Pan-Roasted Duck With Wild Mushrooms
Published Oct. 14, 2020
- Total Time
- 1½ hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- ¼cup crumbled or chopped dried wild mushrooms, such as porcini or morels (about 1 ounce)
- 3(12-ounce) boneless, skin-on Muscovy duck breasts
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½cup dry red wine
- 1large thyme sprig
- 1bay leaf
- 1pound sliced cultivated mushrooms, such as king trumpet, oyster or shiitake
- 2 to 3small garlic cloves, minced
- 3tablespoons roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
248 calories; 10 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 26 grams protein; 657 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Rinse dried mushrooms to remove sand or dirt and place in a bowl. Cover with boiling water and let steep for 30 minutes.
- Step 2
Lay duck breasts skin-side down on a cutting board. With your fingers, remove the thin tenderloins from the underside of each breast and reserve for sauce. With a sharp knife, trim away any gristle. Turn breasts skin-side up and trim excess fat from the edges. Score the skins in a diamond pattern. Season generously with salt and pepper, transfer to a plate and leave at cool room temperature for 1 hour.
- Step 3
Put olive oil in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the reserved tenderloins and brown well on both sides. Add butter and flour to pan, and cook, stirring, until mixture is lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add soaked mushrooms and soaking liquid, and stir well as sauce begins to thicken. Add wine, thyme and bay leaf, turn heat to low, and simmer gently until gravylike, but not too thick, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and discard tenderloins, thyme and bay leaf. Taste sauce and adjust seasoning. Keep warm. (Sauce may be prepared several hours or up to 2 days in advance.)
- Step 4
Set a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, add duck breasts to skillet skin-side down and let sizzle. Lower heat to medium and cook for about 7 or 8 minutes, making sure skin doesn’t brown too quickly. (This will render fat and crisp the skin.) Turn breasts over and cook 3 minutes more for rare (thermometer should read 120 degrees), or 4 to 5 minutes for medium-rare (thermometer should read 125 degrees). Transfer to a warm platter and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Step 5
Pour off all but 2 tablespoons rendered fat from the pan, and raise heat to medium-high. Add sliced mushrooms and sauté, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, letting them brown nicely. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off heat and stir in garlic and parsley.
- Step 6
Slice duck ¼-inch thick, crosswise at a slight angle, and serve immediately. Each serving should have 4 to 5 slices of duck, a large spoonful of mushrooms and a bit of sauce.
Private Notes
Comments
I always fry duck starting in a cold pan. Put the breasts in, no oil, and heat over a moderate heat. As the duck slowly cooks, the fat renders properly.
Part 1 To render the fat, I've found it best either to start the duck breasts over medium-low heat or to put a tablespoon of water or so under each breast and start at medium-high heat; the water will boil off quickly as the steam renders the fat without the skin seizing up. The breast then cooks in its own fat as in the recipe. The fat should be removed every couple of minutes and reserved for other dishes.
Part 2 The mushrooms and tenderloins, which can be finely chopped after the tendon running through each has been removed and left in the sauce for more flavor, should be cooked in duck fat (or goose or chicken fat if that's what on hand), rather than olive oil.
Quite good -- duck breasts were thick, so I chose to cook them lower and slower so that they were done, but not over-browned. It was a bit of a challenge to keep them warm while cooking the mushrooms, but they were OK. The sauce needed a fair amount of salt and pepper. Served with roast Brussels sprouts. Good to have a duck breast recipe that leans toward savory, rather than sweet.
Very average results for the amount of effort. Overall, lacked acid and depth of flavor
I had trouble getting the gravy right- had a bitter aftertaste. Will use a different wine next time, perhaps a lighter red like a pinto noir. This one was Grenache, Syrah blend. Anyone else find this?
Yes, I used a very good Bordeaux that I regularly use for cooking, but this sauce was just awful. Way too floury. I ended up adding a little beef broth, which made it somewhat edible but overall a waste of time and expensive ingredients, in my view. I made it according to recipe w/o modifications.
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