Duck Breast for Dummies
January 14, 2011
by Will Wedge
This Saturday, everything you need to prepare this wonderful three-ingredient moulard duck breast – except salt, pepper and some vegetable oil – will be available at the Chappaqua Farmers Market, held from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the Parish Hall of St. Mary’s Church, next to the Bell School.
The breast could be accompanied with a simple fresh green salad from Madura Farms, or perhaps a couscous or tabbouleh salad from True Foods, both also at the market.
The duck-breast searing technique I gratefully credit to David Waltuck, founder and executive chef of the late, great restaurant Chanterelle in New York City, as received from his former sous chef and my old friend, Chris Christman. The technique adapts searing that would normally be done in a salamander in a restaurant kitchen to the lower temperatures of a residential oven and broiler. One breast will serve two adults with a little extra left over. It’s really a pretty simple recipe and technique; there’s just a lot of detail here so you’ll succeed on your first try!
To view the recipe and step-by-step photos, click: Seared Moulard Duck Breast with Elderberry Elixir Deglaze
I can vouch for this!
Will,
Did you actually make this recipe? It looks beautiful. We have such talented chefs in Chappaqua! Great job and I will have to head to the Market.
I’ve made it many times. The technique was shown to me many years ago in a small NYC apartment without an exhaust hood. My friend Chris managed to fill the place with so much smoke that if you stood up from the sofa you’d asphyxiate. Of course in order to continue we had to disable the smoke detectors and I’m surprised the clouds billowing out the windows didn’t bring firemen. We sort of ate crouched near the floor. But after the third glass of wine it didn’t matter. Especially since the duck tasted so good.
