Duck Breasts in plum sauce with green beans and garlic roasted potatoes
I love duck breast. So much better than a whole duck which, unless you roast about three, leaves guests hungry.
We eat a lot of duck when we're in France, our location being in the south west - natural home of Magret de Canard and its sister, Confit de Canard.
I had mother-in-law and brother-in-law staying the weekend. What to cook? Well, I knew the boys wouldn't miss the Friday night opportunity to linger at the pub, so I thought I would do something which I could whip up relatively quickly and which was adaptable to a flexible time frame. Knew I had a couple of duck's breast in the freezer so got them out, defrosted them and supplemented them with another couple from Morrisons (which, certainly in my local store, has a surprisingly good butchery).
There was a major flicker of lights as I was leaving the supermarket but it was only when I passed the pub in the village that I realised we had a village-wide power cut. I noticed the Lord and Master's car outside the pub. Of course. Much as I would have liked to join them in a tipple, I realised my priority was to rescue mother-in-law and children from blackout back at the house. I burst through the door, expecting high degrees of agitation, only to find the place lit up like Santa's grotto and them all happily and cosily having a candlelit supper in the kitchen of Heinz tomato soup and bread and butter!
With the return of the boys from the hostelry and the dispatching of children towards bed, the power thankfully returned as did my mind toward supper. Brother-in-law helpfully offered to do the potatoes. I gave him pan, goose fat, Maris Piper potatoes and two heads of garlic and left him to it (he peeled the potatoes, chopped them into smallish chunks and scattered the garlic liberally around, tossing them all in melted goose fat and a sprinkle of sea salt). The potatoes needed about 40 to 50 minutes in the roasting oven, so I had all the time in the world to do the duck and green beans. Prosecco was cracked open with some locally smoked mackerel pate and oatcakes (brother-in-law turned up culinary nose but when persuaded to taste conceded it was actually rather good and not the cat food he'd expected).
About 20 minutes before the potatoes were ready I took the duck breasts out of the packet and lay them skin-side down in the saute pan. I let them cook on that side for about 10 minutes until gently golden and then turned them flesh side down. Meanwhile I took a saucepan and a few slightly wrinkly plums I had lying around (about six I think, maybe less). I cut them in half, twisted them to separate, hoiked out the stone and then cut the remaining flesh into small chunks. I put these in a saucepan with a large knob of melted unsalted butter, the contents of a miniature bottle of red port which I happened to have about my person, and the remaining third of a small jar of Tesco's Finest Redcurrant and Port jelly which I came across in the fridge door. I also found an unopened jar of red onion marmalade in my larder so I added a tablespoon or two of this as well (and possibly a small slug of red wine, though I can't quite remember). I let this reduce right down until it became shiny ruby red and unctuous. (If it tastes too sharp add more butter before adding any sugar.)
By now about 10 more minutes had passed so I put the duck breasts back onto their skin to really brown off. At the same time I put the green beans into the steamer and gave them about five minutes so they were still bright green and had some bite. I then put them into a dish and into the warming oven with a big knob of garlic butter on top of them. I let the duck breasts rest off the heat for about five minutes, then the whole - duck breast, potatoes, green beans - were served on the plate and the plum sauce poured over the meat.
Great teamwork. Great taste. Easy. Try it.
PS: the best wine to accompany this is a reasonably full-bodied red. A good Bordeaux, or a spicy Rioja work well. Having opened and tasted three different bottles of Bordeaux, we plumped for a smooth and rounded Campo Viejo Rioja Crianza 2006 available from most supermarkets including Waitrose, Tesco and Morrisons.
PPS: Sorry, no photos again - we were too eager to eat to think about getting the camera out!
We eat a lot of duck when we're in France, our location being in the south west - natural home of Magret de Canard and its sister, Confit de Canard.
I had mother-in-law and brother-in-law staying the weekend. What to cook? Well, I knew the boys wouldn't miss the Friday night opportunity to linger at the pub, so I thought I would do something which I could whip up relatively quickly and which was adaptable to a flexible time frame. Knew I had a couple of duck's breast in the freezer so got them out, defrosted them and supplemented them with another couple from Morrisons (which, certainly in my local store, has a surprisingly good butchery).
There was a major flicker of lights as I was leaving the supermarket but it was only when I passed the pub in the village that I realised we had a village-wide power cut. I noticed the Lord and Master's car outside the pub. Of course. Much as I would have liked to join them in a tipple, I realised my priority was to rescue mother-in-law and children from blackout back at the house. I burst through the door, expecting high degrees of agitation, only to find the place lit up like Santa's grotto and them all happily and cosily having a candlelit supper in the kitchen of Heinz tomato soup and bread and butter!
With the return of the boys from the hostelry and the dispatching of children towards bed, the power thankfully returned as did my mind toward supper. Brother-in-law helpfully offered to do the potatoes. I gave him pan, goose fat, Maris Piper potatoes and two heads of garlic and left him to it (he peeled the potatoes, chopped them into smallish chunks and scattered the garlic liberally around, tossing them all in melted goose fat and a sprinkle of sea salt). The potatoes needed about 40 to 50 minutes in the roasting oven, so I had all the time in the world to do the duck and green beans. Prosecco was cracked open with some locally smoked mackerel pate and oatcakes (brother-in-law turned up culinary nose but when persuaded to taste conceded it was actually rather good and not the cat food he'd expected).
About 20 minutes before the potatoes were ready I took the duck breasts out of the packet and lay them skin-side down in the saute pan. I let them cook on that side for about 10 minutes until gently golden and then turned them flesh side down. Meanwhile I took a saucepan and a few slightly wrinkly plums I had lying around (about six I think, maybe less). I cut them in half, twisted them to separate, hoiked out the stone and then cut the remaining flesh into small chunks. I put these in a saucepan with a large knob of melted unsalted butter, the contents of a miniature bottle of red port which I happened to have about my person, and the remaining third of a small jar of Tesco's Finest Redcurrant and Port jelly which I came across in the fridge door. I also found an unopened jar of red onion marmalade in my larder so I added a tablespoon or two of this as well (and possibly a small slug of red wine, though I can't quite remember). I let this reduce right down until it became shiny ruby red and unctuous. (If it tastes too sharp add more butter before adding any sugar.)
By now about 10 more minutes had passed so I put the duck breasts back onto their skin to really brown off. At the same time I put the green beans into the steamer and gave them about five minutes so they were still bright green and had some bite. I then put them into a dish and into the warming oven with a big knob of garlic butter on top of them. I let the duck breasts rest off the heat for about five minutes, then the whole - duck breast, potatoes, green beans - were served on the plate and the plum sauce poured over the meat.
Great teamwork. Great taste. Easy. Try it.
PS: the best wine to accompany this is a reasonably full-bodied red. A good Bordeaux, or a spicy Rioja work well. Having opened and tasted three different bottles of Bordeaux, we plumped for a smooth and rounded Campo Viejo Rioja Crianza 2006 available from most supermarkets including Waitrose, Tesco and Morrisons.
PPS: Sorry, no photos again - we were too eager to eat to think about getting the camera out!
Comments
Who are you trying to kid that you only tasted three different botlles of red?! I know you supped the lot between you :0
What did you buy those for, I asked?
Haven't you read fridge food she said - sound lovely.
Your fame spreads!
And my mum loved it too!