Maple Lacquered Duck Breast
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Author Notes: A few of my favorite things - duck, a little sweet, a little spicy, a little citrus. And simple - really this comes together in a snap. And as an extra added bonus you get to use the word lacquered. One simply does not get to say lacquered often enough .. - aargersi
Food52 Review: The combination of flavors in this recipe is delightful; classic duck & orange combo with a twist. The maple syprup adds a sweetness which is not too cloying and not immediately identifiable as maple (a plus, in my opinion). Salt the breasts abundantly and skip black pepper before placing in the pan; better to pepper later as the grounds will scorch. The dish is visually pleasing, as well; the pink flesh with orange zest, thyme leaves, and browned skin would make a lovely dinner party presentation. - binks
Serves 2
- 2 duck breasts - mine were nice and fat from the farmers market - the size will of course affect the cook time
- 1/4 cup grade B pure maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- zest from one orange
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- salt and pepper
- Preheat the oven to 375. Score the skin of your duck in a criss-cross pattern, about a half inch apart, being careful not to cut through to the meat. Generously salt and pepper the duck all over.
- Heat an oven safe skillet just to medium. It is important not to get the heat too high, because you want to brown and crisp the skin and render most of the fat without burning the skin or overcooking the meat. An iron skillet is really best for this. I also give it a spritz of no-stick JUST to be safe.
- Put the duck breasts in skin side down. Once you start to see some fat rendering, move them around a bit. Check periodically - the skin should be slowly turning deep golden brown. As the fat renders you may want to remove some, you want about 1/8 - 1/4 inch of fat in the pan. Save that extra rendered fat for potatoes or something - it's magic!
- While the duck is browning mix together the syrup, zest, thyme and red pepper. Once your skin is brown and crispy and glorious, flip the duck over and spoon the syrup glaze over. Into the oven with it. After about 5 minutes, Re-lacquer the duck with the now fatty sticky wonderfulness in the pan, then back into the oven for about 5 more minutes (depending on the size of your ducks) - an internal temp of 125-130 is medium rare which is duck breast at its most delicious.
- Make sure to rest the duck for at least 5 minutes, 10 is better, before slicing.
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Maple Recipe
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about 1 month ago lovebeerlovefood
I could kiss you on the mouth. This is such a great recipe! We just made it for Easter dinner, and served with asparagus and carrots. It was phenomenal. Thanks for sharing!
about 1 month ago aargersi
Abbie is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Wow - high praise indeed - I am so glad you enjoyed it!!!
2 months ago chefpatty
I mean zested orange!
2 months ago chefpatty
Excellent. I segmented the zest end orange, squeezed the juice out of the pith and added it to the maple syrup mixture. At the end of cooking I added the orange segments to the sauce. While the duck rested, I sautéed escarole in a little of the duck fat and added some garlic. Fantastic together.
3 months ago Tashipluto
great and easy recipe! I subbed pomegranate molasses for the maple syrup, and ground cumin for the thyme -- worked out beautifully. thanks!
3 months ago aargersi
Abbie is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Oh that sounds delicious! I will have to try it!
5 months ago rayva
great recipe! subbed preserved lemon (Paula Wolfert recipe) for the orange zest and it worked well with its hints of moroccan spices. Thank you!
6 months ago QueenSashy
I absolutely must try this!
6 months ago aargersi
Abbie is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Oh I hope that you do, and that you enjoy it!
7 months ago Emalani
I'm making this tonight, so I probably won't have an answer by then - but just in case...aargesi, what do you serve with this duck recipe? I like Consultant's suggestion of Suspiciously Delicious Cabbage - then I might go with potatoes for the starch. But any other ideas? Thank you!
7 months ago aargersi
Abbie is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Hi there! I just saw this - what did you decide on? I would say go decadent and do duck fat potatoes:
http://www.food52.com/recipes...
and a salad. Probably don't want to eat that EVERY night but ...
7 months ago Emalani
We were going to do oven-roasted potatoes. I planned to parboil them a bit first but forgot about them (we have 9-month-old triplets who just learned to crawl!). They were a mushy mess when I found them again. I let them dry in the colander, and then fried the in the extra duck fat -- not as good as the duckfatfriedpotatoes, but good! The duck was DELICIOUS. Absolutely wonderful, thank you. And the cabbage was a pretty awesome side, too.
about 1 year ago Consultant who cooks
I love this recipe! A few notes: I didn't have as much maple syrup as I thought, so I substituted honey for most of it and added a little splash of orange juice to make the glaze easier to spread. The 6 oz frozen duck breasts I bought were pretty thin and only needed about 6 minutes in the oven. I served it with fiveandspice's Suspiciously Delicious Cabbage for a great dinner.
about 1 year ago aargersi
Abbie is a trusted source on General Cooking.
I love your twists! And am so glad you enjoyed them!
about 1 year ago arielleclementine
hey congrats on the CP Abbie!! that picture is absolutely mouthwatering.
about 1 year ago jenniebgood
I've been eyeing packaged duck breast at my local farmer's market for a few months now, but didn't want to get caught up in elaborate preparation - this looks so great and I'm going to give it a try. Congrats on getting chosen as a Community Pick!
about 1 year ago aargersi
Abbie is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Thanks! Yes I recommend getting them at the farmer's market. Mine come with wings - a bonus for my stock bag!!!
about 1 year ago gingerroot
Just now getting to this...and all I can say is LOVE!
about 1 year ago Kitchen Butterfly
Oh, I miss my duck. Not a meat you find in Nigeria.....sniff sniff. This sounds so yummy.
about 1 year ago aargersi
Abbie is a trusted source on General Cooking.
I am sad for you! No duck is no good :-(
4 months ago edgargonzalezcom
rise your own ducks!!
about 1 year ago arielleclementine
love this!! quintessential aargersi. saved to make soon with duck from your fave purveyor!
about 1 year ago aargersi
Abbie is a trusted source on General Cooking.
The guy at Barton Creek farmer's market has nice ones!!! He also has rabbits ...
about 1 year ago healthierkitchen
Delicious! Just saved this for when I find the perfect duck breasts!
about 1 year ago Midge
Yay for lacquered! Maple and duck do seem like they were made for each other.
about 1 year ago LE BEC FIN
Perfect combo of some of my favorite things. Now, seriously, aa, when ARE you moving next door?
about 1 year ago boulangere
Cynthia is a trusted source on Bread/Baking.
Duck & maple, great pair. You're seriously onto something here.
about 1 year ago inpatskitchen
Lovin lacquered! Looks and sounds amazing! Saved!
about 1 year ago hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour is a trusted home cook.
Of course I love this! Yum to lacquered duck!
about 1 year ago wssmom
Lacquered. Lacquered. Lacquered ... it does have a certain ring to it. Like your recipe. YUM. Love duck, don't make it at home nearly enough but this is an inspiration! Plus, I will get to say "lacquered" for the first time in, oh, months.