Duck Breast with Ginger-Lime Gastrique and Grilled Pineapple

Duck is one of those dishes that most home cooks overlook, automatically depositing in the category of recipes only suitable for the professional chef. It is a shame since duck does not have to be difficult and rewards one with a bit of patience at the stove top. Here, simple ginger and lime enliven an easy vinegar and sugar reduction giving balance to crisp skinned meat. Do save the rendered duck fat and use for decadent roast potatoes.

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Pairing Notes:
As we pair the ginger-lime vinegar reduction to complement the rich meat, so we suggest a wine with enough acidity to balance while enough backbone to stand up to the luscious fat without clashing with the flavours of the gastrique. A nerello mascacelese from the slopes of Mt. Etna in Sicily, such as the Sicilia Ghiaia Nera 2014 from Tasca d’Almerita would do nicely. Medium tannins with layered acidity, savoury notes with cherry, plum and raspberry notes – all fruits that incidentally make terrific pairings for duck!

Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

4 boneless duck breasts
2 T. vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
1 cup white wine vinegar
1 lime
2 inch piece of fresh ginger
½ cup granulated sugar
1 small pineapple
Coarse sea salt or red salt

  1. Remove any silver skin from the flesh side of the duck breasts with a very sharp knife. Using the same sharp knife, score the skin side with hatch marks approximated ½ inch apart. Preheat oil in a large sauté pan over medium to medium-high heat. Season both sides of meat with salt and pepper. Place breast in pan skin side down. Sauté without moving for about five minutes until skin starts to crisp. Reduce heat to medium-low and leave breasts continuing to cook for about another 15-20 minutes.

  2. Place vinegar in a small saucepan. Get long strips of zest from the lime with a vegetable peeler and add to vinegar along with the juice of that lime. Peel ginger and slice into strips about ¼ inch thick and add to vinegar and lime. Stir sugar into vinegar lime mixture in saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil. Continue to boil until reduced by half, about 10 minutes.

  3. Clean the pineapple by removing the skin. Slice into large rounds ½ inch thick. Preheat a grill pan or grill over high heat. Working in batches, grill pineapple slices on both sides to get dark char marks. Set aside and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

  4. While duck is cooking, periodically pour off fat and set fat aside (rendered duck fat can be used to roast potatoes as a side dish) so that the duck does not deep fry in its own fat. About 20 total minutes into cooking time, check for doneness by touching a breast. It should feel about half-way cooked through.

  5. Turn breasts to flesh side and continue to cook for another two minutes until the pinkness on that side is gone. Remove to a platter and let rest for about five minutes.

  6. To serve, thinly slice duck breast with the skin-side up. Strain vinegar reduction and discard lime peel and ginger. To serve family style, arrange grilled pineapple slightly overlapping on a large platter. Arrange duck slices slightly fanned out on top. Drizzle platter with ginger-lime reduction. Serve with a simple salad and potatoes cooked in the rendered duck fat.

RecipesAmy Powell