A well cooked duck is a magnificent thing – deliciously crisp fat and rich, gamey meat . I have always loved incorporating acidic fruits into savoury dishes and duck works brilliantly with nearly all members of the ‘berry’ family!
The best way to cook duck is to remove the legs and confit and cook the breast on the bone as a crown. I detail instructions below for cooking a crown of duck sous vide.
For inspiration, I paired the slow cooked duck breast with:
Bread Sauce
Duck Gravy
Pickled Blackberries
Confit duck leg with peas, lettuce and mint
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Sous Vide Duck Crown
Serves 2
Ingredients:
1 Duck Crown (1 Duck – Legs, Wings and Wishbone removed)
2 tsp Ground Mace
4 tbsp Olive Oil
25g Unsalted Butter
Sea Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
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Method:
1) Pre heat the water bath/sous vide machine to 62C.
2) Score the skin of the duck breasts and rub the ground mace into the breasts. Place a large pan on a high heat – add half the olive oil and sear the crown breast side down until the fat is golden and well rendered (approximately 5-10 minutes).
3) Remove from the pan and allow to cool.
4) Vacuum pack the duck crown in a large vacuum bag. Place in the water bath and allow to cook for 1 1/2 hours.
5) Remove the crown from the water bath and the vacuum bag. Slice the breasts off the crown.
6) Place a pan over a high heat and add the olive oil. Season the duck breasts with salt and pepper. Sear skin side down for 2-3 minutes to crisp up the fat. Add the butter to the pan and turn the duck breasts over. Baste with the butter for 1 minute.
7) Remove the duck breast from the pan. Allow to rest, covered, for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.
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Enjoy!
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