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MARINATED DUCK BREASTS

Tana's Kitchen Secrets
by Tana Ramsay

These are lovely for a romantic meal. Unlike chicken, duck can be served rare and juicy if you like. The cooking time I give here will produce beautifully juicy, medium duck breasts. If you prefer yours well done, continue to cook them for a few minutes more on each side.
Serves 2
Preparation time: 5-10 minutes, plus 30 minutes-24 hours marinating
Cooking time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

· 2 skinless duck breasts (each about 5 oz)
· splash of olive oil

For the marinade
· 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and sliced lengthwise
· 2 garlic cloves, halved lengthwise
· 6 tbsp soy sauce
· 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
· 1 tbsp golden honey
 

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix together all the marinade ingredients and pour into a shallow dish. Lay the duck breasts into the marinade and turn to coat, then cover with plastic wrap and leave to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes, or in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

2. Remove the duck from the marinade; reserve the liquid. Put the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Once it is hot, add the duck and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until caramelized (make sure the heat is not too high or the honey will burn). Add the marinade and allow it to bubble and thicken. Continue to cook for 5-10 minutes, turning occasionally. This will produce a medium-rare duck breast. If the marinade is too syrupy, add a splash of hot water to dilute.

3. Remove the duck from the heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes, then slice. Serve with the sauce spooned over.
 

Preparing duck breasts:
I use skinless duck for this recipe, but often you'll want to serve it with skin and fat intact. With a sharp knife, trim off excess fat. Score the skin [but don't penetrate the flesh unless you are going to marinate the duck before cooking) to allow the fat to run out. Season and place skin-side down into a hot, dry, nonstick skillet. Cook until the skin is crisp, then turn to cook the other side.