Crispy Duck Breasts With Pear And Peppercorn Sauce

Total Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 1/2 lbs boneless duck breasts
• 1 firm-ripe bosc pear
• 3/4 cup apple juice
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons calvados or 2 tablespoons armagnac (can use apple juice if you prefer)
• 1 tablespoon green peppercorn, packed in brine,drained and crushed lightly
• 1 tablespoon duck, demiglace or 1 tablespoon veal demi-glace or 1/2 extra-large vegetarian vegetable bouillon cube
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled

Recipe

• 1 trim excess fat from duck breasts.
• 2 heat a 12-inch heavy skillet over high heat until very hot.
• 3 pat breasts dry and season with salt.
• 4 put breasts, skin sides down, in skillet and reduce heat to moderate.
• 5 cook breasts 20 minutes, or until skin is crisp and mahogany-colored, removing fat from skillet as it is rendered.
• 6 turn breasts and cook about 2 minutes for medium-rare or to desired doneness.
• 7 transfer breasts to a plate and keep warm, covered loosely.
• 8 while duck breasts are cooking, peel pear and cut into 1/4-inch dice.
• 9 pour off all but about 1 tablespoon fat from skillet and sauté pear until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
• 10 in a measuring cup stir together apple juice and cornstarch.
• 11 to pear add calvados or armagnac.
• 12 stir in cornstarch mixture, peppercorns, demiglace or bouillon cube, and thyme and simmer, stirring, 2 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
• 13 serve duck breasts, sliced, with sauce spooned over them.