Crispy Duck Breasts with Maple-Bourbon Sauce

We’ve adapted this tasty maple-bourbon sauce from Hank Shaw’s award-winning blog Hunter Angler Gardener Cook. This sauce also works nicely with wild turkey, boar or pheasant. The duck breasts will render quite a bit of flavorful fat, which many chefs consider to be the platinum standard of cooking fats. Don’t throw it away! Instead, strain the fat through a fine-mesh sieve, and use it in place of other fats (butter, oil) in other recipes. It will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator.

Ingredients

4 boneless duck breast halves, skin on
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons bourbon
1/4 cup chicken stock
1-1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon Sriracha hot sauce
1 tablespoon heavy cream
sage sprigs, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400℉. Place a foil-lined baking sheet in oven.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Trim any excess fat from edges of duck breast halves, and set aside. Score the duck skin and fat in a diamond pattern. Season duck with salt and pepper. Place duck skin-side-down in pan, and cook 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add reserved trimmings of duck fat to the pan, and continue to cook 15 minutes, until the skin crisps and the fat renders out.
Remove the duck to a work surface, and dust the skin side of duck with sugar. Place duck skin-side-down on preheated baking sheet. Bake 7 minutes, or until meat is medium-rare. Remove from oven, turn duck skin-side-up, and cover with foil. Let stand 10 minutes.
Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the rendered duck fat. (Strain and reserve remaining fat for another use.)
While duck stands, heat the skillet over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, and cook 5 minutes, or until dark golden-brown. Stir often, and keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn.
Take the pan off the heat, and whisk in the bourbon, then return it to pan over medium-high heat. It will thicken and sputter. Stir well, and start adding the stock, whisking constantly. When the sauce boils, whisk in the maple syrup and Sriracha. Let this simmer over medium heat for 1 minute. Turn off the heat, and let the sauce stop bubbling. Whisk in the cream. Adjust seasoning as needed.
Slice each duck breast half across the grain. Garnish each plate evenly with the sauce. Garnish with sage.

Servings:

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Hey there ... I'm Lia Huber

My mission is to inspire and equip you to live a richer life through real food by becoming a more competent, confident home cook.

I’m the author of Nourished: A Memoir of Food, Faith, and Enduring Love, founder and CEO of Nourish Evolution, and the creator of Cook the Seasons, Home Cooking School, and the Real Food Reset, and I empower intentional women to cook in a way that brings them (and their families) joy, health, and ease.

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How to Plan, Prep, and Cook Easy Weeknight Meals (without spending hours in the kitchen)

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