Rosemary Duck With Apricots

1. Marinate duck breasts:

   Combine rosemary, brown sugar, black pepper and salt. Rub the mixture over the duck breasts. Cover and chill for 2 hours. Rinse duck in cold water, pat dry.

2. Score the fatty skin with a sharp knife:

   If the duck breasts are very fatty, score the skin side with a sharp knife. Be careful not to cut the meat.

3. Fry, fat-side down, starting with a cold pan:

   Place the duck breast halves, skin-side down, in a cold skillet and turn the heat to medium-high. (Yes, start with a cold skillet.) As soon as you hear the duck breasts sizzle, reduce the heat to medium-low and let cook, undisturbed, until the skin is brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes.

4. Turn the breasts over to finish cooking:

   Flip the duck breast and cook for another 2-3 minutes depending on how good you like your duck. Use the finger test to check doneness. As a final step, tip the duck breasts onto their side—fat side down—and let them sizzle for another minute or so. Place on a cutting board to rest.

5. Caramelize apricots:

   While the duck is cooking, combine granulated sugar and vinegar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook until thick and amber (about 5 minutes).

   add apricots; Reduce the heat and cook for 1 minute or until the apricots soften.

6. Surcharge:

   To serve, slice the duck across the grain. Serve with caramelized apricots.

Variant with whole duck instead of breasts:

You can roast a whole duck instead. Here are the steps (also from Keith):

1. Marinate duck:

   Rinse duck inside and out, pat dry. Remove any remaining feathers.

   Prick the skin all over with a sharp fork, being careful not to puncture the flesh.

   Rub the duck all over with a little olive oil. Rub the rosemary mixture all over the duck and some into the cavity.

   Tie your legs together loosely. Place in a plastic bag and chill in the fridge for 2 hours.

2. Roast the duck breast side up:

   Take the duck out of the fridge at least half an hour before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place the duck breast side up on a wire rack in a roasting pan. Pour a cup of water into the pan. Roast for 45 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and drain off the fat and water. Separate the fat for basting.

3. Finish roasting the duck breast side down:

   Turn the bird on the grid so the breast is now facing down. Brush the bird with the fat. Put the bird back in the oven. Increase the temperature to 400°F. Estimate a total cooking time of 15 minutes per pound of bird. So if you have a 4 pound duck, cook it an additional 30 minutes.

   The bird is done when the juice runs clear from a leg that has been pierced to the joint and a meat thermometer inserted into the inside of the leg below the leg joint reads 175 to 180 degrees. Be careful not to overcook the duck. When the bird is done, place it on a platter and let it rest for 15 minutes before carving.

Links:

Duck with Apricot Sauce – by The Cottage Smallholder

Duck breast on apricot and red onion tart – by Eggbeater

All Kinds of Duck Recipes – by Hunter Angler Gardener Cook