Apple-brined Duck Breast

Precedent



It is my firm belief that the most important meal of the year is what one eats on New Year's Day. I'm not referring to the multitude of traditional foods served in various parts of the world such as Hoppin' John in the South, Vietnamese banh chung, 12 grapes in Cuba, or stewed mushrooms in Russia. My belief is it doesn't matter what one eats so long as one eats well. You are, after all, setting a precedent for the remainder of the year. (If you've got to believe something, this is a good choice.)

This year, because I didn't get to do much cooking for Christmas dinner, I paid special attention to what I wanted to fix on New Year's Day. I considered a beef roast because the one my sister fixed was so good and I hadn't quite satisfied my hankering. But another superstition, which I just made up, is that New Years dinner shouldn't include or produce leftovers. That just strikes me as a bad precedent to set. So what to fix?

I wanted something fairly traditional. Something that would look back to past meals while anticipating future dinners. And then I remembered I had half a duck breast in the freezer. Duck, that most succulent poultry. Queen of avian edibles. Voluptuous volaille. Amazing anatra.

I decided to brine the duck. I wanted to infuse it with apple cider and I thought brining would do so more effectively than marinating. Then I figured sauteed apples in a sweet red wine pan sauce would carry the apple tune just a bit further. To accompany it I made a potato gratin and steamed Brussels sprouts simply dressed in butter and lemon juice.

Judging from last night, I should be eating very well in the year to come. I flavored the cider brine with juniper berries and garlic. The result was wonderfully sweet with a distinctly salty edge to it that I liked. The pan sauce of apples sauteed in duck fat with marsala and crushed juniper berries reinforced the milder flavors in the meat.

For the gratin I layered thin slices of under-cooked potatoes and Appenzeller and sprinkled each layer with salt, black pepper, and minced rosemary. The rosemary in the potatoes nicely complimented the juniper in the duck.

The Brussels sprouts did their job, which in this case was mainly to not interfere with the duck or potatoes.

Apple-brined Duck Breast
1 ea duck breast (about 3/4 lb) -- cut in half, crosswise
Brine:
1 c apple cider
1 tbsp juniper berries -- crushed
3 tbsp Kosher salt
1 clove garlic -- smashed
Pan Sauce:
1/2 ea Braeburn apple (or other cooking apple) -- peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
1 ea scallion -- peeled and minced
1/2 tsp juniper berries -- crushed
3/4 c marsala
2 tbsp butter

Bring cider, juniper berries, and 1 cup water to a boil in a small sauce pan. Remove from heat and add salt and garlic. Stir to dissolve salt and cool to room temperature. Place duck in a zip-lock bag and add brine. Refrigerate at least eight hours or overnight.

Heat oven to 350F. Pat breast halves dry with a paper towel. Using a sharp knife, score duck skin in a diamond pattern and season liberally with black pepper. Place, skin-side down in a 10" oven-proof skillet over medium heat and brown -- about 5 minutes. Turn breast over and cook another three minutes, then place pan on middle rack in oven. Cook for about 15 minutes or until center of breast registers 140 on an instant-read thermometer. Remove to cutting board and tent with foil.

Drain all but 2 tablespoons of fat from skillet. Place over medium heat and add apples, shallot, and juniper. Saute, stirring frequently for 5 minutes until apples are browned and softened. Add marsala and reduce by half, scraping up browned bits. Remove from heat.

Slice duck across grain and arrange on plate. Swirl butter into sauce and spoon apples and sauce over duck. Serves 2.

Potatoes Appenzeller
3 ea small (about 2" diameter) waxy potatoes -- sliced just under 1/4" thick
1/2 tbsp butter
3 oz Appenzeller -- sliced thin
2 tbsp minced fresh rosemary
3 tbsp chicken stock
salt and black pepper

Par boil potatoes until barely fork tender -- about 5 minutes. Drain and cool.

Heat oven to 350F.

Butter two 6 ounce ramekins. Arrange a layer of potatoes in bottom of each ramekin. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and rosemary. Add a layer of cheese. Repeat layers twice more. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of chicken stock to each ramekin and cook in oven for about 20 minutes. Serves 2.

For dessert I fixed a pear tart. I'll post the recipe within the next couple of days.

Technorati: Food | recipe | main dish | side dish | duck | potatoes | apples | Appenzeller