Fusion Vibes: Ginger Citrus Duck Breast

Duck is delicious. It seems daunting and fancy, but with a little preparation, it can be a very simple and elegant dinner companion. You don’t need a whole duck which really, is quite a bit of work. For the ease of cooking for one or for a small dinner option, I suggest using a duck breast, or magret de canard. I marinate a duck breast overnight to maximize the flavors, sear it on both sides to seal in the juices and then finish it off in the oven. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• One duck breast (magret de canard) 500 grams/1 pound

• One large orange (keep the rinds for the marinade)

• One large green onion/scallion, cut into large pieces

• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

• One garlic clove

• 1 teaspoon mirin

• 3 teaspoons dark soy sauce

• 2 tablespons sesame oil

• 2 teaspoons honey

Directions

Put all of the ingredients in a plastic bag and marinate for at least 4 hours or better yet, overnight(in the fridge!). When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 400F/200C. Score the duck breast (cut lines across the skin portion so the fat will melt) and render the fat in a sauté pan on medium high heat. The duck breast skin will lift off the pan when its ready to be flipped - around 3-4 minutes. Pour off the fat, and transfer to the oven to finish with the remaining marinade poured on top. You don’t want to sear the duck in the marinade because it would splatter on the high heat, and the sugars in the sauce would burn(read: big hot mess). Bake for 10 minutes for medium well. Remove from the oven and let it sit for a few minutes before slicing and serving. If you feel like this is too rare - place the slices back in the hot pan and heat for the desired temperature. This pairs nicely with arugula, noodles, steamed rice or mashed potatoes. Done!

Nota bene: Some people don’t really like the idea of medium/rose duck - so yes, you could cook it well done, but it will be much tougher meat. Again, up to you - but I recommend keeping a bit of pink in the center, or its going to be a bit on the chewy side and perhaps, not as enjoyable.