Duck Pan Sauce

Serves 1
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Directions

  1. 1Score the duck skin to allow the fat to render out better.
  2. 2Salt both sides of the duck breasts and allow any moisture to come out, dabbing it off.
  3. 3Place the duck breasts into a cold pan with no oil.
  4. 4Check for color every now and then; the duck will unstick from the pan as the Maillard reaction occurs.
  5. 5Season the other side of the duck and turn them over.
  6. 6Remove and rest the duck breasts when they reach an internal temperature of 50C or just under.
  7. 7Pour off most of the duck fat and store it in the fridge.
  8. 8Add finely chopped shallots to the pan with the sucs and sweat them off for a moment.
  9. 9Deglaze the pan with Grand Marnier.
  10. 10Add marmalade (a teaspoon for a hint of flavor) to the pan.
  11. 11Add soy sauce to complement the sweet and bitter flavors.
  12. 12Cook out for a couple of minutes, the marmalade lumps will melt.
  13. 13Add orange juice and chicken stock to the pan.
  14. 14Reduce the sauce aggressively to your desired consistency; using a larger pan can speed this up.
  15. 15After about 10 minutes of reduction, add some finely chopped thyme.
  16. 16When the spatula traces through the sauce, turn off the heat.
  17. 17Add cold butter and whisk continuously to emulsify without splitting.
  18. 18Quickly test and adjust seasoning to your taste.
  19. 19Slice the duck breast to your desired thickness.
  20. 20Serve on white rice with the sliced duck breast and sauce all over.
  21. 21Alternatively, serve the sauce alongside cooked duck breasts, perhaps with some buttery mash.
  22. 22Cut spring onions on a very steep bias, nice and thin.
  23. 23Prepare water with ice and shock the spring onions to make them curl up.
  24. 24Dry the spring onions with kitchen towel.
  25. 25Finish with a little Furikaki seasoning.

Ingredients

  • 2 duck breasts
  • 30 ml Grand Marnier
  • 1 shallot, diced fine
  • 2 tbsp marmalade
  • 200 ml orange juice
  • 250 ml chicken/veal stock
  • 2 tsp soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp cold butter
  • 2 sprigs thyme
  • salt
  • spring onions
  • Furikaki seasoning

Equipment

panspatulawhiskblow torch

Tips

  • Score the duck skin to render fat better.
  • Start duck in a cold pan with no oil for better fat rendering and gradual browning.
  • Remove duck from heat when internal temperature reaches 50C or just under.
  • Use a slightly larger pan for sauce reduction to speed up evaporation.
  • Add cold butter at the end and whisk to emulsify without splitting.