Seared Duck Breast with Mushrooms, Purple Cabbage & Blueberry Sauce
Seared Duck Breast with Mushrooms, Purple Cabbage & Blueberry Sauce was everyone’s absolute favorite at my Mushroom Fête dinner. Feel French for a night by surprising your guests with delectable duck breasts! Tender, succulent meat with crispy, golden, nicely seasoned skin is enhanced by wild blueberry and red wine based sauce. If you haven’t tried making the duck breast yet, you absolutely MUST! It is much easier than you might think. D’Artagnan is the pioneer and leading producer in high quality organic meats which are available to Michelin-starred chefs and regular home-cooks alike. Still rare in the stores, their meats disappear really fast from the shelves, I always call the stores before going to make sure they have it. Gourmet Garage and Fairway in New York City carry D’Artagnan product and you can call them in advance to reserve whatever you need from the next delivery. Of course, you can take a chance and stop by the store and grab it if you see it.
Score the skin of the duck breasts into a crisscross pattern and season generously with salt and pepper. Sear the meat in a hot skillet skin side down for about 8 minutes, flip and continue cooking for another 4 minutes or so. Let it rest a bit, then cut each breast diagonally on a bias. Serve along with sautéed purple cabbage infused with Chinese five spice and hen-of-the-woods roasted mushrooms. The blueberry and red wine infused sauce imparts a sweet fruity note to the succulent duck meat.
Ingredients: duck breasts, purple cabbage, shallot, bay leave, low-sodium chicken, Chinese five spice powder, garlic clove, orange juice, Dijon mustard, blueberry or black currant spread, red wine, star anise and thyme sprig, Hen-of-the-Woods mushrooms.
Maitake Frondosa, or Hen-of-the-Woods mushrooms, with their brown wavy caps are a beautiful addition to roasted meats and oil-rich fish.
Purple Cabbage: Heat duck fat in large frying pan over medium-high heat, add cabbage and toss in the pan, until cabbage is reduced in size slightly, 4-5 minutes.
Add shallots and garlic and pour the stock over the cabbage. Season with salt, pepper and Chinese five spice. Lower the heat, close with the lid and let it simmer for 10-12 minutes, until tender but still with a crunch. Turn off the heat, lift up the lid, add bay leaf and leave it ajar. Set aside.
Duck Breast: Score the duck skin, approximately ½ inch apart in a crisscross pattern (try not to cut into the duck meat), with a sharp knife, it helps the fat to render and the skin to get crispy. Season the meat well with salt and pepper.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Place the duck breasts, skin-side down into the skillet (2-3 duck breasts at a time), sear until the skin is golden brown, 8 minutes. Then flip the breasts over and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
Transfer the breasts to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Save the rendered fat in a heatproof container for another use. Kitchen tip: Rendered duck fat is one of the healthiest animal fats and is highly regarded in cooking for its intense flavor and high smoking point. It can be kept refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
Mushrooms: Break each cluster in two, place in the deep roasting dish. Drizzle lightly with olive oil, season generously with sea salt and pepper. Bake at 425 F for about 10-12 minutes.
For the sauce: In the large sauté pan, reduce the orange juice to a syrupy consistency. Stir in the mustard, jelly, wine, and simmer until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add thyme sprig and star anise at the end. Keep warm until ready to serve.
To serve: Place sautéed cabbage on each plate. Slice the duck breast on a bias into 1/2-inch-thick slices and place on top. Serve with the roasted mushrooms and a drizzle of sauce on top.
Bon Appétit!
Svitlana
Seared duck breast with mushrooms, purple cabbage & blueberry sauce
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
For the duck
- 4 (6-8 oz.) duck breasts, skin on
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the cabbage
- 1 medium purple cabbage, finely shredded
- 1 shallot
- Bay leave
- 1 ½ low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon Chinese five spice powder
- 1 garlic clove, smashed
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the sauce: (Daniel Boulud)
- 1 cup of orange juice
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 4 tablespoons wild blueberry or black currant jelly
- 1 cup of fruity red wine such as Zinfandel
- Star anise and thyme sprig
Mushrooms
- 16 oz. (1 pound) organic Hen-of-the-Woods mushrooms
Instructions
- Cabbage: Heat duck fat or olive oil in large frying pan over medium-high heat, add cabbage and toss it in the pan until the cabbage softens and is reduced in size, 4-5 minutes. Add shallot, garlic and pour the stock over the cabbage. Season generously with salt, pepper and Chinese five spice. Lower the heat, close with the lid and let it simmer for 10-12 minutes, until tender but still with a little crunch. Turn off the heat, lift up the lid, add bay leave and leave it ajar. Keep warm.
- Duck: Score the duck skin, approximately ½ inch apart in a crisscross pattern (try not to cut into the duck meat), with a sharp knife, it helps the fat to render and the skin to get crispy. Season the meat well with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Place the duck breasts, skin-side down into the skillet, sear until the skin is golden brown, 8 minutes.
- Mushrooms: Break each cluster in two, drizzle lightly with olive oil, season generously with sea salt and pepper. Bake at 425 F for about 10-12 minutes. Keep warm.
- For the sauce: In the large sauté pan, reduce the orange juice to a syrupy consistency. Stir in the mustard, jelly, wine, and simmer until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add thyme sprig and star anise at the end. Keep warm until ready to serve.
- To serve: Place sautéed cabbage on each plate. Slice the duck breast on a bias into 1/2-inch-thick slices and place on top. Serve with the mushrooms and a drizzle of sauce on top.
