This is the premier entry in a (hopefully) biweekly recipe column that I hope will both inspire you to become more culinarily active and serve to demystify the world of cooking. Not only will I provide recipes, but I will also give tips and tricks to be applied to more than one situation. All recipes in this column will be ones that I have personally come up with over the years. Each recipe is tested and refined before going into this column. So, without further adieu, let’s get into the column.
Pan-seared duck breast
With slow-roasted carrot purée and sautéed tatsoi
Ingredients
4 duck breasts (2 packages), As fresh as you can manage, dried with a paper towel
8 carrots, peeled and sliced into roughly even spears
1 bunch ramps (if in season), washed
3 bunches tatsoi (or bok choy if you can’t find that), washed, stalks removed
Three cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
Unfiltered olive oil (I used Claudio’s)
Some kind of flavorless oil like vegetable oil or safflower oil
2 tsp butter
4 scallions, washed and minced
Lemon wedges (optional)
Method
Line a toaster tray with tin foil, put as many of the carrots as you can fit on it and drizzle lightly with unfiltered olive oil and vegetable or safflower oil. Put the in toaster and toast at 350℉ until the carrots are just starting to brown. About 50 minutes.
While the carrots are in the toaster, heat a wok or cast iron pan on medium heat and line with olive oil. Place bok choy, ramps (if being used), and garlic in pan, drizzle with unfiltered oil and salt to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until saturated with oil but not yet browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and place on a plate.
Remove carrots from toaster and place in blender along with a spoonful of water and a spoonful of olive oil. Repeat this process until purée is smooth but not watery, about two/three repetitions. Add salt to taste.
Using a fork, pierce holes in the skin of the duck to allow the fat to render. line a large pan with a very thin layer of olive oil and place on medium-high heat until oil is hot. You can test if oil is hot enough by sprinkling a fistful of water into the pan. If the water spatters, the oil is hot enough. Place two of the duck breasts in pan skin side down and cook, draining fat periodically until skin is crispy and brown, about 10 minutes. Remove duck breasts from heat and repeat with the other two.
Place two duck breasts back in pan, add 1 tsp of butter and cook on medium-low heat until cooked through, about 7 minutes. Repeat with the other two duck breasts.
Reheat the greens in the cast-iron pan or wok used earlier.
Serving
Put a stripe of the carrot onto a plate and lay the sliced duck on top of it. Surround with greens and serve.
