Muscat Marinated Duck Recipes

GRILLED DUCK BREAST WITH MISO, GINGER AND ORANGE

Steps:

• Trim duck breasts of extraneous fat (or ask your butcher to trim them) and score the skin. Season very lightly with salt and generously with coarsely ground pepper.
• Make the marinade: In a mixing bowl, whisk together miso, soy sauce, sake, orange zest, ginger, garlic, cayenne and sesame oil. Remove 1/4 cup of the marinade and combine it with 2 tablespoons orange juice to make a dressing; set aside. Add remaining 2 tablespoons orange juice to the marinade in the mixing bowl.
• Lay duck in a shallow pan and pour the marinade over, making sure meat is well coated. Let sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour. If you wish, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day; bring to room temperature before proceeding.
• Prepare a bed of medium-hot coals in a grill, or heat a stovetop grill or cast-iron pan to medium hot. Cook duck breasts skin-side down for 8 to 10 minutes, until fat is rendered and skin is nicely colored. (See note.) Turn and cook on the other side for 3 or 4 minutes, until internal temperature registers 125 degrees. Remove from heat and let rest at least 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook green beans for 1 to 2 minutes, until firm-tender. Drain green beans and rinse with cool water; blot dry.
• Slice duck crosswise about 1/8-inch thick. Line a platter with lettuce leaves. Place several slices of duck on each leaf, along with a couple of mango slices. Arrange green beans over the top and garnish with watercress, if using. Drizzle reserved dressing over everything, sprinkle with scallions and serve.

PAN ROASTED MUSCOVY DUCK BREAST WITH A CLEMENTINE - TOMATILLO SAUCE SERVED WITH WILD RICE RISOTTO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Heat a medium oven-proof saute pan over high heat until almost smoking. Season the duck with salt and pepper to taste. Place the breast skin-side down in the pan and cook until golden brown and drain the rendered fat. Turn the breast over, place in the oven and continue cooking to medium doneness, about 12 to 15 minutes.
• Serve the duck with the Clementine and Tomatillo Sauce and the Wild Rice Risotto.
• Place 1 cup of the sugar and the rice wine vinegar in a medium saucepan over medium high heat and cook until the sugar has melted and the mixture reduces becomes a light caramel color.
• Raise the heat to high and add the orange and tangerine juice and the black peppercorns and cook until reduced to 2 cups. In a small saucepan add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup water and cook until the sugar has melted and mixture is slightly thick. Add the clementines to the sugar-water mixture and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatillos and toss to coat. Stir in the reduced chicken stock and heat through.
• Add in the sugar-rice wine vinegar mixture.
• Whisk the ancho chile powder and horseradish into the sauce until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft. Add the arborio rice and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Begin adding the stock. During the last 2 minutes of cooking add the cooked wild rice. Finish with the thyme butter and Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• *Fresh thyme butter. Combine 2 sticks of slightly softened butter and 2 tablespoons of fresh thyme leaves in a food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt to taste.

MARINATED DUCK BREAST WITH SAUTED POTATOES

Steps:

• In medium bowl, combine oil, vinegar, chopped garlic, 1 sprig thyme, 1 sprig rosemary, salt, and pepper. Add duck, cover with plastic wrap, and marinate, turning occasionally, overnight in the refrigerator.
• Remove duck from marinade, and pat dry with paper towels; discard marinade. Set aside. Place a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add duck, skin-side down, and cook until the skin is browned and crispy, about 8 minutes. As excess fat accumulates, drain into a heatproof bowl and reserve. Increase heat to medium-high; turn duck, and cook for 5 minutes. Transfer to cutting board; allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
• Meanwhile, pour reserved fat into a cast-iron skillet over high heat. Add potatoes; when just beginning to brown, add picked rosemary, thyme, and remaining unpeeled garlic. Saute until potatoes are crispy and golden, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Just before serving, slice duck across the grain into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Fan out decoratively between two plates. Garnish each with a rosemary sprig; serve with potatoes.

DUCK BREAST MARINATED IN BUTTERMILK & SAGE ON BROWN RICE STU

Steps:

• The Marinade.
• Wash and dry duck breasts, score fat side of breasts, diagonally into diamonds, barely through to the meat.
• Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper.
• Place in a ziplock plastic bag, add buttermilk, sage and balsamic vinegar.
• Squeeze air out of bag and seal.
• Massage bag to distribute marinade around duck breasts.
• Refrigerate overnight.
• The Stuffing:.
• The stuffing can be made ahead and reheated when needed.
• I reheated it in the microwave.
• Remove duck breasts from marinade and set aside, reserving 1/4 cup marinade, discard the rest.
• Heat olive oil in large nonstick frypan.
• Add shallots, red pepper and garlic, sauté for 2 minutes.
• Add brown basmati rice and salt; stir to coat, cook for 2 minutes.
• Add wine and deglaze pan, add chicken stock and reserved marinade.
• Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover with a tight fitting lid and simmer for 45 minutes, no peeking or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed; set aside.
• The Breasts:.
• Heat butter and olive oil in a large nonstick frypan.
• Dry excess marinade off breasts.
• Place marinated duck breasts skin/fat side down; on medium high heat, brown until skin/fat is well browned, about 20 minutes, turn and cook to rare or medium rare, about 10 minutes.
• Remove to a platter and keep warm.
• Drain fat from frypan, add the wine and deglaze the pan, slowly add the buttermilk, while stirring, add the balsamic vinegar.
• Add the sour cherries, bring to boil, on medium high heat simmer until reduced and thickened by about half, about 15 minutes.
• To Plate & Garnish:.
• Reheat stuffing if necessary.
• Place 1/2 cup stuffing in the centre of each of two plates.
• Slice duck breasts into about 4 slices and place attractively against stuffing, skin side up, on each plate.
• Drizzle the sour cherry reduction over and around the stuffing and duck breasts, including some of the cherries.
• Sprinkle half of the toasted almonds over all on each plate and garnish each plate with half the sage leaf strips.
• Serve at once.
• (To reconstitute dried cherries if using, place in 2 cups water and bring to boil, simmer until cherries plump up, drain and use as fresh).