Duck Breast with Tourne Vegetables

Sous Vide Details: Cook Duck Breast at 135F for 1 Hour

Ingredients, Serves 2:

• 1 Duck breast with skin on
• 3 T Salt
• 1 t Lemon zest
• 1 T Orange zest
• 1 t White pepper
• 1 T Sugar
• 1 T Grapeseed oil
• 2 Yukon gold potatoes
• 1 Whole beet
• 1 T Sugar
• 1 T Butter
• 1/3 C Water
• 1 Whole carrot
• La' Orange Gastrique Sauce:
• 2/3 C Sugar
• 2/3 C Balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 C Orange juice
• 2 C Duck stock (you can substitute chicken or turkey stock)
• 1 T Chopped Tarragon
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Long strands of orange zest for garnish (you can mix with a little sugar if desired)

So I am a huge duck fan although I haven't had it since I went on my health diet!  Well, I decided to cook it sous vide and separate the breast from the skin so that it was a much healthier rendition.  No oil, no skin, but duck breast none the less!

First, take the duck breast and with a sharp knife, remove the skin whole and save.  Now, mix the orange zest, lemon zest, salt, sugar and white pepper in a bowl.  Rub the duck breast with the marinade and then seal in bag.  Drop in water bath at 135F for 1 - 2 hours.

For the gastrigue, lightly caramelize sugar and slowly mix in the balsamic vinegar.  When fully mixed, add the orange juice and duck stock.  Simmer until reduced enough to coat a spoon.  Salt and pepper to taste.

While the gastrique is simmering, you need to tackle the vegetables.  Now if you're like me, I had no idea what tourne was!  Well click here to see a video on how to tourne the vegetables.  It's a labor of love so make sure you're making this meal for someone you love!  In this case, it's for my lovely wife so that was easy.  Tourne all the potatoes, beets and carrots.  Using a vegetable steamer (or pot with water and a pot steamer), steam the potatoes and carrots to your desired doneness (usually 15-20 minutes for carrots and potatoes).  For the beets, I melted 1 T butter and 1 T sugar in a sauce pan and then coated the beets for 2 minutes.  Add the water and boil with a cover slightly ajar until most of water evaporated and the beets are glazed, roughly 10 minutes.

When the duck almost done, heat a cast iron skillet with 1 T grapeseed oil and sear the duck skin (both sides) until it is crispy brown.

Now you are ready to plate.  Remove the duck from the water bath and flash sear the breast on both sides in the cast iron skillet for about 30 sec to 1min each side.  Slice the breast straight down into medium thin slices.  Pour some gastrique on the plate and fan the duck breast on the plate over the gastrique.  Add the tourne vegetables in a random pattern, sprinkle with some chopped tarragon.  Slice the duck breast skin thinly and place in a small pile next to the duck breast.  Garnish with long strings of orange zest.  Voila!  Serve with love!

Top of Page