Mesclun Duck Breast Salad with Raspberry-Shallot
Vinaigrette
This is one of my personal favorites and can be used as a
salad or entrée. I love the way the buttery flavor and texture of the duck is
balanced with the slightly sweet yet tart acidity of the raspberry
vinaigrette.
You may use mixed baby greens for this recipe or create your own mesclun mix
by tearing bite-sized pieces of baby red oak leaf, baby arugula, baby māche,
endive, frisée, and radicchio. This recipe is deceptively easy and takes just
20 minutes to prepare.
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
Duck Breast:
1 pound moulard duck breast filets
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
Raspberry-Shallot Vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 shallots, diced
2 teaspoons sugar
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Dish:
1 pound mesclun greens
raspberries for garnish
Raspberry Coulis for garnish (recipe follows)
Preparation:
For the Duck Breast:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a very sharp knife
and being careful to not cut into the meat, score the skin of the duck
breasts in a crisscross pattern.
Season both sides with salt and pepper.
Heat a large sauté pan over high heat until very hot. Place the duck
breasts in the pan, skin side down, and sear them until some of the fat
has melted and the skin is brown and crisp, about 3 minutes. Turn the
breasts over and cook them for an additional 3 minutes. Pour off the fat
and discard, or chill it and use it as a spread for bread and crackers.
Place the duck breasts on a baking rack and bake until medium rare, about
8 minutes. Transfer the breasts onto a warm platter, skin side up, and
tent loosely with aluminum foil. Allow them to rest so the juices that
collected in the breast's center during cooking have time to redistribute
throughout the meat, making it tender and juicy.
For the Raspberry-Shallot Vinaigrette:
In a small bowl, combine the raspberry and sherry
vinegars, mustard, shallots, sugar, salt, and pepper. Whisk together
thoroughly. Slowly whisk in the oil to emulsify. Season to taste with
salt, pepper, and sugar, if needed.
Let rest to infuse the vinegar for at least 15 minutes, and then adjust
seasoning, if necessary.
Presentation:
Coat the greens with the vinaigrette and place on the
center of each serving plate. Fan the duck atop the salads and garnish with
the raspberries. Drizzle with raspberry coulis.
Quick Tip: Scoring Duck Breast Filets:
Why do I score my duck filets before cooking? There are 3
reasons:
Scoring the filet allows some fat to escape from the meat into the pan,
allowing you to cook it without adding additional fat.
Scoring allows flavor in, enabling the salt and pepper to be introduced
directly to the meat, rather than just to its skin.
Most importantly, scoring the filet prevents it from curling up in the pan,
which would make it cook unevenly.
Wine Pairings:
2001 Blockheadia Ringnosii
Zinfandel
Napa, California
2000 Robert Sinskey Vineyards
Four Vineyards Pinot Noir
Napa, California
© 2004 Marcel Biró. Used with permission of Biró OmniMedia,
LLC, and The Kitchens of Biró TV series. All rights reserved.
Raspberry Coulis
Makes 1/2 cup
Ingredients:
1 pint raspberries
2 to 3 tablespoons superfine sugar
Preparation:
Place the raspberries and 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a
food processor or blender and purée. Add more sugar, if necessary.
Pass the puréed berries through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds. It
may be necessary to add a little water to thin the coulis.
Place in a fine-nozzled squeeze bottle and store refrigerated for up to 2
days.
