45 mins
Duck Breast in Green Pepper Sauce
Recipe by Graham
Duck Breast in Green Pepper Sauce is one of my favourites and, since we are fortunate enough to live in France for 6 months of each year, we often bring back Magret de Canard in our chill box then freeze them for later use. Magret (meaning lean) is the breast of a fatty duck fattened by gavage (force-feeding) when producing confit and foie gras. It is usually served rare or pink after being cooked.
If you are not able to get larger breasts, you can use smaller ones but will need to reduce your cooking times.
Duck with Peppercorns 
Easy BarBeQue Steaks Ingredients for Duck Breast in Green Pepper Sauce
Currently displaying quantities in US Imperial Measurements
How to Cook Duck Breast in Green Pepper Sauce
- First of all, make the sauce since it takes longer and can always be reheated before serving. Drain the peppercorns if they are in brine and place in a saucepan over a low heat. Add the brandy, increase the temperature, and boil gently for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the stock and allow the liquid to reduce at a rolling boil (anything between 5 minutes and 10 minutes).
- Remove the pan from the heat then, when the liquid is no longer boiling, stir in the cream and continue to reduce until it coats the back of the spoon. Again, this can take anywhere between 5 minutes and 10 minutes. Check the seasoning and add salt and freshly-ground black pepper as needed. (NOTE: Don't be tempted to use a "low fat" cream since it will separate while you are reducing the liquid)
- Now you can move on to the duck... Score the duck breasts on the fatty side using a sharp knife, cutting about 1/8-inch (3mm) into the skin in a cross hatch pattern. Season the duck breasts evenly on both sides with the salt and pepper, and place, skin side down, in a hot skillet.
- Cook the breasts over a medium-low heat until the skin is crispy and most of the fat has rendered, about 10 to 12 minutes. Turn the breast over (skin side up), and place in a preheated moderately hot oven (Mk 6 - 400ºF - 200ºC) for about 10-12 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, allow to rest for 3 minutes while you reheat the green pepper sauce, then slice each breast into 10-12 slices. Serve hot with the green pepper sauce and a selection of fresh vegetables.
GRAHAM'S HOT TIP:
You will need to vary the cooking time depending upon your preference and the thickness of the breasts. Since you will be slicing them anyway, you can cut into one to check the doneness. Remember, though, that while meat is resting it continues to cook, so remove from the oven when they are still more pink than you would normally wish.
A light-styled Red Burgundy works well with pan-oven-cooked duck breast. Though a little on the expensive side, a Bourgogne Rouge, Les Cras, Olivier Merlin makes a masterful match with Duck Breast in Green Pepper SauceReviews of Duck Breast in Green Pepper Sauce
| November 12 2014 I have made this three times so far and look foward to cooking it many more times. Delicious and flavorful. We now open all the windows and turn on the fans as we brown the duck skin and render the fat in the hot pan before putting it in the oven. In fact, we've had to reset the smoke detector twice! But well worth it. As the weather improves I will try cooking this outside on the side burner of my BBQ. Thank you for showing me a new,easy and delicious way to make a wonderful meal!!!. marshT (4 reviews) |
April 12 2013 This is a really easy recipe for duck breats and peppercorn sauce. It was not just simple, it was utterly delicious. I used dried green peppercorns and recommend using a little less than a full tablespoon but you do have to add a little salt to the sauce if you can't find the peppercorns in brine. Veal stock works fine. We'll be having this again very soon. alex (3 reviews) |
December 17 2012 Recipe was wonderful. Didn't have the big juicy magret breasts and was still terrific. I aded a couple of finely chopped shallots to the peppercorn sauce and that worked out fine. The breasts were absolutely tender and succulent. This recipe is going in my recipe box. janice (4 reviews) |
What To Eat Tonight
Christmas is that special time of year when diets go out of the window and folks spend more time preparing beautiful meals.
Chicken breasts are thought by some people as being dry yet, properly prepared and cooked, nothing could be further from the truth.
That moment when you decide to invite friends, relatives or you boss and partner to dinner and you know you need to turn up the originality.
Other Duck Recipes
Roast Duck is one of my absolute favorites and the tang of freshly-crushed peppercorns adds another dimension to this great recipe
A gem of a recipe that is simple to make and tastes gloriously decadent. A bit rich in calories, a bit on the expensive side, but so worth it.
Confit de Canard (Duck Confit) is one of our absolute favourites and, whenever we serve it to non-French guests, they fall in love with it too.
