Danielle Alvarez’s glazed five-spice duck breast is guaranteed to impress

Name: Danielle Alvarez’s glazed five-spice duck breast is guaranteed to impress
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 4 duck breasts; salt and black pepper; 1 tsp five-spice powder

Danielle Alvarez

June 2, 2023

Serve this sticky five-spice duck breast with persimmon, pickled ginger and chilli relish, and a simple radicchio salad.William Meppem

Time:< 30 minsServes:4

Duck might just be the most overlooked bird in the home cook’s repertoire but, judging by the amount that gets sold in restaurants, people really enjoy eating it; they just don’t want to cook it. It’s harder to come by in some areas, true, but I suspect there’s some fear of the unknown at work, too. The breast is the perfect way to start a new culinary adventure.

Whether you’re using a pan or a charcoal grill, it’s all about managing the temperature. Start on a low heat to render the fat, then turn the dial to crisp it up.

Combined with the sweet, salty and sour flavours of the glaze and accompanying relish, this is a dish that will impress anyone you serve it to. I guarantee it.

Ingredients

4 duck breasts
salt and black pepper
1 tsp five-spice powder

For the glaze

1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1cm piece of ginger, peeled
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp honey
1 pod star anise
2 tbsp water

For the relish

1 persimmon
1 tbsp sweet pickled ginger, chopped
zest and juice of 1 lime
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
2 red bird’s eye chillies, thinly sliced

To serve

radicchio salad or buttered turnips

Method

Step 1
Score the skin on the duck in a diamond pattern, being careful not to cut all the way through it – you’re simply scoring it to render the fat while it cooks. To maximise your crispy-skin potential, leave the breasts uncovered in the fridge, skin side up, for one to two days to dry it out a little.
Step 2
Season the breasts with salt, black pepper and the five-spice powder. Place a saute pan over low heat. Place the cold breasts in the cold pan, skin side down, and cook for about 12-15 minutes until the fat has mostly rendered and the skin is starting to crisp.
Step 3
Crank the heat up to medium. Flip and continue cooking on the flesh side for about 1-2 minutes until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast says 55C (for medium rare). Flip once more and cook for a minute longer on the skin side to ensure it’s crispy (add a couple of minutes for medium). Remove from the pan and allow to rest on your chopping board for 10 minutes.
Step 4
While the duck breast is cooking, prepare the glaze by combining all the ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook until the mixture is quite thick and has reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Remove from the heat, discarding the ginger and the star anise, and set aside.
Step 5
Peel your persimmon and cut into quarters, discarding the thick stem and any seeds. Slice the quarters thinly and place in a small bowl. Combine with the remaining relish ingredients and season with a pinch of
salt. Set aside.
Step 6
Slice the duck breast and then spoon a bit of the glaze over each breast, top with the relish and serve immediately. Serve with salad or buttered turnips.