cooking the 'just right' magret de canard...

image – carla coulson and vicki archer exclusively for living4media

I am not a great cook… but somehow living in France for a large part of the year has made me up my game. It has been a subtle change over the years… the love of good food so evident in France has crept up on me. I can’t say that I discuss food endlessly like the adorable couple in the restaurant on Monday but I do admit to thinking about recipes and fresh produce much more than I used to. I believe it is almost impossible to turn out a bad meal here if you stick to what is available in the local marché, boucheries, poissonneries and patisseries… They are specialists in their fields of expertise and these butchers, bakers and fishmongers are so happy to share information and advice … when I am in need of inspiration, I ask them. As for deserts, I leave that to the pastry chefs… There is no way I can create something as fine and delicious as they can in the time I have available… Complicated deserts require delegation… for me, anyway…

When I cook I try and make it simple… mostly because I am either cooking for two or for a crowd, so either way non-complicated works best… Magret de canard or duck breasts… sounds less exciting translated… are an easy recipe (as long as you manage the cooking time) and are perfect winter or summer. In winter I serve them with a green vegetable and mashed potato and in summer, as a hot salad over a bed of fresh leaves…

Here is what I do…

*Pre-heat the oven to 180C about 30 minutes before required

when ready to cook

*Score the top of the duck breasts evenly in one direction with a sharp knife

*Rub the skin side of the duck breasts generously with Chinese 5 spice

*Heat well a char grill style skillet pan (normal frying pan will work if you don’t have the cast iron grill pan but I highly recommend the Le Creuset… I use it so often…)

*Place the duck breasts skin down on the very hot char grill pan and let them cook for about 5 minutes at most … don’t worry if you have to do them in shifts… (siphon duck fat away from time to time while the skin is browning… conserve on the side if you want to make the most indulgent roast potatoes ever…)

*Once the duck breasts are seared well transfer them to a large baking dish skin side up

*Cover each duck breast with a dollop of apricot jam

*Place them in the pre-heated oven for 5-10 minutes depending on your cooking preference (I usually leave them about 7 minutes so they are pink in the middle)

*Remove the duck breasts and let them sit for 5 minutes

*Slice them with a very sharp knife on the angle

As the duck is rich I generally make a very simple écrasée de pommes de terre (mashed potato)… rather than butter I use olive oil with the addition of sea salt and pepper to taste.

Serve either buffet style on platters or individually on large plates… white is my preference… On each plate I place the slices of duck breast on top of the mashed potato and serve the green vegetable on the side… at this time of year I usually have spinach or green beans…

Try this recipe, it is so easy… If I can do it, so can you… and the flavours are delicious… the spice and the sweet flavours work very well together… If you want to browse the cookbooks that I have collected and have at home then click here… Another change in my life since moving to France… buying and reading cook books… Love them and can’t resist… xv

(For European readers you can find everything here, here, here and here)