Duckalicious

Last night I made duck breast with a red wine reduction for the first time and was surprised how easy and delicious it was. Loved the balance of the crispy skin texture of the duck, the tender breast meat, the creamy silky smooth mash and the pungent red wine reduction.

Will have to make this again soon!

Ingredients:

• 2 Duck Breasts 
• 2 Tbsp of Olive oil 
• 2 Shallots
• 200 ml Red zine 
• Zest of one orange
• Juice from one to two fresh oranges
• 2 Tbsp of honey
• 2 Cups of organic stock 
• 1 Knob of Butter
• Salt and Pepper

Method

For the Red Wine Reduction:

• In a saucepan on medium heat, heat oil and cook the shallots until translucent. The add honey, orange juice, red wine and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let simmer for about 20-30 minutes. 
• On another saucepan, bring the stock to boil and let reduce for about 20-30 minutes.
• Pour the red wine through a sieve, into the stock and continue cooking for about 20 minutes. Add a knob of butter, remember to keep whisking. Add salt and pepper and keep warm until you are ready to serve. 

For the Duck:

• Gently slice the skin of the duck about times and season well with salt before cooking
• Pan fry the Duck breast on medium to low heat,  on the skin side for approximately 3 minutes, to get the lovely crispy skin texture. Then flip the breast around and fry for about 30 seconds
• Place the duck in a pre-heated (200 C) for 30-40 minutes, depending on how rare you want to serve the duck
• Remove duck and let it rest for about 5-10 minutes

I served the duck over a creamy mash potato and a dash of parley, but have seen many amazing dishes with different pairings. 

Very important note: don't forget to serve the duck with red wine!