Duck Breast Tacos With Plum Salsa Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a small saucepot, combine the honey, red wine vinegar, and chile de arbol. Heat over medium heat. Allow to reduce for 10 minutes. When the consistency is thick and coats the back of a spoon, remove from heat and set aside to cool.
• Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the plum, red onion, yellow tomato, scallion, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, and reserved vinegar and honey reduction. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium high heat. Season duck breast with salt and pepper on both sides, and sear, skin side down, for 3 minutes. Place duck breast in the oven, with skin side down, for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to sit on a cutting board for 3 minutes. Then slice breast in 1/4-inch slices. Fan out on a plate and serve with plum salsa on top.

Steps:

• Remove the duck meat from the bones, discarding all skin and sinew. Shred meat. Heat the fat in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Saute' the onion with the salt and pepper until translucent. Add the red peppers and duck meat and cook, stirring frequently, until heated through. Keep warm. Combine the salsa, honey and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
• For tacos, toast 12 small corn tortillas as for carnitas tacos. Divide the filling and center on each tortilla. Top each with a tablespoon of salsa and a slice of avocado, and serve.

Steps:

• For the relish: Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• For the sauce: Preheat grill or side burner. Heat the oil in a large nonreactive saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until soft. Add the Thai chiles, ginger, curry powder and cinnamon and cook for 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and cook until the sauce becomes thick, about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Place plum mixture, in 2 or 3 batches, in a food processor and process until smooth. Remove marinade to a large bowl and let cool completely. Reserve 1 cup. Yield: 4 cups
• For the duck: Preheat grill medium-low heat. Season breast with salt and pepper on both sides to taste. Grill skin-side down for 5 minutes. Baste, using 3 cups of the plum sauce, turn, baste again, and grill for 5 minutes. Baste, turn and baste again; cover the grill and cook the duck skin-side down for 5 minutes. Baste, turn and baste again; cover and cook another 5 minutes or until well-browned on the outside but medium-rare doneness (total 20 minutes). Remove breasts to a platter and brush with the reserved plum sauce. Cover with foil and let sit 10 minutes. Grill the tortillas for 15 seconds on each side. Cut the duck on the bias into 1/4-inch thick slices. Brush some of the reserved sauce in the center of each tortilla, place 3 or 4 slices of the duck and a few green onions, wrap and serve. Serve with Tomatillo Salsa.

Steps:

• Score the skin on each duck breast in a crosshatch pattern with a small, sharp knife. Flip over and sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 3/4 teaspoon pepper and the chile powder over the meat sides of the breasts.
• Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the duck, skin-side down, and cook until the fat begins to render, about 2 minutes, then lower the heat to medium. Continue cooking, uncovered and without turning, until the fat has rendered and the skin is golden brown and crisp, about 15 minutes. (Spoon the excess rendered fat from the pan into a heatproof bowl as needed during cooking.) Flip the duck breasts and continue cooking until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast registers 135 degrees F for medium rare, about 5 minutes more. Transfer the duck to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the pineapple, jicama, cilantro, chile and lime juice in a large bowl, stirring well to combine. Gently fold in the avocado and season to taste with salt.
• Thinly slice the duck breasts crosswise and serve with the pineapple salsa on the side.

Steps:

• For the duck marinade: In a medium bowl, add the ginger, peppercorns, rice wine, dark and light soy sauce, sea salt and star anise and stir to combine. Add the duck, cover with plastic wrap and leave to marinate for 30 minutes or as long as overnight in the refrigerator.
• For the salsa: While the duck marinates, combine the cilantro, ginger, chile, grapefruit, lime juice and zest, pears, mangos, onions and chile flakes in a medium bowl. Toss to combine and season with sea salt. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
• Heat a wok or pan over high heat and add the vegetable oil. Place the duck into the wok, skin-side down, and fry until the skin is brown and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the breasts and reduce the heat to medium. Cover and cook for 4 minutes.
• Remove the duck and let rest for 5 minutes. Chop the duck into bite-size pieces, then dust the pieces in the cornstarch and coat well.
• Heat a wok or pan over high heat and fill to a quarter of its depth with peanut oil. Heat the oil to 350 degrees F, or until a cube of bread turns golden brown in 15 seconds and floats to the surface. Ensure that your wok is stable before deep-frying.
• Place the duck pieces in a spider/scoop, carefully lower into the oil and fry until crispy and golden brown. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels.
• To serve, spoon some crispy duck onto a tortilla and top with some Asian pear salsa. Serve with small bowls of cilantro, flaked sea salt and dried chile flakes so guests can season their own and help themselves.

Steps:

• Using a spice grinder (such as a coffee grinder reserved for spices), grind the star anise, dried oregano, and Szechuan peppercorns to a fine powder. Dump into a small bowl and stir in the ground ancho, salt, and cinnamon.
• Pat dry the duck breasts with a paper towel. Use a sharp knife to cut through just the skin and fat, without piercing the meat, in 1-inch intervals, then repeat the cuts at a 90° angle to make a crosshatch pattern all across the skin. Sprinkle the spice mixture all over the duck breasts. Pack in heavy-duty resealable plastic bags, squeezing as much air out as possible, and refrigerate for several hours or as long as 24 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 450°F.
• In a small roasting pan lined with aluminum foil, roast the duck breasts skin side up for 10 minutes. Increase the heat to 550°F and turn the breasts skin side down. Roast until much of the fat has rendered and the skin is browned and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate, pour off the extra duck fat from the pan and reserve for another use. Let the duck breasts rest for at least 10 minutes. (If desired, wrap one of the duck breasts in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for up to 1 week for a later meal.)
• Warm the tortillas (see page 85) and wrap them in aluminum foil to keep warm.
• Meanwhile, make the salsa. Finely chop the jalapeño. In a small mixing bowl, combine the jalapeño with the plum, shallot, cilantro, mint, lime juice, oil, and a generous sprinkling of salt. Taste, add more salt if necessary; if you want more heat, add some of the reserved jalapeño seeds.
• Lay the tortillas out on a plate. Cut the duck breast crosswise into 1/2-inch slices, place a couple of slices on each tortilla, top each with the plum salsa, and eat.

Steps:

• For the sauce, fry the shallot in the oil for 5 mins or until softened but not coloured. Add the plums and sugar, stirring for a few mins until the sugar has dissolved. Add the red wine and stock, then simmer for about 15 mins, stirring occasionally, until softened and slightly thickened. Keep warm or leave at room temperature for up to a day before reheating to serve.
• Meanwhile, heat the oven to 180C/ 160C fan/gas 4. Score the skin of the duck breasts with a sharp knife and season well with salt and pepper. Heat a non-stick frying pan and place the duck breasts in, skin-side down. Fry for 6-7 mins, then turn and add the thyme, star anise and butter. Allow this to melt, basting the duck with the juices, then transfer everything to a small roasting tin and finish in the oven for 5-6 mins for pink or 10-12 mins for well done.
• When the duck is ready, baste again with the juices, then rest for 5 mins while you finish everything else.
• To serve, thinly slice each duck breast on a chopping board. Arrange on each plate along with a spoon of the Creamed potatoes, some of the plum sauce and the Buttered spinach.