Roast Duck Breasts with Pomegranate-Chile Sauce

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The pomegranate component in this dish is provided by another popular product: Pom brand bottled pomegranate juice. This can be made with chicken breasts instead, but be sure to roast them until cooked through. Recipe courtesy of Selma Brown Morrow of Bon Appétit.

Ingredients

Sauce:

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

2 cups refrigerated pomegranate juice (such as Pom)

2 cups low-salt chicken broth

4 large dried New Mexican chiles, stemmed, seeded, torn into 1-inch pieces

1 1/2 teaspoons adobo sauce from canned chipotle chiles in adobo*

1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

1/8 teaspoon ground cumin (not toasted)

Coarse kosher salt


Duck:

8 5-to 6-ounce boneless duck breast halves, skin and fat trimmed to size of breast

Coarse kosher salt

Ground coriander

Fresh pomegranate seeds

Instructions

For sauce:
Stir sugar and 1/2 cup water in heavy large saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil until syrup is deep amber color, swirling pan occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add juice, broth, and California chiles. Boil until sauce is reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat; cool. Puree in tightly covered blender until smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Whisk in adobo sauce, vinegar, and cumin. Season to taste with generous amount of coarse salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm over low heat before using.


For duck:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Score skin of duck (don’t cut into flesh) with 5 cuts in 1 direction; repeat in opposite direction, making diamond pattern. Sprinkle duck all over with coarse salt, pepper, and ground coriander. Place 2 large ovenproof skillets over medium-high heat. Add duck, skin side down, to skillets, dividing equally. Cook duck until skin is crisp and deep brown, about 7 minutes. Turn duck over; cook 1 minute. Pour off fat. Transfer skillets to oven. Roast duck until cooked to medium-rare, about 5 minutes.

Transfer duck to cutting board. Let rest 5 minutes. Thinly slice each breast crosswise on slight diagonal. Arrange slices on plates. Spoon sauce over. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.

Heat scale: medium

*Dried, smoked jalapeños in a spicy tomato sauce called adobo; available at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores and Latin markets.

Szechuan Tea-Smoked Duck Breasts

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A Recipe From:

300 Big & Bold Barbecue & Grilling Recipes

 

by Karen Adler and Judith Fertig

 

This recipe and others can be found in the Book Excerpt: 300 Big & Bold Barbecue & Grilling Recipes.

Ingredients

2 boneless muscovoy or moulard duck breasts (with skin)

1 tbsp whole Szechuan peppercorns

1 tsp coarse kosher salt

1tsp five-spice powder

1 cinnamon stick (6 inches) broken into small pieces

2 tbsp loose black tea leaves

1tbsp dry mesquite wood chips for the tabletop smoker

1/2 tsp dried orange peel

1/2 tsp vegetable oil

 

Marinade


2 tbsp sake

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp liquid honey

1/2 tsp grated gingerroot 

 

Szechuan Duck

Instructions

Prepare the marinade: In a bowl, combine sake, soy sauce, honey and ginger.


With a sharp knife, make scores in duck skin, through the fat (do not cut into meat), about 1/2 inch apart in a crosshatch pattern. Place duck in a large sealable plastic bag and pour in marinade. Seal, toss to coat and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 4 hours, tossing occasionally.


In a heavy skillet, over medium-low heat, stir peppercorns and salt for 3 to 5 minutes, or until peppercorns are toasted and fragrant. coarsely grind in a clean coffee or spice grinder. Stir in five-spice powder.


Remove duck from marinade, discarding marinade, and lightly pat dry. Sprinkle duck with pepper mixture.


Line the bottom of the stovetop smoker with a double layer of heavy-duty foil, leaving a 3-inch overhang along the edges.


In a bowl, combine cinnamon, tea leaves, mesquite and orange peel. Pour into the center of the smoker and spread out evenly to 1/4 in
ch thick in the middle of the bottom pan. Place the drip pan over the mixture and set the grill rack in the smoker. 


In a skillet, heat oil over high heat. Place duck skin side down and sear for 2 to 3 minutes, or until a deep golden brown.


Transfer duck to the grill rack. Fold the foil inward and skip on the smoker cover, closing it almost all the way. Heat over high heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until steady wisps of smoke appear. Close the lid and reduce heat to medium. Smoke duck for 8 minutes.

 

Turn off heat and let duck stand in smoker for 10 minutes, until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of a breast registers 150 degrees Fahrenheit  for medium-rare, or until desired doneness. Carefully open the smoker and transfer duck to a cutting board. Transfer to a cutting board, tent with foil and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

Tacos with Shredded Duck and Orange

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A Recipe From

Mexican Modern:
New Food From Mexico

by Fiona Dunlop 

 

Photographs by Jean-Blaise Hall


Ingredients

2 fl oz (50ml) vegetable oil
3 large onions, peeled and roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
5 1/2 oz (150g) pasilla chilies, roughly chopped
2 medium tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp Mexican orégano (or sage mixed with Italian oregano)
3 1/2 fl oz (300ml) fresh orange juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cooked duck, meat shredded
12 soft corn tortillas
2 large avocados, peeled, pitted, and sliced, to garnish 

 

Shredded Duck Tacos

 

Instructions

In a frying pan, heat the oil, and sauté the onion, garlic, and chilies until softened. Add the tomatoes and oregano and cook gently for about 15 minutes, stirring from time to time. Transfer to a food processor and blend to a purée.

Pour into a saucepan, stir in the vinegar and orange juice, and warm over low heat. Mix in the shredded duck meat, season with salt and pepper, and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Heat the tortillas on a griddle or in the oven (they should stay soft, not crisp). Place a tablespoon or two of the duck mixture along the center of each, and fold in the sides to close. Serve garnished with avocado slices.