Recipe for duck breasts

[Alsatian]

I cooked the following with great success this past weekend.

6 half duck breasts, deboned and deskinned
1/2 cup beef broth
1/4 cup bourbon whiskey
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup minced red onion
3 cloves garlic minced
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 Tablespoons butter

I used Lesser Scaup breasts, and these are pretty small birds. I would probably make extra sauce for either bigger birds or more duck breasts. For these small birds, three half breasts per adult is about the right serving, provided you serve other side dishes.

Reduce the beef broth to half its original volume by boiling.

Salt and pepper the duck breasts on both sides. Sautee the duck in the oil and butter on medium heat in a skillet for about 5 minutes per side. Leave them a little pink inside. Remove meat to a warm plate and cover with aluminum foil.

Add the garlic, onion, and brown sugar to the skillet and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the reduced beef broth. CAREFULLY add the bourbon to the skillet and boil for a couple of minutes to evaporate the alcohol. I say "CAREFULLY" because alcohol is highly flamable, and you don't want to light yourself on fire when you add this bourbon to the skillet!!! Add the cream to the skillet and boil until the cream thickens as much as you like, maybe about five minutes. Adjust the salt and pepper when the sauce is thickened to your liking.

Serve the duck breasts with a little sauce spooned over them and the remainder of the sauce in a separate gravy bowl. I found a Spanish Rioja Reserva red wine went very well with this dish, though a California pinot noir red wine probably would have been a good match too.

I served a side dish of cranberries, a side dish of a mixture of long grain white rice and wild rice, and a side dish of buttered peas. Make me wish I had more ducks in the freezer!

[moosehunter21]

Sounds good!