Duck Breast Salad Time - 35 minutes
1 Magret de Canard (duck breast) Living in the land of foie gras we have duck breast readily
available (they have to do something with the rest of the duck, after all!) We prefer it
to steak (beef) and eat it medium rare. It has about 1/3 inch (1 cm) of fat on one side
which delights the pyromaniac in mon mari - cooking it on the barbecue sends flames
shooting up about 3 feet. The fat mostly burns off so there is rarely a need to trim it.
This has absolutely no resemblance to wild duck, Peking duck, Long Island duck or any
other duck. I do not know if you can get it wherever it is that you live. It would likely
come prepackaged. If you can't get it, substitute any other meat of your choice.
I would use a flank steak and cut it against the grain.
1/4 cup Teriyaki marinade
lettuce - enough for 2 main meal salads
1 tomato
1/2 green pepper
1 15 oz can white or green asparagus
2 eggs, hard boiled
1 tbs toasted sesame seeds
Optional - crusty, country bread - no recipe
Sweet and sour vinaigrette
Boil eggs. If using duck breast cross-hatch the fat (make slices through the fat in 2 direction so that you have a diamond pattern. Pour marinade over and let marinate for 15 minutes. If using beef do the same (without the cutting the fat part). Slice tomato and pepper. Open asparagus. Prepare lettuce and put in large salad bowl. Toss with a little of the vinaigrette. Peel and quarter the eggs. Artfully arrange asparagus, tomatoes, pepper and eggs on top of lettuce. Cook duck breast on barbecue starting fat side down for 5 minutes. Make certain barbecue is away from dried weeds, dried wood and low trees. With long tongs turn breast over (mind your eyebrows) and continue cooking another 5 minutes. If there is any fat left on fat side put fat side down for a few minutes to burn off. Remove from heat and take a peak (stick knife in center and make a cut) If done to your liking let rest a minute. If not put back on barbecue for 2 minutes. If using flank steak cook 3 - 5 minutes a side for medium - eyebrows are safe. Slice meat and arrange on salad, sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve, passing remaining dressing.
Sweet and Sour Vinaigrette
If you can buy sweet and sour sauce, be easy on yourself and do so. I can't so ...first I make the sweet and sour sauce:
1 tbs sugar
1 tbs sherry vinegar (or red wine)
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch (corn flour or, if in Andorra, Spain, etc. Maizena) dissolved in 1 tbs water
or 1/4 cup sweet and sour sauce
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/3 cup oil - olive is fine but walnut oil adds a wonderful flavor
Heat 1st 3 ingredients to boiling in small sauce pan. Add cornstarch mixture and stir to thicken. Put into a small bowl and allow to cool slightly OR put sweet and sour sauce in a bowl. Add mustard and oil and whisk to combine. Will be very thick.
Note: You can sauté or broil the steak - but don't try it with the duck breast. It splatters like crazy and there will be fat everywhere. I have fried them in the house on occasion and I do it in a deep stock pot - using it like a frying pan but with the deep sides it keeps some of the spatters in.
Cooking for Two? Or more?
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