Seared Duck Breasts with Beaujolais Plum Sauce
Category
Poultry-Based Recipes
Servings
6
The sweet and savory plum wine sauce with hints of rosemary and bay is the perfect complement to juicy, crisp-skinned duck. If you like, roast or sauté some fresh plum halves in a little butter to serve on the side.
Ingredients
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2 cups Beaujolais wine
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2 tablespoons Glace de Canard Gold® dissolved in 3 cups water
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1 bay leaf
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2 sprigs fresh rosemary
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1 1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter at room temperature
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1 1/2 teaspoons flour
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1/2 cup damson plum jam
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Salt and ground black pepper
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3 duck breast halves (8-10 ounces each)
Methods/Steps
In a large saucepan combine the wine, diluted Glace de Canard Gold®, bay leaf, and rosemary and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmmer until the liquid is reduced to 1 cup, about 30 minutes.
Stir together the butter and flour in a small bowl. Whisk the paste into the liquid and simmer, whisking occasionally, until the sauce has thickened slightly, 2-3 minutes. Add the plum jam, stirring until it dissolves, and simmer for another minute. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper and keep warm over very low heat.
With the tip of a sharp knife, score the skin of the duck breasts in a crisscross pattern and season them on both sides with salt and pepper. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add the duck breasts, skin side down. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the skin is golden brown, 6-8 minutes. Turn the breasts and cook another 6 minutes or so, until they are browned. (The internal temperature should be about 130 degrees for medium rare.)
Transfer the duck breasts to a cutting board and let them rest 5-10 minutes. Slice them across the grain and serve with the sauce spooned over the top.
Additional Tips
If the duck breasts cannot fit in the skillet with a little space around them, use one large skillet for two of them and a small skillet for the third.
Wine Pairing: Beaujolais, Pinot Noir, or Merlot.