i made this as part of dinner a few weeks ago and it came out fantastic. measurements for the sauce are approximate, since i didnt measure when cooking.

2 boneless duck breasts, 1/2 lb each
salt and pepper
2 tbsp apricot jam
1 tbsp soy sauce
1-2 tsp sugar
4 tbsp semi-dry red wine
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
cornstarch mixed with water


preheat the oven to 350

spray a pan with a little olive oil, sprinkle with course salt and pepper. score the skin with a sharp knife, then lay down the breasts, skin up, and sprinkle them with some more salt and pepper.

bake the breasts for 11-12 minutes, a little longer if you want em more well done.

while that cooks, add the ingredients for the sauce (except for the cornstarch) to a small saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking everything together. (doesnt have to be continuous.)

allow to reduce slightly, then slowly add the cornstarch and water mixture to it, until it thickens noticeably, but not a lot, whisking continuously. keep whisking for another minute as it continues to thicken.

slice the breast thinly on a diagonal at a 45 degree angle. make a spiral of the sauce of the plate, fan out the breast and place it on top of the spiral, then drizzle with more sauce. a sprig of parsley to finish the garnish.

When you are working with duck breast i would recommend cooking them slowly in a pan at low-medium heat, skin side down, start them in a cold pan with no oil.... remove fat 2 or 3 times while it cooks.. if done properly it should be medium rare and the skin should be all melted down and very crispy....
Duck is my favorite meat.... to prep and to eat... If you are to cook it in the oven ONLY do it with a whole duck or with the breast BONES on... cooking in the oven with no bones will have a terrible result... dry duck with hard and unmelted skin, which i would never recommend.
Cheers.
P.S also in your recipe i have no idea why you would want corn starch as jam and the sugar itself will act as a thickening agent... just reduce the ingredients down until the texture is thick enough...

This post was edited by hofx2 on Jun 7 2012 01:36am

Sounds like a good method, ill have to try it sometime. but a terrible result from the oven? never had that problem. granted, not all of the fat is rendered, but the meat still remains moist and delicious.

the cornstarch was because if i had reduced it enough for it to thicken on its own the flavors would have been too concentrated.

The meat will be more juicy if you cook the breasts bones on, if you want to do it in the oven... Bones will really help the juicyness of the meat...

could be it would be even more jiucy like that, but it was plenty juicy like this.

ive never had a problem with drying out breast in the oven, chicken, duck, or otherwise.

duck is fucking nasty, i dont care how you cook it, i like hunting duck, but i give it away to friends/family cuz i cant stand the shit

always wanted to try duck but i hav eno clue where to get it lol, if i can get some i'll give the recipe a try

Duck is one of my favorite meats to eat. Delicious.

who's

multi is trying to get his or her post count up?

but I like duck. Chinese duck is good.

only ever had it once but seeing it on chopped makes me wanna try it again. might have to go get my license and get my shotgun ;o