A spectacular and quick way to prepare a beautiful, crispy duck breast fillet with a crumbly interior Always a handy choice when you want to serve something special but don't have much time.
Why is it a good choice?
The duck breast fillet even gets the ladies' attention and is perhaps the only meat, apart from chicken, that they are very happy to order off the menu or receive in the restaurant. The choice of side dishes could not be wider, as almost anything goes with it. Pumpkin, chestnut, fresh arugula-based salads, cheese dressings, red wine, white wine, fruit, cereals, dumplings, potato variations. Perhaps rice and pasta to a lesser extent, but it is very rare to see such a combination. Many people are reluctant to make it, but once you try it, you realise it's even easier than a chicken breast.
The best way for duck breast filletsA: In a cold pan, start frying the skinned, battered sides until browned. Turn and fry for another 3 minutes, basting with the fat. Remove from the heat, cover with aluminium foil and leave to cook on its own for 10 minutes. It will have a perfect, crumbly interior that won't dry out.
Red meat or white meat duck breast fillet?
It is often believed that duck is red meat, which makes it less healthy to eat on a regular basis. However, duck meat is a member of the white meat family, so feel free to cook it, just make sure it is lean and fat free. Red meats are darker because of their high myoglobin content, which is the result of the animal taking in more oxygen. Ducks are poultry, but they are more agile and fly - hence their darker meat. When the thigh of a chicken is also darker than the breast, it is because it moves and uses more than the breast part. In many parts of the world, duck breast is very popular as a staple because you don't need much of it and it's very filling anyway. It is true that its fat content is always higher than that of other poultry, but its high iron and protein content means that it is sometimes good for the body.
What can dry out a duck breast fillet?
From medium baking. The breast is the only part of the duck that can be cooked suddenly and in minutes, the rest of the duck is unsuitable. Slow roasting, i.e. confit, is the most common method, which makes the inside almost creamy, the fat melts off nicely and only the crispy skin remains on the meat. Some chefs even brown it at the end so that it really crisps when you bite into it. A duck breast can be spoiled by skipping the pan frying and frying it in the oven only. It is advisable to combine the two and heat the duck breast for no more than 15-20 minutes in total. If you decide to confit, allow 3 hours for the operation.
The mark of a bad housewife
Duck can be a princely experience, but it can also be a horrendous one if it is badly prepared. We were visiting guests when we were served a steaming, whole duck, braised in a pan. It had a strong smell and an extremely white, cooked skin. It had not been browned at all, which made the skin gooey. Fortunately, one of the insider guests immediately reacted to this crazy blunder and took the whole duck breast part, cut it off and threw it into a hot pan. He seared it around, seasoned it with rosemary, orange, a little balsamic vinegar and served it up. Before we knew it, there it was, sliced up in front of us. But it was important that the hostess was not offended, otherwise not only the duck, but also the atmosphere would have been saved for the evening.
