Recipe and Photography by Manos Angelakis
 

Roasted Duck Breasts
with Fig-Shallot Compote

Duck breasts are one of my all time favorites, and I’m always looking for new ways to cook them.

I came across this recipe during a recent trip to Chicago, and I thought it would be an interesting variation on the theme. In the image above the compote is behind the breast, while the garnish in the front is a chestnut purée. I was not given the recipe for the chestnut purée, but I thought that its lack would not take anything away from the dish, if the purée was not present.

Ingredients:

Long Island duck or Pekin duck breasts are fine.
8 seven ounce breast halves with skin on
Coarse sea salt for seasoning the duck before searing.

For the Fig-Shallot Compote.
12 Shallots, peeled, root-end removed, and quartered
1/2 Cup fruity red wine, Pinot Noir is preferred
1/2 Cup Sweet Malvasia
2 Cups Chicken Stock
12 Dried Black Figs, stems removed, halved
1 tsp Lemon Zest
1 tbsp Sugar
1/8 tsp Ground Cloves
1 tsp Coarse salt
Freshly ground Malabar Black Pepper, to taste.

Method:

Preheat oven to 325° F.

First, trim and score the breasts. Place the breast halves, skin up on a work surface; using a very sharp knife score the skin going through half the skin/fat but not all the way to the meat. Season the skin side generously with salt and pepper.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the duck breasts, skin side down. Season the meat side with a little salt. Cook until the skin is golden and much of the fat has rendered. Reserve 2 1/2 tbsp of fat to be used in the Fig-Shallot Compote, and either discard the rest or preserve for other use. Transfer breasts to a sheet pan, skin side up. 

The Fig-Shallot Compote. In a large sauce pan over medium heat add the reserved duck fat. Add the shallots and cook in the rendered fat for 10 minutes or until the shallots turn golden. Add the wines, chicken stock, figs, lemon jest, sugar, cloves, salt and pepper. Cook at medium heat until the figs are very soft, but still retain their shape. Approximately 27 to 30 minutes. Remove and reserve the figs, increase the heat and simmer until the sauce starts to thicken, 5 minutes. Set compote aside.

Transfer the sheet pan to the oven and cook the breasts until medium/rare, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Serve the breasts with sauce decorating the plate and a piece or two of figs on top.

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