Thursday, November 3, 2011

French Fridays with Dorie - twenty-minute honey-glazed duck breasts

 Unbelievable, right?  Duck in 20 minutes?  Well, Dorie didn't lie...I got home at 5:15 and had dinner on the table at 6:00 pm...had to wait on the darn rice!  We all like duck at my house, but I rarely cook it (but when I do, I cook it rarely...hee hee hee.)  Ethan was excited when I told him we were having duck and the whole time it was cooking (all 20 minutes), he kept saying, "boy, something sure smells good!"  So cute.  The duck was very simple, quick and fairly tasty. 

Crispy skin and lovely sauce
Even though I went to my favorite meat store in San Diego (Seisel's), I've got to say the duck itself wasn't fabulous, just ok.  It had no real ducky flavor at all and except for the thick skin and layer of fat, it could almost have been chicken (almost, but not quite).  Which was too bad, given that it was $13.99 a pound (and I bought two pounds).  I wonder if there is a better, less expensive way to buy duck.  I'll have to investigate.
Look at that beautiful, rare duck

We've had a bit of a cranky week at my house, culminating with all three of us having a crappy day on Thursday.  The boys are off camping this weekend and I hope the fresh, COLD mountain air clears their heads and brings them back in a good mood.  I plan on cleaning the house top to bottom, certain to put me in a fabulous mood.

Have a great week and check out my fellow Doristas' creations here.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

My goodness, your meal looks amazing!! I did really enjoy this recipe, and now I feel better because mine did actually taste like duck... for $15.00 a pound! This was fun, I'm glad you enjoyed it!!

Hope your weekend is great. I always feel better after I've "cleared the decks"!

Anonymous said...

My goodness, your meal looks amazing!! I did really enjoy this recipe, and now I feel better because mine did actually taste like duck... for $15.00 a pound! This was fun, I'm glad you enjoyed it!!

Hope your weekend is great. I always feel better after I've "cleared the decks"!

Ei said...

Too bad your duck didn't taste very ducky. That's a shame, for the price. That's cute how Ethan was so excited about it. Hope things turn around and everyone's mood improves soon!

Cakelaw said...

I thought the duck was very expensive too. I am sorry that yours wasn't tasty after all that. I rather loved this, even if I was sold a leg, not a breast.

Anonymous said...

Duck should absolutely be rare and yours looks like it is perfectly done. I overcooked mine a bit which I should have seen coming, my breasts were on the small side and I didn't reduce the cooking time enough. But they were still tasty. Sorry to hear that your duck wasn't great and hope you are able to find a better source for next time.

Cher Rockwell said...

13.98$ a pound actually seems cheap (it was kissing 20/ lb here).
Very PUNNY opening, by the way.
I hope everyone comes back good natured.
Have a wonderful weekend!

Adriana said...

Your meal looks wonderful - love the colorful salad! I hope the weekend picks up everyone's moods, Steph. I had to sit this one out - no duck for me. I still love knowing that buying duck for a home cooked meal is far more reasonable than ordering it at a French or Chinese restaurant.

SoupAddict said...

The meal looked completely lovely. So sorry you were a tad disappointed, especially considering the price! Hope a very cheery weekend awaits you. :)

Anonymous said...

bahaha! I hope the COLD will do them some good too, for your sake! I had a bad day on weds, so I totally understand! We found that whole duck was cheaper by half the cost but I didnt want to break down the duck and be left with that much meat, but it would have cost significantly less!

Anonymous said...

It's disappointing when the meat lack flavour especially for such a hefty price! Love the glossy deep brown colour on yours and hope that everyone will be in better mood after the weekend!

Confessions of a Culinary Diva said...

I was a little dissappointed that I couldn't find Dorie's Duck and ended up with an entire, expensive duck that I didn't want. $15 a pound is getting up there, but worth the splurge and definitely less than what it costs at a restaurant. Glad you and your family loved this one! Happy French Friday!

Kathy said...

Perfect looking duck! Sorry that after spending all that money it wasn't more tasty. I had to skip this one because we were traveling. Nice post!

Betsy said...

Bummer that this wasn't up to your expectations, especially since you were ahead of the game with a house full of people who already knew how good duck is. I'm feeling fortunate that the Stop & Stop in my town regularly sells duck for just $10/pound, and that it was quite tasty.
Hope your housecleaning therapy does the trick for you. No more grouchy days. The holidays are coming!

Elin said...

Drooling ! that was a great combo...honey glazed duck with rice and some veg...slurp ! Well done !

Anonymous said...

The best way to buy duck is whole. Of course, you have to be willing to break it down. But then you get several meals from it, and have the spine, neck, and other parts leftover for stock!

A local farm, which raises all its poultry free-range, drug-free, and pasture fed, just processed ducks this past Friday. I'm picking mine up tomorrow -- at $4/lb!!

Mary Bergfeld said...

I'm sorry this was not all you hoped it would be. For what it is worth, your duck certainly looks wonderful. This is my first visit to your site, so I've taken some time to browse through your earlier posts. I'm so glad I did that. I really like the food and recipes you share with your readers and I'll definitely be back. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

Trevor Sis Boom said...

I'm glad you treated yourself to this duck. I think that if they ever stepped up production to the levels needed to bring the price down all the flavors would be gone. Like today's chicken. Your meal sure looks fabulous.