Pan-Seared Duck Breasts

Ingredients

• 6 boneless, skin-on duck breasts
• Salt
• Hide ingredients for (Herb Pan Sauce, Wine and Sour Cherry Pan Sauce, or Sweet-Sour Orange Pan Sauce) 1 (Herb Pan Sauce, Wine and Sour Cherry Pan Sauce, or Sweet-Sour Orange Pan Sauce) (opens in new tab) (Herb Pan Sauce, Wine and Sour Cherry Pan Sauce, or Sweet-Sour Orange Pan Sauce)
  • ½ cup minced onion or shallot
  • ⅔ cup dry white or red wine, hard cider, or chicken stock or broth
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice, white wine vinegar, or Cognac, or to taste
  • (4 teaspoons Dijon mustard)
  • (1 bay leaf)
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • (½ cup heavy cream)
  • 1 ½ teaspoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons minced herbs such as parsley, tarragon, thyme, or a combination
  • Minced fresh herbs

  Sub-recipe steps

  1. After pan-frying steaks, lamb chops, pork chops, or chicken pieces, transfer them to a platter and keep warm. Pour off most of the excess fat and set the pan over medium heat. Add: ½ cup minced onion or shallot
  2. Cook, stirring, until softened but not browned. Increase the heat to medium-high and add: ⅔ cup dry white or red wine, hard cider, or chicken stock or broth
  3. Stir with a wooden spoon to loosen and dissolve any browned bits, then bring to a boil and add: 1 tablespoon lemon juice, white wine vinegar, or Cognac, or to taste; (4 teaspoons Dijon mustard); (1 bay leaf); Salt and black pepper to taste
  4. Cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced and thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. If desired, add and cook until reduced by about half, 1 to 2 minutes: (½ cup heavy cream)
  5. Take off the heat and swirl in bit by bit: 1 ½ teaspoons butter
  6. Remove the bay leaf, if used, or, for a perfectly smooth sauce, strain it through a fine-mesh sieve. Stir in: 2 tablespoons minced herbs such as parsley, tarragon, thyme, or a combination
  7. Spoon the sauce over the meat and garnish with: Minced fresh herbs
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  • ½ cup orange marmalade
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons orange liqueur or orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • Salt and black pepper

  Sub-recipe steps

  1. Combine in a small saucepan: ½ cup orange marmalade; 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 2 tablespoons orange liqueur or orange juice; 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  2. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook just until the sauce is the consistency of light syrup. If it becomes too thick, dilute it with stock or water. Season to taste with: Salt and black pepper