Black Currant-Lacquered Duck Breast a meal in 30 minutes
What I like about duck breast - the faint liver-y flavor of the meat graced with well-seasoned and crisped skin - is paired here with a quick pan sauce built upon a dark-fruit jam.
The "lacquered" part of the original recipe called for the duck breast to be brushed with the sauce and returned to the oven for a bit, but in the interest of not overcooking the breast meat, we're content to do the kind of rapid-fire pan basting you see chefs do on television.
Speaking of temperature, we're starting the meat in a cold pan instead of placing it on a preheated surface to get the fat rendering process going.
Fresh duck breasts in smaller weights are more widely available in supermarkets these days, so that's why the recipe calls for either 1 large breast or 2 smaller ones.
Even if you use the small ones, you'll still be able to strain and reserve some rendered duck fat for other recipes.
You'll need an instant-read thermometer. Serve with celery root puree.