Pan Roasted Five Spice Duck with Asian Kale and Black Jasmine Rice

This meal was designated as Derek and my "Christmas Dinner" since we made it on the night that we celebrated Christmas - only a few weeks after the actual day. Since I had already had prime rib, I opted out of make that. When Derek came up with duck, I though "perfect!" with a nice Christmas-y Chinese Five Spice - that will be very holiday like. Though the meal still had a hint of Christmas, it evolved into a clearly Asian dish, a feature I wouldn't necessarily associate with my fond memories of celebrating a Christmas in the US. No complaints, though, it was delicious.

Pan-Roasted Five Spice Duck Breasts
adapted from Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home

Ingredients
2 duck breasts
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
Chinese Five Spice Powder
1 orange
Balsamic vinegar
2 thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
Canola oil


1. Using a sharp knife, cut a 1/4-inch crosshatch pattern in the skin of each breast, being careful not to pierce the meat. Do this while the duck is cold, since it's difficult to make such precise cuts at room temperature.

2. Turn the duck breasts skin-side-down on the baking sheet. If the tenderloins, the smaller piece of meat that runs along the bottom of the breast, are still attached, leave them on the breasts. Use a paring knife to remove the small white tendon that runs through each tenderloin. You will see a vein that runs the length of each breast. Run your finger down the length of each vein, and if any blood comes out, wipe it away with a paper towel.

3. Season the flesh side of each breast with salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of five spice powder. Grate a little orange zest over each breast and sprinkle with a few drops of balsamic vinegar. Lay a sprig of thyme running lengthwise down the center of each breast and cover with a bay leaf. Turn over and season each breast with a generous pinch of salt and a grating of nutmeg. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 1 hour, or up to 12 hours.

4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

5. Set a cooling rack over a baking sheet. Set a metal bowl or other container near the stove. With a paper towel, blot any moisture from the duck breasts. Season both sides of each breast with a pinch of salt.

6. Pour some canola oil into a large ovenproof frying pans over medium-low heat. Add the duck skin-side-down. Move the duck breasts every few minutes to help them brown evenly. As the fat is rendered, carefully remove the excess from the frying pan (there will be more than you would expect!): move the pan away from the heat when you remove the fat, since if any fat hits the flame it will cause flare-up.

7. Cook the duck for a total of 20-25 minutes, until the skin is an even rich brown and very crisp; the internal temperature of the breasts should be approximately 115 degrees F. Flip each breast and just "kiss" the meat side for about 30 seconds.

8. Put the duck skin-side-down in the oven and cook for about 5 minutes. The internal temperature should be 125 degrees F for a rosy medium-rare.

9. Put the duck breasts skin-side-down on the cooling rack and let rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Cut each piece of duck lengthwise into 3 slices. Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper.

This is probably one of the only dishes that I will happily eat fat. Typically it is not my thing - on steak? no thank you. on duck? yes please - but not TOO much. It really is where all the flavor it and it simply melts in your mouth. Think of it as slathering butter on a piece of bread. Sure, bread is fine by itself but when you put some butter on top, it transforms the simple bread into simple decadence. Same idea with the fat on the duck breast. It has transforming powers. It is also topped with the fantastic crust with the five-spice powder that I am a huge fan of. Ginger, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Star Anise, Cloves...or some variation following similar flavors. It is essentially Christmas in a powder form..ahh.

The duck was tender and delicious and I don't need to say anything else positive about it - just look at the blurry picture, it does it enough justice.

My contribution to the meal was the Asian Kale that I braised with ginger, sesame oil, onion, garlic, vegetable stock - and maybe some soy sauce, I cannot remember precisely. Needless to say I did not follow a recipe but it turned out fantastic.

Finally, the black jasmine rice added a nice roundness to the dish.

Merry Christmas #2.