Aged Duck Breast & Preserved Seckel Pear
By Josh Dorcak from masashland.com
This dish makes an impressive appetizer that will wow your friends for the holiday. Perfect for small bites and entertaining, the flavors are both sweet and savory. The duck is tender and pairs well with the sweetness and softness of the pear. While it takes time to create this dish, it's well worth the effort.
Total time: Overnight Total Prep: 45 minutes Yields 8-10 appetizer sized bites Equipment:
- Sharp knife ( best sharpened by our E5 )
- Dehydrator
For the pears:
- With a freshly sharpened knife, peel the pears and poach lightly in the apple cider, mirin, and vinegar until they are tender but not falling apart.
- Chill the pears and place in a dehydrator at 145 degrees for 4 hours or until they are chewy in texture.
- Reduce the apple cider to a honey like consistency, combine the pears in the apple cider and reserve for later.
For the duck:
- We use whole ducks from Liberty Farms in Sonoma California. Any duck breast will do for this process.
- Season the duck breasts with salt and allow to dry in the fridge at least overnight. If there is no time for this, the dish will still be flavorful.
- With a heavy pan start warming the pan over low heat, once the chill is off the pan add the breast skin side down.
- Keep the heat to a medium setting and move the breast around the pan, discarding the fat that renders out.
- The skin will become golden brown and crispy in time, about 12-15 minutes. Once the skin is crispy turn off the heat and flip the breast and let rest in the pan.
- Temp the breast at 140 degrees Fahrenheit, this will be medium rare.
Finish:
- Retrieve the reserved pears and take a pear out and cut in half and remove the seeds. Place as many pears as you like on the plate
- For a clean cut, use a sharp knife to slice the duck and season with a bit of finishing salt.
- Place the sliced duck breast on the plate and glaze with reduced apple cider.
Serve to your guest on small plates and I promise, they'll ask for second.
To learn about our E5 sharpening and other kitchen tools, click HERE). To follow recipes and seasonal happenings with MÄS Ashland, you can find chef Josh Dorcak at www.masashland.com!
