Recipe of the week: Duck breast: The flavor of a French bistro

The French-style dishes at our flagship restaurant were deeply influenced by a bistro we often used to visit in Paris, said Bruce and Eric Bromberg in the Blue Ribbon Cookbook (Clarkson Potter). There, the top dish on the menu was a “golden, crackling-skinned, seared duck breast, served ruby rare with an intense, sweet-tart cassis sauce.” Our version has been a mainstay at Blue Ribbon in New York for years.

There are three types of duck commonly found at American markets: magret (Moulard), Muscovy, and Pekin. You can use any for this recipe, but be aware: The first two are smaller than the third, which has “more external fat,” requiring a longer cooking time to render off.

Recipe of the week

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Seared Duck Breast With Orange-Cassis Sauce

For the sauce:

1½ tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1 tbsp all-purpose flour

2 tbsp granulated sugar

1 tbsp dark brown sugar

½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 cups chicken stock

Salt and fresh ground pepper

For the duck:

4 Pekin duck breasts, or 2 magret duck breasts (2 to 3 pounds each)

Salt and fresh ground pepper

1 tbsp crème de cassis

Chopped fresh chives, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Make the sauce: In small dish, use fork or fingers to combine butter and flour. In a large nonreactive saucepan over medium heat, combine sugars and cook, swirling, until mixture is melted, bubbling, and caramelized—about 7 minutes. Pour in orange juice, vinegar, and lemon juice. Stir until caramel has melted. Add stock and bring to simmer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Whisk in butter mixture and cook until slightly thickened (use caution, butter may spatter), 1 to 2 minutes. Cover and keep warm. (You can make sauce a day ahead and refrigerate; reheat over low heat.)

To cook duck: Trim from breasts any excess fat you can without disturbing skin. Use a very sharp knife to score skin in crosshatch pattern (do not pierce meat), then sprinkle all over with salt and pepper. Heat large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Add duck, skin-side down. Cook until duck has released some fat and skin has turned golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Pour off excess fat from pan.

Transfer pan to oven and roast 6 to 10 minutes, depending on thickness of meat and how you prefer it cooked (130 degrees on an instant-read thermometer for medium-rare). Pour excess fat from pan, turn breasts, and let rest in pan off heat for 5 minutes. Transfer to cutting board and slice thin against the grain. Add crème de cassis to pan, bring to a simmer over low heat, and scrape browned bits stuck to bottom. Pour crème de cassis and accumulated drippings into sauce. Drizzle duck with warm sauce and serve, garnished with chives. Serves 4.