Well, this is a quick and simple recipe (well, not really a recipe…more of a technique) for something that typically isn’t super easy to pull off: cooking a duck breast with crispy skin and at the same time keeping it medium/medium rare. (More after the jump).  The key is to score the skin in a few spots without ripping into the flesh so that the fat has a chance to render out. Further, you have to cook the breast at a lower temperature than you otherwise might. For this, I started the pan on medium heat and a placed the duck breast in the pan skin side down without heating the pan first (the only time I ever do that).

From there, when the pan starts to heat up, I turn it down to medium-low and then keep it there while the duck breast slowly cooks and renders out all fat from the skin. Finally, after you check the skin to see if it’s crispy enough, you simply flip the breast and cook on the other side for a couple of minutes so that it has browned. Allow it to sit on a cooling rack or cutting board for a few minutes prior to slicing it.

I served this particular duck breast as part of a Mexican extravaganza that I made last night. We made tacos out of it and paired it with fresh tomato and corn salsas, guacamole, peppery arugula, cherry tomatoes, and cilantro (for me…Tara won’t touch it). I’ll post more about the tacos and salsas in the next few days.

I have so many recipes and pictures to share that are just waiting to be written up. Hopefully…hopefully I’ll be able to do the lion’s share of that tomorrow. Fingers crossed as I really want to catch up. I’m feeling very far behind at this point! The good news is that it won’t be boring around here in the coming weeks as there’s lots to share.

By the way, I know it’s very easy to find recipes elsewhere. However, if there is ever something you’d like me to tackle, let me know. I can’t promise that I will be able to come up with a recipe with which I am happy, but I can promise that I’ll give it a shot. Either way, I’ll respond either via email or by posting depending on the outcome. So…something to consider.