Duck with Plum Sauce

This recipe combines

Pan-Seared Duck Breast Plum Sauce

A pan-seared duck breast with crisp, rendered skin, sliced and served with a glossy plum sauce. This is the duck breast and the sauce made as one dish: start the sauce first so it can simmer while the duck renders, then slice and plate them together. Plum is a classic partner for duck — the fruit's sweetness and acidity cut through the rich meat and make the crisp skin taste even better. Both parts also stand on their own if you'd rather make them separately.

Serves 2

Ingredients

For the duck

• 2 duck breasts
• Salt and pepper

For the plum sauce

• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• ½ cup pitted prunes, chopped
• ½ cup chicken or beef stock
• Salt, to taste

The duck cooks almost entirely on its skin side, rendering its own fat slowly in a cold-start pan, so there's plenty of hands-off time to build the sauce. The plum sauce is really a prune gastrique — caramelized sugar cut with vinegar, then simmered with prunes for body — and it holds well while the duck rests.

Pan-Frying

Pan-Seared Chicken Breast Chicken Katsu Chicken Parmesan Pan-Seared Pork Chop Southern Fried Pork Chop with Gravy Pan-Seared Steak Pan-Seared Duck Breast Pan-Seared Salmon Pan-Seared Swordfish Pan-Seared Cod Rösti Chimichurri Steak

Browning Food and Building a Sauce→

Method

Make the plum sauce

In a small saucepan, melt the sugar over medium heat, swirling occasionally, until it turns a deep amber color, 4–5 minutes — watch closely, sugar goes from caramelized to burnt quickly. Carefully add the vinegar (it will bubble and steam vigorously) and stir to dissolve the caramel, then add the prunes and stock and simmer until the prunes soften and the sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. For a smooth sauce, blend and strain; for a rustic one, leave as is. Season with a little salt to balance the sweetness, then keep warm.

Render the duck

Pat the duck breasts dry, score the skin in a shallow crosshatch pattern, cutting through the fat but not into the meat, and season both sides generously with salt and pepper. Place the duck breasts skin-side down in a cold skillet, set the pan over medium heat, and cook, pouring off excess fat as it renders, until the skin is deeply browned and crisp, 5–6 minutes.

Finish and serve

Increase the heat to medium-high, flip the breasts, and cook the flesh side 1–2 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 130°F for medium-rare. Remove the duck from the pan and rest 5–10 minutes, then slice across the grain, spoon the plum sauce over or alongside, and serve.