Duck Breasts with Cherry Salsa

Turn fresh cherries into a sweet-savory salsa for grilled or roasted meat

Fresh cherries are everywhere at our markets in L.A. I can buy a big bag of them, set them out on the table with a small bowl next to it for pits and stems, and they'll be gone before the afternoon is over. But when it comes to cooking with them, my favorite thing to do is use them in savory dishes. The fruit is so sweet on its own that it makes a really nice contrast to rich and fatty meats like duck. In this recipe, a simple pan-roasted duck breast is topped with a sweet and spicy salsa made from cherries, jalapeño, red onion, and cilantro. It's a quick meal and the only step that takes any time is pitting the cherries, but luckily you only need to pit a cupful. The salsa idea comes from a Raley's newsletter that my aunt sent me, and while the combination of cherries with raw onion and cilantro might sound odd, it really works together and tastes delicious. If you're not a fan of duck or have trouble finding it at the market, the salsa would also pair well with pork or lamb.


Related Recipes:
- Duck Breasts with Fig Sauce
- Poached Cherries with Goat Cheese
- Duck with Cherry Port Sauce


Pan-Roasted Duck Breasts with Cherry Salsa:
Ingredients
- 2 large duck breasts, skin on and boneless
- 1 c. fresh cherries, pitted and diced
- 1 jalapeño, seeds removed and minced
- 2 tbsp. red onion, minced
- 1 tbsp. fresh cilantro, minced
- 1/2 tbsp. fresh-squeezed lime juice
- kosher salt
- black pepper

Recipe

• Combine the cherries, jalapeño, onion, cilantro, lime juice, and a pinch of salt in a bowl and stir to combine. Check for seasoning and set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat a large heavy skillet over medium heat.
• Score the fat on the duck breasts in a criss-cross pattern with a pairing knife and season both side of the duck with salt and pepper.
• Add the duck to the pan, fat side down, and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the fat has rendered and the skin is brown and crispy.
• Flip the duck over and cook for another 2-3 minutes. The duck should be pink in the center still.
• Let the duck rest for a few minutes, then slice and serve with the cherry salsa.

Serves two, with some salsa left over

Duck Breasts with Fig Sauce

Restaurant-worthy duck breasts with crispy skin and a quick fig and wine pan sauce

I'm traveling for business all week, so my husband and I decided to have a romantic dinner to spend time together before I left. Instead of going out, we opted to cook duck breasts at home and used some ripe figs we picked up at the farmers market to make a quick pan sauce. Duck is one of my favorite things to eat for a special occasion and it's so quick and easy to prepare at home. The whole dish can be made in a single skillet and requires only about thirty minutes from start to finish, which is great for date night because you don't have to spend too much time worrying about the cooking and can focus on each other instead. The end result is a restaurant-worthy plate of crispy roasted duck breasts with a sweet and tangy sauce made from figs, wine, and balsamic vinegar. It's a real showstopper and so much better than going out to an expensive restaurant.


More Duck Recipes:
- Duck with Cherry-Port Sauce
- Whole Roasted Crispy Duck
- Fig, Duck Confit, & Mixed Greens Salad

Pan-Roasted Duck Breasts with Fig & Wine Sauce:

• Score the fat on 2 duck breasts and season with salt and pepper.
• Place a heavy skillet over medium heat and add in the duck breasts skin-side down.
• Cook the duck for 10 minutes, or until most of the fat renders and gets golden brown and crispy.
• Flip the duck and continue cooking for 3-5 minutes, or until lightly pink in the center.
• Transfer the duck to a plate and pour all but 1 tbsp. duck fat out of the pan.*
• Increase the heat to high and add in 1 pint of halved black figs, cut-side down.
• Cook for 3 minutes, then flip the figs and add in 1/2 c. red wine, 1 tsp. honey, 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
• Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the wine has reduced by half, then stir in 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar.
• Turn off the heat and stir in 1 tbsp. cold butter until it melts.
• Slice the duck breasts and spoon the sauce on top.

Serves two generously

*Save the duck fat and use as you would butter or olive oil. It will keep in the fridge for a month and the freezer for longer.

Tagliatelle with Duck Ragu

One of my favorite things to do with leftover roasts and braises is to turn the meat into a ragu. In fact, I often make a big roast just so that I can rework the leftovers in a luscious, meaty sauce. This version starts as basic tomato sauce before folding in a generous amount of roasted duck. I like using a wide noodle like tagliatelle, which sucks up a lot of the liquid in the sauce and stands up to rich duck. It’s a comforting, rib-sticking meal that is perfect for the holidays. Leftovers are even more flavorful the next day, but I’d suggest moistening the pasta with a few tablespoons of water before reheating.

Related Recipes:
- Penne with Pork Ragu
- Slow-Roasted Whole Duck
- Spaghetti with Lamb Ragu


Tagliatelle with Duck Ragu:

• Heat 1 tbsp. duck fat in a heavy pot or small dutch oven.
• Add in 1 diced onion, 1 diced stalk of celery, and 2 small diced carrots and cook for 7-10 minutes, or until softened and starting to brown. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add in 1 tbsp. tomato paste and cook for another minute, then add in 1/2 c. red wine and scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
• Let the wine reduce by half, then add in a 26 oz. can of crushed tomatoes and 1 1/2 c. of cooked, shredded duck.*
• Let the sauce come to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Check for seasoning.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, season generously with salt, and cook 1 lb. of tagliatelle pasta until al dente.
• Drain the pasta, reserving 1 c. of pasta cooking liquid.
• Add the pasta to the sauce, along with half of the cooking water.
• Toss to combine, adding more water if necessary to moisten.
• Toss in 1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese, then divide onto plates.
• Serve with extra grated Parmesan on top.

Serves four - five

*I used half a duck's worth of meat and leftovers from this roasted duck.

Slow-Roasted Crispy Duck

I love following tradition and strongly believe that there needs to be a turkey on the Thanksgiving table, but every other day of the year I'll choose a different kind of poultry: duck. In my opinion, it's the most delicious bird out there and because it's inherently flavorful you don't have to do anything to make it taste delicious. This slow-roasted duck requires just three ingredients and five hours to create the ultimate holiday roast. The skin crisps to a paper-thin crackling, the meat gets fall-apart tender, and you'll be left with nearly a cup of duck fat to use for future cooking. It's a stunning dish to serve for guests, and at $25 for a whole duck, it's very economical.


More Duck Recipes:
- Duck Breasts with Cherry Port Sauce
- Easy Duck Confit
- Orange Maple Duck Breasts


Slow-Roasted Whole Duck:

• Remove neck and giblets from a 5-6 lb. whole duck, then wash and pat dry with paper towels.
• Use a sharp pairing knife to create dozens of small slits all over the skin and fat of the duck, making sure not to pierce through to the meat. Season generously with salt and pepper.
• Place the duck, breast side up, in a roasting rack over a roasting pan and place in a 300F oven.
• Roast the duck for an hour, then pour off and reserve* any fat at the bottom of the pan.
• Pierce the skin again, this time using the prongs of a fork, and flip the duck breast side down.
• Roast for another two and a half hours, making sure to drain, pierce, and flip every hour.
• After four and a half hours, increase the heat to 350F and roast for another 30 minutes.
• Remove the duck from the oven and let rest, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes.
• Carve and serve.

Serves six

*You'll be left with a cup or more of duck fat by the end of it. Save it in the fridge for up to a week or the freezer for several months. Use duck fat in place of butter or oil in any recipe - it's especially good for roasting potatoes!



Got Leftovers?
Try this Duck Hash or make a Duck Fat Potato Galette with leftover duck fat.

Fig, Duck Confit, & Mixed Green Salad

Fig season pretty much came and went this year without me noticing. We've been doing a lot of traveling lately and our weekly trips to the farmers market have been much more infrequent, thus we've been eating much less seasonal produce. I was able to find a remaining basket of perfect figs and put it to use in this Parisian salad. The sweet caramelized fruit, rich duck (leftover from this recipe), and peppery greens perfectly compliment each other. We ate this as an early dinner (on the table 15 minutes after we came home from work) with a bottle of wine and a nice buttered baguette and it transported us back to France.


Mixed Green Salad with Duck Confit & Caramelized Figs:

• In a small bowl, whisk together 1 minced shallot, 1 tsp. Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar, 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.
• Slowly whisk in 1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil and set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp. duck fat* in a small skillet over medium-high heat.
• Halve 6-8 figs and cook, flesh side down, for a few minutes until starting to caramelize.
• Toss 3-4 large handful of wild arugula and 2 heads of chopped endive, cores discarded, in a bowl with some of the dressing.
• Scatter the figs on top and the meat from 2 legs of duck confit.
• Drizzle a little more dressing on top and serve.**

Serves two (main course)

Serves four-six (appetizer)

*Or butter or oil.

**You can also add a little goat cheese or blue cheese if you want.

Easy Duck Confit

Duck is one of my absolute favorite meats. Usually I pan roast the breasts until the skin gets crispy and serve it with some sort of sauce, but this duck confit is my new favorite way to prepare it. The dish has a super fancy reputation because the traditional way to cook it is a very involved process but this new method yields nearly identical results with just a few simple steps. Add the duck legs to a small pot with a little water, cook in the oven for several hours, flip, and roast until golden. You'll be left with tender, melt-in-your mouth meat, crispy skin, and a ton of leftover duck fat. I served them with figs that I caramelized in some rendered fat and saved leftovers for shredding into salads, tacos, etc.


Easy Duck Confit:

• Pierce the skin of 4 duck legs with a sharp knife, then season generously with salt and pepper.
• Nestle the duck legs, skin-side down, in a small pot and cover with scant 1/4 c. water. Place a lid on the pot.
• Roast the legs in a 250F oven for 1 1/2 hours, then flip skin-side up and roast for another 1 hour.*
• Transfer the legs to a baking sheet and increase the oven to 425F.
• Roast legs for an additional 30 minutes, or until duck is crispy and golden brown.
• Strain rendered fat and keep in an air-tight container to use as desired.**

Serves two-four

*The duck will render out a ton of fat while it cooks. Make sure the duck stays nestled in the fat.

**Duck fat will keep for a couple weeks in the fridge or a couple months in the freezer.

Orange-Maple Duck Breasts

Duck is one of my secrets for looking like a gourmet chef without much effort or time. I find that it’s actually easier to cook than chicken because it doesn’t need to be cooked well done and is easy to keep moist thanks to its generous layer of fat. The key is to deeply score the skin and fat and cook it skin-side down in the pan for the majority of the time so that most of the fat renders out and bastes the meat while crisping the skin. This recipe calls for a simple orange-maple glaze on top that adds a sweet-spicy-sticky lacquer over the duck. It’s an impressive, decadent dish that’s totally doable for a special weeknight meal or for entertaining a crowd.

Orange-Maple Duck Breasts:

• Use a sharp knife to score the skin of 1 lb. of duck breasts* in a criss-cross pattern. Season generously with salt and pepper.
• Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until very hot.
• Add the duck, skin-side down, to the skillet and cook for 7-10 minutes, or until most of the fat has rendered and the skin is darkly golden brown.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the zest of 1 orange, 3 tbsp. maple syrup, 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, and 1 large pinch of red chili flakes.
• Flip the duck to skin-side up and brush generously with the orange-maple glaze.
• Cook for another 3-5 minutes, or until duck is light pink in the center.
• Remove duck from the pan and rest for 5-10 minutes, then slice and serve.

Serves two-three

*Generally, this is about 2 large duck breasts.

Duck & Vegetable Asian Noodles

I made extra duck from this meal and re-purposed it for this weeknight-friendly noodle dish (adapted from this recipe). Most Asian noodles I make are more of a stir-fry, but this dish is basically like making Italian pasta but with Asian flavors. I love all of the crunch and greenery from the bok choy and onions, which form a really nice balance to the silky noodles and rich duck meat. It's a great one-pot dish that can easily be adapted to whatever leftovers you might have on hand (I think pork would be a great substitute for the duck) and leftovers make a great lunch the next day.


Duck & Vegetable Asian Noodles:

• Melt 2 tbsp. duck fat* in a hot pan and add in 1 minced onion.
• Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until starting to caramelize, then add in 1 bulb of thinly sliced bok choy.
• Cook for another 4-5 minutes, or until softened, then add in 4 cloves of minced garlic and cook for another minute.
• Add in 3 minced green onions and 1 c. cooked duck meat and stir.
• De-glaze the pan with 2 tbsp. Sherry, then add in 2/3 c. chicken stock and 1/3 c. low-sodium soy sauce.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook 8 oz. noodles** until al dente.
• Let the soy sauce mixture come to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
• Drain the noodles and reserve 1/4 c. cooking liquid.
• Add the noodles to the pan, adding cooking water as necessary to moisten them.
• Toss for a minute, then turn off the heat and drizzle with sesame oil and Sriracha hot sauce.
• Divide into bowls and garnish with more minced green onions.

Serves two - three

*Or canola oil.

**I used Udon, but any variety of Asian noodles would be great.

Crispy Duck Legs with Peach & Arugula

Duck gets a reputation for being fancy but its actually very economical. The legs, in particular, can be cheaper than most cuts of chicken and are much more flavorful. The key to cooking them is to let the fat render in the pan for as long as possible so that the skin gets super crispy while the meat bastes and stays succulent. Since the result is pretty rich, I like to cut it with some sauteed peaches, peppery arugula, and balsamic vinegar. Make sure to save the extra duck fat in your freezer and use it to cook vegetables (seen here and here) or other types of meat.


Crispy Duck Legs with Peach, Balsamic & Arugula:

• Season 2 duck legs with salt and pepper and place skin side down in a hot pan.
• Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the fat has rendered and the skin is darkly brown.
• Flip and render the fat on the other side, draining any excess fat as necessary to help the legs cook.
• Remove duck from the pan and pour off all but 1 tsp. fat.
• Add in 1 large sliced peach and cook for 2 minutes per side, or until starting to caramelize.
• Divide legs and peaches onto plates, then sprinkle with a handful of arugula and drizzle with aged balsamic vinegar.

Serves two

Duck Hash

Although I'm always trying out new restaurants and making new dishes at home, I can't stop eating at certain places over and over again. One of those places is Huckleberry (featured here and here), where my boyfriend and I have weekend brunch at least a couple times a month. I have a few favorites on the menu, but my boyfriend almost always orders the duck hash. Chocked full of potatoes, onions, kale, and duck, it's the type of meal that you can eat for brunch and stay full until dinner. Their execution is flawless, but I have to say that my attempt at recreating it is pretty spot on. And as an added bonus, I can eat it at home and in my PJs rather than standing in the long line of fellow Huckleberry fanatics that congregate their every weekend.


Duck Hash with Potatoes, Onions, & Kale:

• Melt 1 tbsp. duck fat* in a pan over medium high heat.
• Add in 1/2 thinly sliced red onion and 2 cloves of minced garlic and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until soft.
• Add in 1 bunch of chopped lacinato kale and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until wilted and tender.
• Add in 3/4 lb. cooked duck and 3/4 lb. cooked roasted potatoes** and 1/2 c. chicken stock.
• Toss together and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until most of the stock has evaporated and the ingredients have warmed and cooked through.
• Divide onto plates and top each with a fried egg.

Serves two - three

*Or olive oil.

**I used leftovers from this meal.

Duck Fat Potato Galette

I love potatoes (see some of my favorite dishes here and here), but they’re even better when cooked in duck fat. It sounds and tastes gluttonous, but duck fat actually shares many of the same health benefits as olive oil and is a healthier alternative to cooking with butter. I created my own by saving the rendered fat from these duck breasts, but you can also buy a jar at specialty food stores and online (such as here). It adds a rich flavor to the potatoes and onions in this dish, but you can also use it to fry eggs, make pancakes, or do just about anything with.


Duck Fat Potato Galette:

• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and brush it with melted butter.
• Meanwhile, thinly slice* 2 lbs. of Yukon Gold potatoes and 1 large white onion to 1/8" thick.
• Toss potatoes with 2 tbsp. duck fat, 2 tbsp. melted butter,** the leaves from 6 sprigs of fresh thyme, salt, and pepper.
• Arrange some of the potatoes in a circle shape on the baking sheet, then top with some of the onions.
• Repeat with another layer of potatoes, then onions, then remaining potatoes. Sprinkle the top with a little more salt and pepper.
• Cook the galette in a oven until potatoes are tender and golden.
• Let cool for a few minutes, then serve.

Serves four - six (side dish)
*I used this mandoline to make the slices uniform and super thin.
**Can substitute the butter, duck fat, or both for olive oil or just use all butter.

Duck with Cherry Port Sauce

Elegant duck breasts with a sweet and tangy 

We celebrated Valentine's Day over the weekend, with a small gift exchange, a special bottle of wine, and a delicious meal at home. It was my first experience cooking duck, but I've certainly eaten it plenty of times as it's my go-to order at nice restaurants and always seems to be my pick for special events like anniversaries. This dish is simple and impressive (even more so when served on my Limoges plates), the perfect thing to wow your valentine with. And as an added bonus, I saved all the rendered duck fat from the breasts and it's now stored in my freezer for future decadent meals (including a few that I'll feature later this week).


More Duck Recipes:
- Orange Maple Duck Breasts
- Slow-Roasted Crispy Duck
- Easy Duck Confit


Seared Duck Breasts with Cherry Port Sauce:
For Duck

• Use a pairing knife to score the skin side of two large boneless duck breasts.* Season with salt and pepper.
• Place duck, skin side down, in a very hot skillet and cook for 12-15 minutes, pouring off excess duck fat every 5 minutes or so.
• Once most of the fat has rendered and the skin is brown and crispy, flip the breasts and cook for another 3 minutes.
• Transfer duck to a baking dish, and roast skin side up in 425°F oven for 5 minutes for medium doneness.
• Remove from oven, cover dish with foil and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
• Slice duck and arrange onto plates. Top duck with cherry port sauce.

For Sauce

• Add 1 large minced shallot and 2 sprigs of fresh thyme to the skillet the duck cooked in.**
• Let shallot cook for 5 minutes, or until soft and translucent.
• Add in 1/4 c. port wine, 1/3 c. orange juice, and 1/2 c. chopped pitted cherries.
• Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper and turn off the heat.
• Whisk in 1 tbsp. cold butter and spoon sauce over the duck breasts.

Serves two - three
*About 1 1/2 lbs. total.
**Make sure that only about 1 tbsp. of fat is left in the pan.