Finally Friday’s ‘date night’ was upon us; I’ve been day dreaming about it since the week began. For the first rendition of our 52 night adventure my husband and I decided to tackle some water fowl, duck! Anyone that knows me, may be a little taken back by the fact that I am eating such a dish, let alone cooking it in my kitchen. It’s not that I’m a picky eater, I’m always willing to give everything a try, but in the past I was prone to opting for light fish rather than red meat or poultry of any kind. Well, things have changed and my eyes have been opened to a world of rich, savoury and delicious meals starting with our feathery freshwater friends.
After 26 years I tasted duck for the first time just this past January while at a cooking class in downtown Vancouver. Why had I stayed away from this beautiful meat for so long? Well, because of three reasons mainly; it’s always one of the most expensive dishes at a restaurant, it’s fatty as heck, but worst of all I’d just never given it a chance. This is primarily what this blog is about… adventures in the kitchen, sometimes getting outside of my comfort zone, and making those astronomically expensive dishes on a budget of ~$30. So why not!
Ducks wear a thick coat of fatty skin, which when I think about it doesn’t really appeal to the ‘health-nut’ in me. But when cooked right you’ll have a crisp, bronze skinned bird that is beautiful in colour and has the perfect balance of protein and salt, enough to make my mouth water all over again while I write this post. The fat that doesn’t stay in flesh turns to liquid gold in the pan and can be spooned off to be used to cook some of the side dishes (sauces or grilled vegetables).
Surprising to me, was how quick this decadent meal was to make; perfect for a Friday night after a long day at work. In total, but not including the marinade, the dinner took about an hour start to finish. Much to my husband’s excitement, the meals worked out to be about $18. Not bad right? Because we’re not (yet) connoisseurs of duck we opted to go with the lesser expensive option of previously frozen breast from Canard du Lac Brome , one of the popular Canadian brands which can be found at most grocers: In doing this we saved about $11. However in our hunt for good duck deals we found that Vancouver’s Chinatown offered some fantastic prices on the whole bird, but for two people, one large breast was all we needed.
The meal was paired with a 2011 Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages Rouge, from France. It is a fruity, light-bodied wine made from the Gamay red grape in the Beaujolais region of Southeastern France. Light tannins on the finish, to the nose it’s sweet fruit and pepper. Beaujolais is a food-friendly wine and can be fairly inexpensive (ours cost $19.99), some other producers to look for include Georges DuBoeuf and J-P Brun Terres Doree.
Duck Breasts “Lac Brome” (200g per person)
{Orange Spice Blend ~ for Marinade}:
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp orange zest
Marinade
1 tbsp orange spice blend ~ see above
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp black pepper
¼ cup olive oil
Method
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Trim the duck breast of excess fat and sinew, score the remaining fat diagonally with a sharp knife. Put all ingredients in glass container and marinate overnight (or for a few hours)
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When ready to start cooking remove duck from the marinade pat dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper.
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You want to start with a cold sauté pan. Place the breasts skin side down in the pan and then bring to a medium heat. Continue to cook breast with the skin side down for 7 to 8 minutes. You want to render the fat from the skin leaving it brown, crispy and delicious. If the skin shows no browning, turn up the heat, alternatively, if it’s browning too quickly, decrease heat.
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Turn the breast over and brown the flesh side for approximately 2 minutes. Then using your tongs brown each side of the duck (1 min/side). Duck meat is at its best when served pink, with an internal temperature of 125 – 140 °F. Once internal temperature is reached remove from heat and allow the duck breast to rest in the pan for 5 minutes.
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To slice the duck breasts, place them skin side down on a cutting board and slice diagonally, with the knife held at a 45°angle. Each breast should be sliced into about 8 pieces.
{Polenta Cakes}:
pre-made Polenta
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
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Cut the polenta into round circles. Then coat each side with cornmeal, salt and pepper.
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Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add half the polenta slices to skillet; ensuring not to crowd the pan. Cook polenta until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes, turning once. Remove polenta from skillet. Repeat with remaining oil and polenta slices.
{Portobello Red Wine Glaze}:
½ cup dried Portobello Mushrooms
1 shallot
2 cloves garlic
½ cup chicken stock
½ cup red wine
1 tbsp of butter
salt to taste
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Put the mushrooms in a dish, cover with boiling water and allow to soak for an hour. Drain and pat dry, then spread the Portobellos on paper towels.
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Add the Duck fat to a sauté pan, bring to heat and add in the mushrooms, garlic and shallots. Sauté for 3 minutes or until shallots are translucent.
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Add the red wine and the stock and reduce by ¾.
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Add a little salt to taste and finally whisk in the butter until it emulsifies throughout
OLIVECOCONUT 
