Hot, sticky pear slices coated in Verlaque Five-Spice Pomegranate Reduction make a tangy contrast to pan-fried duck breasts served on a bed of fresh salad greens. A sprinkling of spiced brazil nuts and a vinaigrette twanged with more pomegranate syrup give this salad a final sparkle.
Duck breasts are expensive, but this delicious warm winter salad stretches two breasts between four people – or even six, at a push.
When you cook a duck breast, it’s important to fry it, skin-side down, over a fairly moderate heat so that the fat beneath the skin has a chance to render.
Use firm, almost-ripe pears for this dish, so that they don’t disintegrate in the pan.
If you have a favourite winter salad of your own, why not enter our Verlaque Recipe Challenge on Facebook? Enter your original recipe, using a Verlaque Balsamic Reduction, and stand a chance of winning a first prize of over R1000 worth of Verlaque products.
Duck-Breast Salad with Hot Verlaque Pears & Spicy Brazil Nuts
For the nuts:
1 teaspoon (5 ml) olive oil
10 brazil nuts
1 teaspoon (5 ml) cumin
a pinch of chilli powder, to taste
salt
For the pears:
2 firm pears
1 tablespoon (15 ml) butter
2 teaspoons (10 ml) caster sugar
2 tablespoons (30 ml) Verlaque Five-Spice Pomegranate Reduction
For the salad:
2 deboned duck breasts, skin on
salt and milled black pepper
½ teaspoons (2.5 ml) five-spice powder
a pillow-packet of mixed salad leaves: watercress, rocket, sorrel, baby spinach, and so on
For the dressing:
4 tablespoons (60 ml) Lemon Olive Oil, Cranberry Balsamic and Pomegranate Splash, or your favourite salad vinaigrette, to which you’ve added an extra tablespoon (15 ml) of Verlaque Five-Spice Pomegranate Reduction
First prepare the nuts. Lightly coat the brazils in a teaspoon of olive oil and place them in a dry frying pan. Toss gently for a minute or so, over a brisk flame, or until crunchy and lightly toasted. Sprinkle with cumin, chilli powder and salt and toss again. Chop into big pieces and set aside. Wipe out the pan with a piece of kitchen paper.
Peel the pears using a potato peeler. Cut into quarters lengthwise and carve out the cores. Cut each quarter in two again. Melt the butter in a frying pan and sprinkle with the caster sugar. Add the pear slices and cook over a moderate heat, tossing now and then, for three to four minutes, or until beginning to turn golden brown at the edges. Set the pan aside.
Using a very sharp knife – or a craft blade – score the duck breast skin in a diamond pattern, making sure not to cut into the flesh. Season on both sides with salt and pepper, and dust with the five-spice powder. In a separate frying pan, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil. When the oil is blazing hot, but not smoking, place the breasts skin-side down in the pan. Immediately turn down the heat to a medium flame and cook for three to five minutes, or until the skin is dark gold and very crisp. Every few minutes, tilt the pan and spoon off any duck fat as it renders. Turn the breasts over and cook until done to your liking (see Cook’s Notes, below). Set the duck breasts aside to rest for a few minutes.
Arrange the salad leaves on four plates. Slice the duck breasts and arrange on top of the leaves. Put the pan of pears back on the heat and, when hot, pour in the pomegranate reduction. Cook over a high heat for a minute or so, tossing frequently, or until the liquid has reduced to a sticky glaze. Arrange the hot pear slices on the leaves and sprinkle on the chopped nuts. Drizzle the dressing over the salads and serve immediately.
Serves 4.
Cook’s notes:
- Don’t throw away the duck fat you’ve spooned off. Pour it into a ramekin, cover with clingfilm and use it next time you make roast potatoes.
- How long you cook the underside of the duck breast depends on how you like it done. Most people like duck a little pink in the middle, but you can cook it for longer if you’d like it cooked right through. To test for doneness, cut a deep slit in the underside of the breast and take a peek.
- You can use any nut in this salad, as long as it’s crunchy: try it with toasted macadamias or almonds.
To create a printable version of this recipe, click on the green button below:
Oh my! This fits right in with my most recent discovery of preparing duck at home hehe…..Its always been something “to enjoy while out dining” in my book and I am loving doing my own. They are expensive and I have also discovered that one can easily be shared between two people. This is a sublime presentation and my taste buds are jumping up and down at the thought of those flavours. Thank you xx