 2 tbsp Pomegranate molasses
- 1 teaspoon Honey
- 1 inch piece cinnamon stick
- 2 whole cloves
- ⅛ tsp Cardamom seeds ( from about 6 pods)
Instructions
- Trim any excess skin around the edges of the breasts and pat them dry.
- Place the duck breasts skin side up on a cutting board and use a small sharp knife to crosshatch them, cutting just through the layer of fat but not into the meat itself.
- Slightly salt and pepper both sides.
- Place skillet on a low heat and put the breasts skin side down. Cook the duck breasts over low heat for 15 minutes, letting the fat render out. The fat shouldn't spit or flare up. You want gentle bubbles of fat gently gurgling away and the heat should be the level you would use to simmer a liquid. The goal here is to avoid cooking the duck breasts too much, and just to render off the fat.
- As the fat renders and accumulates, pour or spoon it into a small container and refrigerate for future use.
- While the fat is rendering, mix the pomegranate molasses, vermouth, orange juice, honey, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes and set aside.
- When the fat on the duck breasts looks cooked through and the skin is crisp, cook the breasts skin side up for 5 minutes. Check the internal temperature till it registers 140F (60C). This will produce medium cooked breasts with a hint of pink in the center. For a medium/rare result cook breast skin side up for 2-3 minutes for an internal temperature of 130F (54C).
- Remove breasts from heat place on a cutting board, and tent with foil to rest for a few minutes.
- Slice each breast and serve with a generaous drizzle of the glaze.
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