Muscovy drake breast fillet
2015-04-04+05
At 2 years old, this Muscovy drake was a tough old bird—literally, just look at that big white tendon in the center in Pic1 and those tendon sheets on the outside in Pic3. Such birds are normally used for stew or soup.
At over 8 lbs. dressed-out weight he was also the biggest duck I've ever seen in my kitchen. Unlike some other duck breeds, Muscovies have a lot of good red meat on them, including that beautiful breast fillet. This breast fillet was HUGE, almost 3 lbs. Even just one side of it makes a good a meal for two.
This is all ultra lean red meat that compares favorably with the best steak you can find. No wonder Muscovy breast sells at more than $20 per pound. I refused to defile that fillet by stewing it to death, even if it did come from an older bird. I found a way.
Just to show how tough this bird was, I cooked the rest of this bird in a crockpot, in an overnight acid bath of rhubarb. That came out good too, but of course that meat was nowhere near rare anymore.
part 1: double-seared + low-temp
2015-05-04
This is a thick steak, almost a roast. Treat it as such. Sear, simmer, sear again. Sear at high temperature, simmer at lower; the lower the better. That of course also means it will take longer.
Pic1: these breast fillets are huge,
that is the lid of my 8-qt. crockpot Pic2: double-seared
Pic3: double-seared Muscovy breast fillet
INGREDIENTS
This is what you need for 2 servings:
- 1 Muscovy breast, 1,5 lbs.
- Olive oil
- S&P
- your favorite spices
Directions
-
Optional:
- Marinate overnight with tenderizing marinade, e.g. papaya. I didn’t bother.
- Sear both sides briefly in a very hot pan to seal the meat.
-
Low-temperature oven:
- Heat in the oven at 150 ºF for 45-60 minutes, depending on thickness.
- This will warm the meat throughout while leaving it bright red in color.
- The meat will be fine, but you might have to cut out that white tendon sheet in the middle (Pic1) when serving.
-
If your oven doesn't go that low,
- Use a deep-fryer with thermostat for sous-vide 3-18 hrs. at 132 ºF.
- At that temperature, you can go overnight and not overcook the meat.
- The longer it goes, the more tender that tendon sheet will be.
- Remove from the oven / sous-vide..
- Sear a second time in a very hot pan for some additional browning and crisping.
- Serving suggestion:
- I served this with rhubarb compote.
part 2: onion-wine sauce
2015-05-05
This is the same older bird as above. This time, I went for pan-frying with a long low-heat simmer and something extra. Again, the extended time of very low simmering is the key to success.
Onion and Red Wine Sauce is one of my favorites. Reduce this further to a thick syrup to get Onion Confiture.
Pic4: sear with onionsPic5: simmer in wine sauce
Pic6: served with potatoes and onion-wine sauce
INGREDIENTS
This is what you need for 2 servings:
- 1 Muscovy breast 1.5 lb.
- 2 cups red wine for marinating
- 1 medium onion
- olive oil
- S&P
Directions
- Marinate a duck breast overnight in red wine, S&P and spices.
-
Optional:
- Cut a diamond pattern in the skin about halfway through the fat.
Do not cut into the muscle.
- Cut a diamond pattern in the skin about halfway through the fat.
- Chop the onion small.
- Brown the chopped onion in some olive oil with your favorite spices.
- Add the duck breast; sear it briefly on the no-skin side to nicely brown, 4-6 minutes on skin-side. (Pic4)
- Remove the meat.
- Deglaze with ½ cup wine marinade, reduce to 50%.
- Add the meat again. Add 1 cup of marinade liquid.
- Reduce the heat to your lowest available heat setting.
- Cover and simmer for 20-60 minutes, depending on your low setting and the thickness of the meat. Use a meat thermometer to make sure the internal temp doesn't go past 150 ºF medium-rare at its worst.
-
Keep enough liquid in the pan to keep the temperature low.
Add more marinade when necessary. - Remove the meat.
-
Optional:
- Reduce the sauce further towards onion confiture.
- Enjoy.