How to pan roast a duck breast
November 13th, 2007
Pan roasting is one of my favorite ways to cook meat indoors. Any cut of meat that will fit in a pan (chicken breast, steak, pork chop, etc.) can be seared over high heat, then finished in a moderately hot oven. Searing gives the meat browned flavor and crispness, and finishing in the oven helps the meat cook evenly throughout.
Over the weekend I picked up a duck breast to pan roast. Duck sometimes seems daunting to cook at home. But a duck breast is about as easy to cook as a strip steak, especially when pan roasted. Searing the breast fat-side down helps render and crisp the thick layer covering the meat.
Go to cookthink.com to see full instructions for how to cook duck breast.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:00 pm
Honestly, I’ve always been afraid to try duck at home, but I’ve wanted to try it because, with a few memorable exceptions, it’s never quite the way I want it at restaurants. This is very helpful. Cheers!
November 14th, 2007 at 5:42 pm
[…] Duck is one of those things that seems to intimidate many, even foodies. With likely painful memories of an over-done, fatty mess at a Chinese restaurant from their youth or an underdone rubber slab festival, it’s no wonder that folks shy away. But duck is very, very good. And is surprisingly easy to make. The folks at cookthink have created a step by step pictorial for pan-roasting a duck breast. The only thing that I would change on their punch list is to make a simple sauce from the pan drippings while the meat rests. Add a little flour and make a roux, stir in some macerated fruit or fruit juice… […]
November 15th, 2007 at 10:58 am
Nice pictures!
The main reason for those criss cross cuts is that the breast will not curl up and thereby inhibiting the heat tranfer needed for the ‘fat removal’, though.
November 16th, 2007 at 6:26 pm
I’ve been tempted to make duck but I never know what to make it with. What would pair well with it for a side dish?
November 16th, 2007 at 6:51 pm
Glad to see some fellow duck fans out there. Yahaira: I recently had this butternut squash risotto and this lentil salad together with duck breast, and I was very happy. You might also think about these creamy white beans with garlic and thyme or this escarole, white bean and pine nut salad. Let us know how it turns out.
November 19th, 2007 at 12:05 pm
all those choices sound yummy! unfortunately my efforts were thwarted when I couldn’t find duck breast and the sight of a duckling intimidated me.
December 15th, 2007 at 5:04 pm
[…] The people at Cookthink have blogged on how to pan-roast a duck breast. Useful stuff. […]
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:57 am
[…] Related: How to pan-roast a duck breast (Cookthink) Recipe: Watercress Salad With Lemon-Parsley Vinaigrette (Cookthink) […]
March 7th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
What do you do with a duck’s breast when the hunter knew nothing about preparing one and removed all the fat before giving it to you to cook?
May 14th, 2009 at 11:12 am
[…] Cookthink: How to pan roast a duck breasthttp://www.cookthink.com/blog/?p=700Pan roasting is one of my favorite ways to cook meat indoors. Any cut of meat that will fit in a pan (chicken breast, steak, pork chop, etc.) can be seared over high heat, then … […]