Crispy duck breasts with pear and pepper sauce

Crispy duck breasts sliced on a white plate.

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 40

Servings: people

Crispy Duck Breast With Pear and Pepper Sauce brings French holiday elegance to your table. Tender, golden duck with a sweet pear and brandy sauce is simple to make and perfect for festive dinners.

Ingredients

4 boneless duck breasts
4 Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch cube
¾ cup apple juice
½ teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons Brandy
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon veal demiglace, or ½ vegetable bouillon cube
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
salt , to season your breasts

US - Metric

Instructions

Trim any excess fat from the duck breasts.
Heat a large heavy skillet over high heat until very hot. Pat the breasts dry and season them generously with salt. Put the breast skin down in the hot skillet. Reduce the heat to medium and let cook undisturbed for about 20 minutes, or until the skin is crispy and golden. Turn and cook for 2 minutes for medium-rare or to the desired doneness.
Transfer breasts to a plate and cover loosely to keep warm.
Pour off all but one tablespoon of the fat from the skillet and saute the pear until lightly browned, about one minute.
Add the corn starch to the apple juice, mix well, and set aside.
Add the brandy to the pears. Stir in the cornstarch mixture, cracked black pepper, demiglace, and thyme. Simmer, stirring for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Serve duck breasts, sliced, with sauce spooned over them and on the side.

Equipment

Notes

Duck is tasty, juicy, and tender when cooked rare. However, the longer you cook it, the harder the meat will be once you start eating it.
At times, I slash the skin to let the fat render. Lately, the duck breasts I have purchased have been leaner, so they do not need to be cut.
Do not go through the skin with your knife if you need to score. Use a diamond pattern when piercing your skin. See the video below for a quick reference.
Let your duck breast rest before slicing for the most tender and flavorful result.
Use flour instead of cornstarch. Mix well so no clumps form.
Veal demiglace can be replaced with half of a large bouillon cube.
No Brandy? No problem; Cognac will work well instead. Bourbon can, too, but be careful not to use too much, as it will overpower this dish.

Nutrition

Giangi's Kitchen provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as a registered dietician does not calculate them.