Cool Tip: Everything's Ducky...

One of the most luxurious and impressive meats you can prepare, share and enjoy is fresh magret, the breast of a fattened duck.  The texture is like velvet, the flavor is like heaven, and the preparation is like child's play!

One magret is easily enough for two people, and they come packaged in a set of two (enough for 4 people) for an amazingly reasonable price of $23. They are now being sold by the wonderful Gonzalez family who owned and ran Sonoma Artisan Foie Gras until they were put out of business by the ill-advised California foie gras ban. Shipping is a little pricey, but either order more (they freeze) or order with a friend to amortize the shipping over more product.  

1. Trim away any excess fat or silver skin on the magret.
2. Score the skin on the magret with a small, sharp knife, in a 1/2-inch crosshatch pattern. Be sure to cut well into the fat directly underneath the skin, but not all the way to the flesh.
3. Season each side with salt and pepper.
4. Marinate magret at least 4 hours or overnight. This can be done in olive oil and herbs, in red wine and garlic, or any other favorite marinade.
5. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
6. Heat an oven-proof skillet on medium-high until hot, and place magret, skin side down, directly on dry skillet for about 4 minutes.  Remove most of the fat from the skillet, and be sure to save it for another use.
7. Flip the magret over and cook for 4 minutes on the other side.
8. Put skillet in oven for 8 minutes.
9. Transfer magrets to a plate and keep warm, covered loosely with foil, and let rest for 8 minutes.
10. Make a sauce, if you want.  You can use about a tablespoon of the rendered duck fat and sauté garlic, shallots of a fruit like pear or apricot.  Find a recipe for a sauce you like, most sauces will complement the flavor of duck very well.  See the recipe at right for one choice.
11. Serve magret, sliced thin on the bias, with sauce spooned over.
12. Enjoy!