Tips
1. Buy your duck as fresh as possible
The most important thing to think about when cooking duck is the quality of the meat. The quality of duck meat goes down a lot more the longer it remains well dead. The only way to really cook a good duck dish is to buy from a local butcher or farmers market, during duck hunting season and locally sourced duck. This will make sure that it had maintained its flavor and the texture doesn't become chewy.
2. Let your duck get to room temperature before cooking
Cooking any kind of mean cold or frozen causes it to end up cooking unevenly, forcing you to overcook the exterior to get the interior of the cut to the desired temperature. On top of that its probably best if you only buy the duck if you are cooking it with in 24 hours and only need to put it in the fridge until ready. From the fridge the duck will get to room temperature in about 30-35 mins.
3. Score the skin
To score, take a knife and cut a criss-cross pattern into the duck's skin. This allows the duck to be more exposed and the fat to cook into the skin on the pan. Lightly salt, pepper and onion powder to the duck. Heat a pan with butter minced garlic and rosemary. The fat will also start adding to that as it renders. Make sure to cook mostly skin side down so the skin crisps up (check periodically to make sure its a dark golden not black). Baste the butter garlic and rosemary juices on the meat as the skin crisps. Then, you can let the other sides of the duck sit on the heat for 30-45 seconds to finish. After that throw it in the oven to finish.
4. Add Acid
The rich, fatty, savory flavors of the duck go great with acids like, orange, currants or pomegranates. Lychee sauce is good for a summer dish, or add prunes if you want to add more of a fall feel.
Recipe
1. Preheat your oven to 350°F
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.
3. Place the duck breasts in the skillet and season them with salt, pepper, and rosemary.
4. Cook the duck breasts on each side for 4-5 minutes, or until they are golden brown.
5. Transfer the duck breasts to a baking dish and put them in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes to finish cooking.
6. In the same skillet, add the diced onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for 5 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
7. Add the lentils and white wine to the pan and cook for an additional 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Add salt, pepper to taste and drizzle your acid of choice over the top.
9. Serve the cooked duck breasts with the lentils and vegetables.
Enjoy!
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