Crispy Five Spice Duck with Cherry-Pinot Noir Sauce

22 Comments December 17, 2023 terrie gura

While out shopping yesterday, I bumped into some friends who asked whether my husband and I would be staying close to home for Christmas. I jokingly told them that yes, our holiday would be easy and simple again this year for one good reason: Les is Jewish. 😂

Our friends know this of course, and they also know that we do celebrate Christmas, just as we celebrate and observe Hanukkah, Rosh Hashanah, Easter and Passover. Even when it is just the two of us, we enjoy making a special dinner for Christmas night— one that usually begins with a fancy appetizer and ends with a nice dessert.

The holidays are a great time to pull out all the stops and splurge a little— calorie- and money-wise—and we relish this little bit of indulgence regardless of whether we are serving guests or just ourselves. Les informed me recently that his favorite “special” dish that I make is duck (funny that I didn’t know that!), and so I’ve decided to share my tips for making a perfectly crispy seared duck breast and a cherry-pinot noir sauce that sounds complicated but is actually so easy.

Let’s start at the beginning. At first impression, you might think that duck is similar to chicken, but in flavor and preparation, it is actually closer to red meat. There is a generous layer of fatty skin on duck, and it takes extra care to crisp it without overcooking or drying out the meat. This is the technique that works best for me, and I’m sharing it with a recipe I made for my sweetheart on Valentine’s Day this year. If you already have your Christmas meal planned, save this for February (and make something with chocolate and cherries for dessert).

Tip #1: Score the meat for better rendering

Take care not to cut into the duck meat, as I did in the third picture above. You want your cuts to only break the fat.

To efficiently render the thick, fatty skin on duck breast, use a very sharp knife to score it with a crosshatch design, with cuts that spread about 1/2-inch apart and only through the skin, not into the meat. This scoring allows more of the fat to render when you fry it in a skillet.

Tip #2: Dry brine the duck breast

The five spice was delicious with the cherries. If you’re not a fan, simply salt the duck.

I’ve become a big fan of the dry brine, though I had to wrestle with my own sensibilities the first few times I tried it because at first glance, a dry-brined meat looks like it has dried out. Not so! There’s a whole science behind how this works— reverse osmosis of some sort, I guess— but the upshot is that salting and resting meat uncovered in the fridge allows better infusion of the seasoning into the meat and juicier results in the end. Here, I added five spice powder to the kosher salt. It was excellent with the flavors in my sauce. Another advantage of doing this step is that it does dry out the fatty skin a bit, and that greatly reduces spattering in the next step.

Tip #3: Begin with a stone-cold skillet

When melted fat accumulates around the duck breasts, carefully drain it off.

And preferably cast iron! If you were to place a duck breast in a hot skillet, the skin would sear, but the fat would not render very neatly. You’d likely be left with an oily mess, as I did the first couple of times I made duck. A non-stick skillet is not ideal either because the coating is a barrier to getting crispy skin. Invest in a quality cast-iron skillet and it will reward you with exceptional results for any meat you sear. Mine is a 10-inch Lodge skillet, made in the USA and built to last a lifetime. As the fat renders, carefully drain it off.

Tip #4: Do most of the cooking on the skin side

The fatty side should be completely crisp after about 11 minutes. Turn and cook the other side briefly, then transfer to a warm plate.

Duck is best served medium rare (like red meat), and the best way to achieve this together with crispy skin is to leave the breast skin-side down for most of the cooking time. Residual heat from the pan will bring it to temperature, and you only need to turn it to the flesh side for a minute or two to seal in the juices.

Tip #5: Don’t waste the extra duck fat!

A great deal of fat will be released as you render the duck breasts, but this is decidedly not a bad thing! If you plan to make potatoes to accompany your duck, do yourself a favor and fry them in the duck fat! The flavor is incomparable and I am always thrilled to find the crispiest, non-greasy texture on the potatoes. If you don’t need the fat for this meal, drain it off into a jar, let it cool and store it in the fridge until you do make potatoes.

My tips for making these decadent, duck fat-fried potatoes are included at the end of the click-to-print recipe card below.

Yes, it’s saturated fat, and of course, you shouldn’t eat like this very often. But these are the holidays, and this meal is a worthwhile occasional indulgence. Especially with cherry-pinot noir sauce!

Let’s talk about that sauce!

Now that you’re feeling confident about achieving the perfectly crispy duck breast skin, take a look at this flavorful, sweet and savory sauce, made from dark cherries, shallots, chicken stock and Pinot noir. Though we are definitely not in cherry season, this recipe is great because it uses frozen dark cherries. Pinot noir is the perfect complement to this, and the shallot, chicken stock and red wine vinegar provide a savory backdrop to keep this from feeling too sweet.

As you will see, this recipe makes quite a bit of sauce and each duck breast is about half a pound, so the whole thing is really suited to serving four people. Les and I got a little carried away because the flavors were so mouthwatering and we knew it would lose that perfect, crispy texture as leftovers. Get the base of the sauce started while the duck is cooking and just keep it warm on the back burner until serving time.

Time to plate this gorgeous meal!

The sauce finishes quickly in the same skillet used to cook the duck, and you’ll get to enjoy all the little fond bits of flavor that were left behind in the pan.

Place each breast on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut 1/2-inch slices. The meat should be bright pink and juicy with a thin layer of succulent fat under the crispy skin.

If I could go back in time to one step of this recipe, I’d plate the sauce before the duck breast, just to show off that incredible crispy skin. I do recommend sauce underneath the duck breast if you’re serving company, as we all know people eat with their eyes first. But we can confirm that it was just as delicious with the sauce on top, and if nothing else, it helped keep the duck warm as we savored every last delicious, cherry-kissed bite.

Crispy Five Spice Duck with Cherry-Pinot Noir Sauce

Servings: 4
Prep Time: About 15 minutes, plus several hours for dry brining
Cook Time: 45 minutes total
Difficulty: Intermediate
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There's a lot to love about this dish, from the crispy skin to the flavorful sauce. It is definitely special occasion-worthy!

Ingredients

2 individual duck breasts, about 8 oz. each
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. five spice powder
2 Tbsp. turbinado sugar
1/4 cup good quality Pinot Noir (save the rest for dinner)
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/2 cup good chicken stock
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 heaping cup frozen dark sweet cherries
1 medium shallot, minced

The trick to getting the crispiest skin begins with a dry brine on the duck breasts and a stone-cold skillet at the start of cooking. Render the fat slowly and drain off the excess as it accumulates, saving the fat to fry up the most delicious potatoes your taste buds will ever enjoy.

If you wish to make this dish without alcohol, substitute tart cherry juice for the Pinot Noir and reduce or omit the red wine vinegar.

Directions

Pat the duck breasts dry with paper towels. Use a sharp knife to score the fatty skin only of the duck breast pieces. Make your cuts about 1/2-inch apart, in a crosshatch pattern. Take care not to cut the meat.
Combine the salt and five spice powder and sprinkle all over both sides of the duck breasts, rubbing it into the scored fat side. Place the breasts on a plate and rest, uncovered, in the fridge for about six hours.
Begin the flavor base for the sauce by combining sugar, wine, vinegar and chicken stock in a small saucepan. Bring to a slight boil then add the frozen cherries and simmer until cherries are softened. Keep warm.
Place a COLD cast iron skillet onto a burner over medium heat. Immediately place the duck breasts, skin side-down, into the skillet. Don’t disturb the breasts until the fat begins to render. Carefully drain off excess fat by holding the breasts in place with a spatula or tongs and pouring off the fat into a bowl, jar or a second skillet. This helps reduce the amount of spattering. You’ll likely need to do this twice during the rendering process.
Cook the skin side of the duck breasts for about 11 minutes, or until the bottom is deep golden in color and very crispy. Gently turn the breasts to cook the second side for only about two minutes. Transfer the breasts to a warm plate while you finish the sauce.
Drain off all but a tablespoon of the duck fat and add the minced shallots to the skillet, tossing until slightly tender. Pour in the reserved Pinot Noir-cherry mixture and bring to a boil, scraping up any bits that are stuck to the pan. Allow this to simmer for a few minutes until some of the liquid evaporates and the sauce is slightly thickened.
Slice the crispy duck breasts into 1/2-inch thick slices and serve immediately with the sauce.

If you’ll be frying up the potatoes, boil Yukon golds in advance (skin-on) until they are about half-cooked. Cool them to room temperature and slice into 1/2-inch rounds. Fry in hot duck fat until both sides are crispy, and season with salt immediately.

Just for fun…

Les and I had some flashbacks during the making of this recipe, because I had first prepared it on Valentine’s Day three years earlier, just one month before Covid disrupted everything known to mankind. He had snapped a picture of me at the stove, wine glass in-hand, stirring the sauce. I was oblivious to what he was doing at the time, but he recognized my passion for cooking and has been my biggest supporter since I started my food blog two months later. When I made the dish again this year, we tried to replicate that photo, but with our beautiful new kitchen and a perfected crispy duck technique. Cheers!

Duck a l’Orange

4 Comments December 30, 2020 terrie gura

So we were watching Food Network’s “Beat Bobby Flay” recently, and when the visiting chef issued the challenge for his signature dish, duck a l’orange, my husband, Les, looked at me and laid down a challenge of his own.

“You should make that for Christmas dinner.”

There was no typical playful talk, such as “you probably wouldn’t try to make that, would you?” Nope, this time, it was a matter-of-fact statement that activated every fear and insecurity about my kitchen skills, though it’s tough to explain why. I’ve cooked duck before and it turned out great. As recently as Valentine’s Day 2020, just as the COVID crisis began percolating across the world, I served seared duck breast with a cherry-Pinot Noir sauce that turned out so delicious. What was the big deal about duck breast this time? I cannot explain it.

Les knew that I had a package of duck breast in the freezer, and I do love a challenge, so I took the bait. I researched the origins of duck a l’orange and examined interpretations by numerous chefs I respect, and though I felt relatively confident headed into preparation on Christmas Day, I still had trouble with it for one simple reason—poor planning. I’ll spare you the dramatic, embarrassing highlights (there was some panicked yelling involved; pretend you’re hearing a censor’s beep right now) in favor of one important piece of advice: get your ducks in a row (pun intended) before you start cooking the duck breast. Rendering the fat off the duck is essential for crispy skin with tender, perfectly medium-rare meat. And it moves fast.

This recipe is not complicated, and the ingredients are simple. But once you begin cooking the duck, it demands your full attention. Have the side dishes, the sauce, the wine, music, table settings—all of it—ready in advance and this dish will work out fine. It was fancy in a classic kind of way, delicious and totally worth the trouble!

The Serendipity wine was a perfect complement to this dish. Read more about it at the end of the post.

Recipe adapted from this one by Martha Stewart

Ingredients

2 pieces boneless duck breast, patted dry

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup cane sugar

2 Tbsp. orange muscat champagne vinegar* (see notes)

2 oranges, juiced, plus the zest of one of the oranges*

1 medium shallot, minced*

3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 Tbsp. salted butter, cold from the fridge

*Notes

The orange muscat champagne vinegar is a Trader Joe’s product, but you may substitute any other variety of citrus-infused vinegar or a regular cider or white vinegar. The main thing is acidity, so substitute what you have on hand, but don’t use anything overly sweet.

Because the zest is used in the recipe, I highly recommend using organically-grown oranges. I used the juice of one regular navel orange, plus the juice and zest of one organic blood orange. Martha’s recipe calls for orange segments also, but I omitted them.

Shallot is recommended for this recipe, but if you do not have them, substitute finely minced sweet or red onion. Do not confuse shallots with scallions, which are green onions. The shape and flavor of the two are distinctly different.

Instructions

The recipe that inspired me listed only four steps in total, but what’s “easy” for Martha Stewart deserves a second look by the rest of us! I’ve broken it down into more specific tasks, to help you be fully prepared for the fast pace of the recipe. First, prep the duck and make the sauce.

Using a very sharp knife, score the fatty side of the duck breast, making diagonal cuts about 1/2” apart over the entire surface of fat. Be careful not to cut into the flesh, as this will lead to overcooking the meat. Season both sides of the breast pieces with salt and pepper and set them aside while you make the sauce.
In a glass measuring cup, combine vinegar, shallot, orange juice, orange zest and chicken broth.
In a medium, heavy-bottomed sauce pot, cook sugar over medium heat until it becomes a dark amber color. Use a silicone spatula or scraper to move sugar to the middle of the pan as it begins to melt. Do not stir the melting sugar.
When sugar is fully melted and deep amber in color, carefully pour in juice-broth mixture. This will sputter and pop quite a bit. Whisk mixture until it’s evenly blended, and reduce heat to low, simmering about 20 minutes until sauce is reduced to 2/3 cup volume. Give it a quick twist of black pepper, then set the pan aside for quick re-warming later.

Scoring the duck fat ensures more even rendering. Be careful not to slice into the meat.

Cooking the duck breast

Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When skillet is warm (not hot), add duck breast, fat side-down and leave it alone for at least five minutes. This allows time for some of the fat to render from the duck breast. Use tongs to hold the duck breasts in place, while tilting the skillet to drain the duck fat off into another skillet or bowl and continue searing until the duck skin is crispy and golden brown, about 10 minutes total. (I used the drained-off duck fat to fry the smashed fingerling potatoes we served with dinner, but I recommend that you have a kitchen assistant to do that. Les handled the potato frying task, in addition to his expert photography of the cooking process.)
When the fat is mostly rendered and duck skin is super crispy, turn the breast pieces over to cook the meat side for about 5 minutes. Internal temperature of the duck breast should be about 130° F for medium rare. Allow breast pieces to rest 8 to 10 minutes on a cutting board.
While the duck breasts rest, place saucepan over medium heat to warm the orange sauce again. When mixture begins to steam and simmer at the edges, remove from heat and immediately add cold butter, swirling it with a fork to blend it into the sauce.
Slice duck breasts into 1/2″ pieces. Fan slices of duck onto serving plates, spoon sauce over the slices and serve.

Place the breasts skin side-down into the skillet as soon as it begins to warm.

We served the duck a l’orange with pan-fried fingerling potatoes. Boil the potatoes until fork-tender, then cool slightly and gently smash, or flatten, them with the bottom of a skillet or pan. Set them aside until you’re ready to crisp them for serving. Heat extra duck fat or butter over medium-high heat. Fry smashed potatoes in fat until golden brown and crispy. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve.

Your eyes do not deceive—the wine we served with the duck a l’orange also has an orange hue. I’ve been curious about these orange-colored wines for at least a year, but did not find one until I visited the website for Grovedale Winery in northeastern Pennsylvania. The wine, called Serendipity, is made from Frontenac Gris grapes. Contrary to its appearance, it does not taste like oranges, though the winery suggests there are notes of candied orange peel on the finish. I found it similar in style and flavor to a dry Riesling, and I cannot describe how perfectly it paired with the duck a l’orange. Grovedale also uses this interesting grape for a late harvest dessert wine, which I purchased and cannot wait to experience. We will be ordering more of this, for sure!

Want to make this recipe?

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One more thing…

You may be wondering if I’m a paid endorser for the products I spotlight on Comfort du Jour, and the answer is “no.” I do not receive money or products for my recommendations, and what that means for you is that you can trust me to give an honest opinion. If something changes, I will update my disclosures. Either way, I will only stand behind services and products I believe in. Fair enough? 😀