So far I have managed to walk through life without preparing or tasting duck. Not due to anything in particular, the whole duck thing simply hasn’t sprung to mind because of the enormous supply of chicken and turkey in every store. As a matter of fact I can’t recall ever seeing duck before on store shelves, but when I happened to notice duck breasts on offer I of course bought a few of them right away.
The baked duck breast in the photo above is already the third attempt within quite a short period of time. The two previous ones were delicious but I didn’t succeed in taking proper pictures of them, but this third one is good enough to publish.
My first encounter with this bird was definitely positive and from now on I will surely check the “duck situation” in every store. By doing a quick Web search I found mostly products meant for dogs. So, is duck only a kind of dog’s food – I think not!
You can use any kind of mushrooms as an alternative to false morels and still make a good risotto, because it isn’t very easy to find false morels. And if you don’t like mushrooms at all, there are a lot of tasty risottos to make without them. There are already two risottos made of Arborio rice on my page (Side dishes > rice), but you can by all means make your risotto with any kind of ingredients you fancy.
The recipe for false morel risotto can be found here.
The recipe for spinach and turmeric risotto can be bound here.
PORTION: 2 servings
TIME TO MAKE: marinating 10-24 hours, otherwise 30-40 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
- 300-400 g duck breast
- 50-100 g goat cheese or feta
- olive oil
Marinade:
- ½ dl olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of finely chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon of finely chopped thyme
- 1 teaspoon of finely chopped mint
- 1 teaspoon of finely chopped rosemary
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
Let the breast season overnight in marinade.
Preheat the oven to 220°C (428°F)
Start with frying the breast in a hot frying pan, one minute on each side.
Make an incision on the side of the duck breast, a bit like a pocket.
Make a mix of goat cheese, finely chopped basil and olive oil, toss well.
Fill the cavity with the mixture and seal it securely with some toothpicks.
Bake the breast at 200°C (428°F) in the oven, skin side downwards. I recommend using a roasting thermometer to get the right roasting time. It is only a matter of a few degrees too much that can end up spoiling your perfect duck. When the temperature in the middle of the breast is 55-58°C (131-§36,5°F), the duck is ready. You can bake it up to 70°C (160°F) but in that case you are more likely to eat a rubber duck for dinner.
In the picture below you can see a filled duck breast almost ready for the oven. Just secure the open side with some toothpicks, put the thermometer in and let the breast roast.
Tags: duch breast filled with feta goatcheese
Ruokasirkusta 