Pan-seared and roasted duck breast in a balsamic honey reduction

Weeknight dinners at our home range from controlled chaos like Iron Chef – i.e. rushing to quickly get home and use ingredients we already have, or desperately hitting the supermarket on the way home while coming up with a recipe on the fly – oddly enough, also like Iron Chef.  Fun, but definitely stressful.

But cooking on the weekends or on vacation days?  A relaxing activity, because I can take the time to not only plan and grocery shop at a leisurely pace, but also use multiple cooking methods if needed.

I took advantage of my time off earlier this week and decided to embark on a culinary adventure: cook something based on what was on sale at the grocery store…and lo and behold, duck breast was on sale.

An easy dish to make

For the record, I have NEVER EVER worked with duck before.  The closest I’ve ever come to cooking duck is reheating it in the microwave (sad but true).  So, with the Chairman’s voice in my head, “With an open heart and an empty stomach”, I cooked duck for the very first time.

One thing I quickly learned about duck is that it is often paired or cooked in something fruity, a little sour and most definitely sweet. I’m guessing the sweet and sour help to cut through the rich flavour of the duck.

I finally settled on a balsamic vinaigrette and honey reduction.

Another thing I learned (especially about duck breast) is that, like beef, the perfect way to cook it is medium rare.

And the third most important thing? Duck tastes great when roasted and or seared. So I decided to do both.

Here are my ingredients and cooking notes.

(And P.S. this turned out waaaaaay better than I could have ever hoped for.  There was even enough for J’s lunch the next day).

INGREDIENTS

-          3 TBSP honey

-          3 TBSP balsamic vinegar        

-          1 TSP ground cinnamon      

-          1 TSP ground cumin         

-          ½ TSP coriander seeds, coarsely ground or crushed  

-          ½ TSP black peppercorns, coarsely ground or

-          1 TSP of olive oil (I used EVOO)

-          2 duck breasts

-          Salt and pepper to taste

COOKING NOTES

-          Preheat the oven to 230°C /450°F.

-          Make sure the duck breast is dry before you begin cooking

-          Make crosshatched incisions in the skin of the breasts

-          Season the duck breast with salt and pepper

-          Heat the oil on a pan (that can eventually go into the oven) over medium-high heat

-          Put the breasts, skin-side down, into the pan and sear for about 2 minutes

-          Flip the breasts over and sear for another minute

-          Flip the breasts over again so that they are skin-side down again

-          Turn the stove off and remove the pan from heat

-          Heat the honey in a saucepan over high-heat, for approximately 2-3 minutes, until it is slightly caramelized

-          Pour in the vinegar and mix well

-          Add the spices, turn the heat to low, letting the sauce reduce for about 4-5 minutes, until it has reached a coating or watery caramel-like consistency

-          Pour the honey sauce over the breasts then cook in the middle of the oven about 7-8 minutes

-          Take the duck breasts out, flip them, and roast for another 2 minutes

-          Take the pan out of the oven, move the breasts over to a plate, cover with aluminum foil and let the meat rest for about 5 minutes

-          Slice the duck breasts, spoon some sauce over the duck and then…#nomnomnom