Duck breast with gnocchi and goat cheese pesto

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 05:33:40 GMT

Step 1

Finely chop hazelnuts and celery. Chop apple into matchsticks. Put these 3 off to the side - they'll go on at the end.

Step 2

Remove duck from fridge, score skin/fat into crosshatch (lightly! try not to hit the meat). Season with salt and pepper on both sides (more salt on the skin side), let it stand for at least 15 minutes to warm up to room temperature.

Step 3

Make pesto (or use premade pack of pesto), and mix with equal part goat cheese. If you'd like a more liquidy consistency, try adding some extra olive oil.

Step 4

Prepare demi glace packet as per packet instructions. (If you're a rockstar and know how to actually make demi glace, you're probably not following this recipe anyway.) You could also use a regular gravy packet.

Step 5

Remove zest from half of the orange. Try to get large strips. Put off to the side.

Step 6

Squeeze the juice from the entire orange and save that too.

Step 7

Heat up a frying or sauce pan over medium heat.

Step 8

Chop shallot finely. When the pan is hot, add the butter and shallots, sautee until translucent (about 3 minutes).

Step 9

Add the orange juice, vinegar, and orange liqueur. Let this reduce for about 2 minutes.

Step 10

Add the demi glace and reserved orange zest to the sauce pan. Let this simmer for a while. If it gets too thick (because gravy packets do that), you can add some water. Taste and adjust seasoning - you may want to add some extra orange juice.

Step 11

Strain through a strainer or cheesecloth. Alternatively, just remove the orange zest.

Step 12

Put to the side and keep warm.

Step 13

DON'T preheat the pan! You want the fat of the duck to render out while cooking, and this happens best when the duck is heated up slowly as the pan heats up. DON'T use non-stick pans! Use a steel or cast-iron pan.

Step 14

While you're getting your duck ready, start boiling a pot of water for your gnocchi. You won't put them in until right after the duck is done, so it's good to have the water ready to go when that happens.

Step 15

Pat the duck breasts dry with paper towels.

Step 16

Lay the breasts skin-side down in your pan, and smear the fat over the pan. You can now turn the heat to medium / medium-high.

Step 17

Once the duck breasts start cooking, you may notice the tails of the skin and fat from the head and tail side contract immediately. You can use your tongs to press down on this part for 30-60 seconds. This gives a more even sear.

Step 18

Let the pan do its job. Cook at a jocular sizzle - not an inferno, not a gurgle. Think about how bacon sounds in the pan when you cook it, and you have the right idea.

Step 19

When you cook duck, 3/4 of the cooking time is on the skin side. Small ducks will be 3-5 minutes, large ducks need between 5-8.

Step 20

Flip the breasts after the aforementioned time, or when you hear the sizzle change. It will die down a bit. You can also use a meat thermometer, but it's a bit hard to evaluate if you're using a pokey one. In my experience, the temperature stays pretty much the same, and a lot of the actual meat cooking happens after the flip. I flip at around 100 degrees.

Step 21

Salt the skin after flipping to add crispiness.

Step 22

Let the duck cook on the meat side for less time. 1-4 for small/medium, 4-6 for larger. Ensure it's cooked to 130 degrees, or use the hand check to evaluate doneness.

Step 23

Kiss the thick sides of the breast by tipping them over on their sides (the ones that haven't been seared yet) and cooking for 30 seconds. You can use your tongs to hold them in place.

Step 24

Take the duck off the heat and let it rest on a cutting board, SKIN SIDE UP. Give it 5-10 minutes to rest.

Step 25

As the duck is resting, throw your gnocchi into salted boiling water. Cook until they float, about 1-2 minutes (follow instructions on package). Drain.

Step 26

Slice the duck against the grain. Plate it, drizzle with the bigarade orange gravy. Put the goat cheese pesto on top of the gnocci. Top with apples, hazlenuts, and celery. Serve!

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