SICHUAN PEPPERCORN DUCK BREASTS WITH PLUM POBLANO SAUCE
Have you ever used Sichuan Peppercorns? If not, I’m here to tell you they need to be on your list! I love them, and this Sichuan Peppercorn Duck Breast with Plum Poblano Sauce recipe really shows them off! Sichuan peppercorns (also spelled as Szechuan) aren’t really a pepper, they’re a dried fruit- a tangy, tingly fruit that resembles black peppercorns. They leave a warm, tingly feeling on your tongue, and I have been using them quite often lately.
Recently, my friends at Greensbury Farms send me some of their wonderful Duck Breasts to try! I’ve been playing around with this recipe, so I rolled it out while Lindsay O’Neill was down cooking with me! I’m so glad we did this, as it’s turned in to one of my favorite recipes!
MAKING THE SEASONING BLEND
The seasoning blend for the duck breasts was really quite simple, with the Sichuan pepper being the only exception. My local grocery stores do not carry them, so I used Amazon to get them in. Toasting them before using them is very important, as it will bring out the oils of the peppercorns. Also, they have a wonderful aroma that will infuse the rest of your seasonings if you toast them! To toast them, simple put in a dry pan on the stove over medium heat for a few minutes. You’ll know they’re done when the entire kitchen smells wonderful. I put the toasted peppercorns in a mortar with kosher salt and black pepper then lightly cracked the peppers.
COOKING THE SICHUAN PEPPERCORN DUCK BREASTS
Always use a meat thermometer!
The key to cooking duck breasts is pretty simple- lightly score the skin to help render some of the fats, cook slow enough to help render, then sear to crisp up the skin. Try to pull the duck breasts at 130 degrees (they’ll carry to a beautiful rosy medium rare after resting for a few minutes!) I cooked these on my Arteflame Grill which is absolutely perfect for cooking this recipe. As you get farther away from the center, the Arteflame top is cooler. So I placed these on outside edge, skin side down, and cooked for about 20 minutes. This lets the fats render from the duck breast quite nicely. I flipped them over to get some sear on the meat side, then placed near the center, skin side down, to crisp up the skin. OMG! Tender, luscious and perfectly cooked duck breasts! If you don’t have an Arteflame yet, you can create the same effect in a skillet. Simply start cooking at medium low heat, then after rendering pull the duck breast out of the pan for a minute. Heat the skillet to medium high and put them on again (skin side down) to crisp up the skin. Easy Peasy!
Duck Breasts on Arteflame!
PLUM POBLANO SAUCE
I love vibrant sauces, and I must say this one has a rich hue, both in color and flavor, that I love. A note about plums- they’re not all created equal! I used a red fleshed plum for the color (and I also like the flavor better.) I did peel them as cooking with the peels tends to add too much bitterness. The recipe is quite simple though, and can be done in advance and simply heated up.
Look at that Beautiful color of the Sauce! Slice and serve! Delicious!
Anyway, here’s the recipe. Y’all enjoy! ~Melissa
Melissa Cookston’s Sichuan Antibiotic Free Duck Breast from Greensbury.com with Seared Plum Poblano Sauce, on the Arteflame Euro 40
Ingredients:
2 duck breasts, lightly scored in a criss cross pattern
2 TBS Sichuan peppercorns
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp coarse ground black pepper
1 TBS sesame oil
Let’s get cookin’
-Toast peppercorns in a dry pan over medium heat, then set aside. In a mortar and pestle, add a garlic clove and crush, then add peppercorns, salt, and pepper and lightly crush peppercorns.
-slather peppercorn rub onto duck breasts
-on cooler spot of grill, add duck breast skin side down and allow to cook for 10 minutes, or until fat is rendering from duck breast skin. Flip over and move to a hotter part of the grill, using some of the rendered duck fat. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until duck breast is approaching medium rare. Flip breast over again to sear and crisp skin (1-2 minutes) checking with thermometer to achieve desired doneness. Remove to rest.
To serve, slice breast thinly, then spoon seared plum-poblano relish over duck breast and serve.
Seared Plum- Poblano Sauce
6 plums, quartered and pitted
½ poblano pepper, roasted, stemmed, seeded and diced
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup diced red onion
1/2 TBS grated fresh ginger
2 tbs cup soy sauce
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1.5 TBS sugar
In a small pot, add oil, garlic and onion. Cook until almost translucent. Add diced poblano, cook 2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients except plums and stir. Put on low heat.
Sear plums on hot griddle, then add to pot. Cook for 4-5 minutes until plums begin to fall apart while stirring.
THIS, AND MORE RECIPES… MELISSACOOKSTON.COM