Seared Duck Breast with Pomegranate Gastrique and Spring Fiddlehead Ferns

Hello Gardener News readers. This month, I am sharing a recipe that is perfect for warmer weather

-- Seared Duck Breast with Pomegranate Gastrique and Spring Fiddlehead Ferns. The term ‘gastrique’ refers to a French sweet and sour sauce, usually including a fruit.

Start with four duck breasts, 1 tbsp. of duck fat or olive oil, and salt and pepper. If you are using a domestic duck or a fat wild duck, score the skin (not the meat) in a crosshatch pattern, making the crosshatches about a 1/2 inch across. This will help the fat render and will give you a crispier skin. Season with salt and pepper on both sides, then let it sit on a cutting board for 15 minutes.

Pat the duck breasts dry with paper towels. Put 1 tsp. of duck fat or oil in a large pan, then lay the breasts skin side down and use them to smear the fat all over the pan’s surface. Then, turn the heat to medium-high. It is recommended you start with a cool pan, as you want as much fat to render out as possible.

Once the duck breasts start cooking, you will notice the “tails” of skin and fat from the head and the tail side of the fillet contract. As this happens, you will sometimes get a little oval patch on the tail end of the breast that curls up and does not make contact with the pan. Use your tongs to press down on this part for up to one minute. This provides a more even sear.

Cook at just a sizzle… think about how bacon sounds when preparing it. For small ducks like teal or ruddy ducks, you need only about 3 minutes with higher heat on the skin side. Medium-sized ducks like widgeon, gadwall or wood ducks require 3 to 5 minutes. Mallards, pintail, canvasbacks and domestic ducks need 5 to 8 minutes.

When you cook a duck breast, 3/4 of the total cooking time is on the skin side. Then, when turning the breasts over, follow the guidelines above …but also use your ears. You will hear the sizzle change as it will die down a bit. That is when you turn it. Lightly salt and pepper the now-exposed skin immediately. Doing this absorbs any extra oil and gives you a crispier skin.

Let the duck cook on the meat side for less time. 1 to 2 minutes for small ducks, 3 to 4 minutes for medium ducks, 4 to 6 minutes for large wild ducks and domestic ones. The best way to check if done is with the finger test (softer to the touch means more rare, and firmer to the touch is more medium). My advice is to go to the next step when your duck breasts are rare.

Take the duck off the heat and let it rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes skin side up. This is a good time to grind fresh black pepper over it. You can slice the breast from either side, getting thinner slices by starting at the end; however, you will lose a little of the skin’s crispiness. If you are serving a whole breast, always serve it skin side up with its sauce underneath.

Onto the pomegranate gastrique. Gather 1 tbsp. of sugar, 1 - 1 ½ pomegranates, a pinch of salt, 1 cup of quality beef broth, 1/2 cup fresh pomegranate juice, 1 cup cooked pomegranate seeds, salt and pepper, a bay leaf, a splash of balsamic vinegar and 1-2 tbsps. of red currant jam.

Divide the pomegranates and take out all the juicy seeds. Do this over a colander to get out as much juice as possible. Squeeze with the back of a wooden spoon and then turn them over into a small pot, adding a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of sugar. Cook a few minutes until more juices come out. Strain the liquid and keep the seeds and juice separate. Set this aside.

Warm up and reduce the broth, add pomegranate juice, 1 cup of the red seeds, salt and pepper, bay leaf, vinegar and jam. Cook until you like its consistency. Then, boil the fresh fiddlehead ferns in a pot of salted water until al dente, about 3 to 4 minutes. Next, strain and add to the pomegranate gastrique. Plate the gastrique first, and then add the sliced duck in a fanned pattern. Bon appetit!

Unlike the 1950’s movie entitled, “Please Don’t Eat the Daisies,” this month’s article encourages you to do just that! Edible flowers do double duty, beautifying beds and borders as well as plates and glasses. Here are a few simple rules -- use organically grown plant material, harvest on overcast days and early (just after the dew has dried), and use as soon as possible or wrap plant material loosely in damp paper towel and store in an airtight container.

One of my favorite edible flowers is the nasturtium. The leaves and flowers are good in salads, adding a fresh, peppery taste. Cream the flowers with butter or cream cheese to add that same taste to a sandwich spread base. Pickle the buds with black peppercorns, a few cloves, and a blade of mace for a condiment resembling capers. In WWII, Brits gathered ripe nasturtium seeds and ground them as a substitute for black pepper. President Eisenhower liked the flowers stuffed with tuna salad. Marie Antoinette preferred a mix of mayonnaise and whipped cream. Any cultivar will do. I’m growing ‘Indian Chief,’ with ruby red blooms and dark burgundy tinged foliage.

Johnny jump ups, pansies, and violas are all edible and add color