Duck Breasts With Pears

 

From French Women Don’t Get Fat Cookbook:

With French Women Don’t Get Fat, Mireille Guiliano wrote the ultimate non–diet book on how to enjoy food and stay slim, sparking a worldwide publishing phenomenon. Now, in her first-ever cookbook, she provides her millions of readers with the recipes that are the cornerstone of her philosophy—mouthwatering, simply prepared dishes that favor fresh, seasonal ingredients and yield high satisfaction.

Filled with stories from Mireille’s childhood in France, her life in Paris, Provence, and New York, and her extensive travels and meals for business and enjoyment, The French Women Don’t Get Fat Cookbook is a beautiful, practical lifestyle guide to living well, eating wonderfully, and getting the most out of life with the least amount of stress.

 

 

Duck Breasts With Pears

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 (6- to 7-ounce) duck magrets (breasts)

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 ripe Comice pears, rinsed, dried, cored and cut lengthwise into ¼-inch slices

½ teaspoon Sichuan pepper

¼ cup Balsamic vinegar

 

Directions:

1. Pat the duck breasts dry and score the skin diagonally at 1-inch intervals with a sharp knife to create a diamond pattern (be careful not to cut into the meat); season both sides with salt and pepper.

2. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the duck breasts, skin side down. Cook for 8 minutes, allowing the fat to render and the skin to become crisp. Turn over, and cook for an additional 4 to 5 minutes for medium-rare. Remove from the pan, cover, and rest for 10 minutes.

3. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of duck fat and add the pear slices. Season with the Sichuan pepper and cook over medium-high heat until golden brown and crisp-tender, about 1½ minutes per side. Remove the pears from the pan and keep warm.

4. Deglaze the pan with balsamic vinegar and reduce until syrupy, about 45 seconds. Slice each duck breast crosswise into ½-inch-thick slices and fan on a plate. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar, garnish with pear slices, season to taste, and serve immediately.

Note: Sichuan pepper may be difficult to find, so a good substitute for this recipe is ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper combined with a small pinch of crushed anise seed.

 

 

• Mireille’s next book, French Women Don’t Get Facelifts: The Secret of Aging with Style and Attitude, will be published on January 7, 2014