DUCK BREAST, ALCOHOL and EMBELLISHMENTS

When it comes to cooking a dinner that feels both special and incredibly simple, pan-fried duck breasts are a standout option, especially when cooked with embellishments, and in this case – cumquats and a slash of alcohol (in this case vodka).

While many cooks tend to reserve duck for formal occasions, it’s surprisingly affordable and easy to prepare. In fact, duck breasts are often only a little more expensive than free-range chicken, making them m perfect for an elegant yet simple dinner for both special celebrations and weekday meals.

The inspiration for this dish came from some preserved cumquats I’d made last year during their season. I preserved them in vodka with some blood orange liqueur and I knew it would make a fantastic pairing with duck.

One of the best things about pan-fried duck is the simple cooking and versatility. A splash of alcohol—whether it’s vodka, wine, vermouth, or a splash of stock— all add complexity and depth to the sauce, for example vermouth creates a bright, aromatic sauce, while a dash of red wine adds a deeper, richer layer. And by adding small amounts of fruit, nuts, pulses, different herbs (thyme, rosemary, bay, sage), spice (star anise, juniper, cloves, cinnamon), or different stocks or flavoured liquids, the flavour is easily transformed.

The vegetable component for this meal in this case was a sauté of spinach cooked with a little extra virgin olive oil and garlic, alongside some simply steamed green beans that are complemented by the taste of the sauce.

An advantage of pan frying duck is that you can quickly and efficiently drain off the fat either to keep for another time or to pan fry potatoes, cooked beforehand and browned in the fry pan.

Cumquats

You are probably not likely to have cumquats that have been preserved in vodka, but you can easily make a quick version:

Quickly made Glazed Cumquats

16-20 whole cumquats,
2 cups water,
½ cup sugar, 2 whole star anise or a stick of cinnamon.

Place the ingredients in a saucepan and simmer gently for 30 mins or until soft. Remove cumquats. Add sugar to liquid in pan and cook for 5 minutes to form a syrup. Return cumquats to the pan and continue to cook gently for about 15- 20 mins or until the fruit is glazed and syrup has reduced to about a cup. Add a splash of vodka (optional, or save it till later) and leave till you are ready to add the cumquats to the duck or they can be stored in a sealed jar the fridge for up to a week.

Preserving Cumquats in Alcohol (Easy Version)

If you’d like to try preserving cumquats for future use, it’s incredibly simple.

This version needs to be stored for at least a couple of months but will keep for much longer

Wash and dry the cumquats well, pricking each one several times with a fine skewer.

Place the cumquats in sterilized jars and add your choice of spices—star anise or, cinnamon. I also added a blood orange liqueur.

Pour your preferred spirit (vodka, brandy, or any liqueur) into the jar, covering the cumquats completely. I rarely add sugar in liqueurs since they are often sweet enough, but if you prefer to add some to a spirit, dissolve a little sugar in hot water before adding.

Seal the jars and store them in a cool, dark place for at least two months before using.

Using Alcohol in both savoury cooking and desserts

I use mostly wine, vinegar or stock for deglazing  but I also particularly enjoy to use flavoured grappa, vodkas, vermouths, dry marsala and Pernod or Ricard (for anise flavours). For desserts, I use sweeter liqueurs. It’s a great way to add depth and interest to both savoury and sweet dishes.

Over the years, I am embarrassed to say that I’ve accumulated a collection of spirits and liqueurs that I now use and experiment with when cooking. In the past, serving a small glass of spirits as an aperitivo or a digestivo was quite the trend, as was a liqueur or an amaro after dinner, but no longer. Using up those leftover bottles to deglaze pans to elevate my dishes eases some of that guilt.

As well as playing around with alcohol, I am a great user of herbs and spices and I greatly enjoy selecting what could pair well with the ingredients I am using.

The recipe below may help clarify what I am discussing above.

I use a non-stick pan for sautéing duck, ensuring it didn’t stick, and another for the potatoes.

Pan-Fried Duck with Vodka-Infused Cumquats

Ingredients:

2 duck breasts

2 spring onions, fresh parsley and thyme

extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper

Preserved or quickly made glazed cumquats in vodka (with star anise)

a splash of vodka ( wine or your favourite spirit)

For the potatoes: Pre-cooked potatoes, sliced and ready to brown in a separate pan

Method:

Prepare the Duck: Start by scoring the skin of the duck breasts in a deep criss-cross pattern. This helps the fat melt away faster and ensures a crispy skin. Heat a small amount of oil in your pan, and once hot, place the duck skin-side down. Add a few sprigs of thyme for extra flavour. Cook for 5-6 minutes, allowing the fat to render out.

Cook the Duck: Flip the duck over and season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking for another 6-8 minutes, or until the duck is cooked to your liking. I prefer mine pink, but feel free to cook it a little longer if you like it more well-done. Once cooked, remove the duck from the pan and let it rest while you deal with the sauce and complimentary ingredients. At this stage you may notice that there is still some blood running off the meat but the duck will be added to the sauce once it is made and this will finish the cooking.

Prepare the Sauce: In the same pan, make sure that there is still some grease in the pan (or add some oil) for the next part of the cooking.. Toss in your spring onions and cook until soft. Add a handful of parsley for freshness and colour.

*If using preserved cumquats in alcohol drain them before you add them to the pan Allow them to cook for a minute or two before adding a splash of the drained vodka, or any other spirit of your choice. Let the alcohol evaporate completely before returning the duck to the pan, allowing the flavours to meld together.

* If using the glazed cumquats, add them to the pan with their liquid, add more vodka if you wish any other spirit of your choice. Let the alcohol evaporate completely before returning the duck to the pan, allowing the flavours to meld together.

Finish the Dish: Once the sauce is ready, slice the duck breasts and place them back in the pan to soak up the flavours. Serve the duck slices with the sauce and your vegetable sides.

See also:

Other duck recipes:

Sicilian Duck with green olives and anchovies; Anatra a Papparedda cu ulivi

RIGATONI CON RAGU; ANATRA (duck ragout)

DUCK AND MUSHROOM RAGÙ

LEFTOVERS, PAN FRIED DUCK WITH DRIED CHERRIES, PARSLEY OIL  recipes

 

 

LEFTOVERS: from Duck and Dried Sour Cherries to New Dishes

Some of the best flavours come from recycling leftovers. Take duck breasts pan-fried with sour dried cherries, for example. In this posti write about how I enjoyed using leftovers to new dishes with minimal effort.

IMG_2241-800x598

 

Cooking with leftovers isn’t about skimping and it’s about using the opportunity to innovate. It’s about creativity, resourcefulness, and feeling a bit saintly when you know you’re not throwing food away.

For example when I cook duck breasts with dried sour cherries (first steeped in red wine and a splash of vin cotto – a sweet, slightly syrupy vinegar – it’s not just about enjoying the one dish of duck meat and rich sauce.  It is also about “waste not, want not” –  what can do with the leftovers? Leftovers can be the building blocks for something new made more delicious by what is left over from that one dish.

Leftovers, by definition, are things we don’t “need,” things that seem unnecessary or redundant. In my kitchen, those “unneeded” ingredients can transform one meal into many.

It does not mean that I never cook something entirely with fresh ingredients, but I welcome using up something from a previous meal to convert into something new. It allows me to be creative and I feel saintly about not wasting food.

IMG_2239

Pan fried duck with dried sour cherries

The duck has dried sour cherries that I steeped in some red wine and a dash of vin cotto (slightly sweet), this is for the sauce. If I did not have cherries, I may have used some green or black olives and some capers with perhaps a little dry marsala or white wine to deglaze the pan .

Prepare the Duck
Score the skin of the duck breasts in a criss-cross pattern. Sprinkle both sides generously with salt and let them sit for about 20 minutes. This helps to draw out excess moisture and ensures crisp skin.

Cook the Duck
Heat a large pan over gentle-medium heat. Add the duck breasts, skin side down, along with a couple of spring onions and a few bay leaves for flavor. Let the duck cook slowly, turning the breasts occasionally to allow the fat to render. Once the fat begins to melt, increase the heat to medium-high to achieve a golden, crispy skin. This whole process should take around 12–15 minutes, depending on the size of your duck breasts and how crispy you like the skin.

IMG_2240-800x598

Rest the Duck
Once the duck is cooked to your liking, remove it from the pan and cover it loosely with foil or a plate to keep it warm. Let it rest while you finish the sauce.

Make the Cherry Sauce
Pour off most of the duck fat from the pan, leaving behind any brown bits and flavorful juices. Add the dried sour cherries and their soaking liquid (red wine and vin cotto or whatever substitute you’ve used) to the pan to deglaze. Stir, scraping up any caramelized bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Let the liquid simmer for a few minutes, reducing slightly and allowing the cherries to plump up.

Finish the Dish
Return the duck breasts to the pan along with any juices that have accumulated on the plate. Spoon the cherry sauce over the duck and heat everything through for another minute or two, ensuring the flavors meld together.

 To Serve 
Slice the duck against the grain and drizzle the cherry sauce over the top. Serve immediately with your favorite sides and enjoy the rich, savory-sweet combination.

Notes:

Don’t throw away the leftover duck fat! It can be used for sautéing vegetables or adding a rich flavour to other dishes. Also save any leftover gravy. I used both of these ingredients to make a minestrone.

From Duck Breasts to New Creations 

IMG_2250-800x598

A Duck Breast Salad

After enjoying the pan-seared duck breasts with cherries, I was left with one breast—a perfect opportunity to transform it into something new the following night- a duck salad.

To build the salad, I sliced the leftover duck breast thinly, along with any remaining cherries that had been drained from the sauce. These went on a bed of fresh, crisp vegetables: thinly sliced fennel, spring onions, and a handful of Batavia lettuce. I also added some shaved kohlrabi, roasted pumpkin and potatoes (which I had made as sides for the duck), and a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds for crunch.

For the dressing, I used some homemade parsley oil that I had in the fridge. I added a squeeze of lemon juice, salt, and pepper and turned it into a dressing for the salad. I could also add this to some labneh and make a perfect accompaniment to boiled new potatoes, roasted vegetables, or as part of a Middle Eastern-inspired meal.

Parsley Oil

Most recipes for parsley oil suggest blanching the parsley (stems and all) in boiling water for about 10 seconds, then cooling it in ice water to preserve the colour. But frankly, I prefer a simpler, more direct approach. Blanching can strip away some of the vitamins, and I find it’s unnecessary to achieve the vibrant flavour I’m after.

Here’s how I make parsley oil:

Ingredients:

1 bunch flat-leaf parsley (stems included)

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

A pinch of salt

Instructions:

Place the parsley (whole, no need to chop) and olive oil into a food processor. Add a pinch of salt.

Blend until completely smooth. The sharper your food processor blades, the better the result, as this helps prevent the oil from tasting too “grassy,” which can sometimes happen when parsley is over-processed.

Pour the mixture into a clean glass jar. Cover and refrigerate overnight. The paste will settle at the bottom, and the oil will rise to the top.

The next day, line a funnel with muslin (or a fine cheesecloth) and place it over a clean jar.

Carefully pour the parsley oil through the muslin to filter out the paste, then seal the jar and store in the fridge.

This parsley oil is vibrant, with a fresh herbal taste. It is green in colour perfect for a variety of dishes.

I particularly like to stir parsley oil into thick yogurt (labneh) for a tangy, herby alternative to mayonnaise and adds a zesty twist to many dishes – boiled new potatoes, roasted vegetables, or as part of a Middle Eastern-inspired meal.

A sprinkling of ground pink peppercorns can make it even more visually appealing!

Labneh with Parsley Oil

Making labneh at home is incredibly simple, and all you need is Greek yogurt, a cheesecloth (or any fine cloth), and a bit of patience. Here’s a streamlined process for making your own labneh.

IMG_2256

Homemade Labneh (Greek Yogurt Strain)

Ingredients:

2 cups plain Greek yogurt (full-fat works best for creamy labneh)

Cheesecloth (or a clean kitchen towel or fine mesh strainer)

A bowl (to catch the liquid)

Instructions:

Prepare the Cheesecloth
Place a piece of cheesecloth (or a clean kitchen towel) over a fine mesh strainer or bowl. If using cheesecloth, make sure it’s large enough to fold over the yogurt once it’s in.

Strain the Yogurt
Spoon the yogurt into the cheesecloth-lined strainer or bowl. Fold the edges of the cheesecloth over the yogurt to cover it.

Let it Drain
Place the bowl in the fridge and let the yogurt strain overnight (or up to 24 hours for a thicker consistency). During this time, the excess liquid (whey) will drain away, leaving you with a thick, creamy labneh.

Transfer and Store
After the yogurt has drained to your desired thickness, transfer the labneh to a clean jar or container. You can drizzle it with olive oil and sprinkle with herbs, or just enjoy it as is.

Note: The longer you let it strain, the thicker your labneh will be.

Using the duck fat and leftover gravy from the duck to make soup

I usually save duck fat to brown cooked potatoes but this time the duck fat I had saved from the pan became the base for sautéing the vegetables in a hearty soup—more flavourful than using olive oil. With the addition of the bit of leftover duck sauce, I made a minestrone. (which by the way means ‘big soup’ because it usually contains pulses and therefore makes it a thick soup).  The sauce added richness and depth to the broth, and I also threw in some cooked borlotti beans—something I always have on hand in my freezer, as I tend to cook extra beans for quick meals. The soup was packed with vegetables: onions, celery, carrots, and even kohlrabi, both the bulb and the tender green tops.

IMG_2246

I did make use of those leftovers!

FIG LEAF INFUSED OIL

DUCK BREAST, ALCOHOL and EMBELLISHMENTS

CUCINA POVERA; REDISCOVERING SOUP

LEFT OVERS, opportunities to be creative