There are two tricks to cooking duck breasts. The first is to score the skin and season the breasts well in advance. The second is to cook the breasts very slowly, over medium heat, skin side down, to render off the fat and crisp the skin.
- 6 8oz Duck Breasts
- Kosher Salt
- Fresh Ground Black Pepper
- Grated Nutmeg
- Orange Zest
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Fresh Thyme
- Bay Leaves
- Oil
- Gray Sea Salt
While the duck breast are cold take a sharp knife and cut a crosshatch pattern in the skin of the duck, making sure not to cut the meat. Season the flesh side of each breast with salt, pepper and a grating of nutmeg and orange zest. Sprinkle a few drops of vinegar on each breast and lay a sprig of thyme and a bay leaf on each breast. Turn over and season the skin side with a pinch of salt and pepper. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 1 hour or up to 12 hours.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Using a paper towel pat the duck breasts dry. Heat some oil over medium low heat. After the pan is hot, add the duck breasts skin side down (do not crowd the duck breasts, you may need to do this in batches). Move the breasts around occasionally to ensure they brown evenly. As the fat renders off drain the pan of the excess fat. Cook the duck until the skin is an even rich brown color and very crisp, about 20mins.
Flip each breast and give the flesh side a quick sear in the pan, only 30seconds. Move the duck into the oven, skin side down, for approximately 5mins. The internal temperature should be 125 degrees for a medium-rare breasts. (If you cook the breasts in batches it may take 6-8mins to reheat the first batch).
When the duck has reached your desired temperature remove them from the oven and let sit on a cooling rack for 5mins before slicing.
Slice the breasts lengthwise and finish with a light sprinkle of gray sea salt.
A good autumn accompaniment would be braised radishes, kohlrabi and brussels sprouts.
