Seared Duck Breast with Figs – Magret de Canard Aux Figues
Seared Duck Breast with Figs – Magret de Canard Aux Figues
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Seasonal ingredient figs are made into a beautifully sweet sauce and paired with duck!
This Seared Duck Breast recipe is quick, easy and delicious! It is the perfect early Autumn meal. Figs are in season and duck is on the supermarket shelves. Grab some figs, potatoes and your favourite veg and you are ready to go!
I love duck and cook it often. It is such a tasty meat and is really so simple to prepare. I fell in love with this combination in France. As a big lover and traveller of France, I have eaten Magret de Canard aux Figues on numerous occasions. In ‘bistrots’ and ‘restos’ across France, but particularly in the region of Landes, where duck is found as often as chicken! This is known as Frances’s duck region!
Duck and figs pair beautifully well together. The sweetness is just what the duck needs. The sweetness helps to cut through the fattiness of duck. If you love duck and sweet sauces be sure to give this recipe a try!
What are Figs?
Figs are a fruit. They grow on trees and our native to
Figs have a unique sweet taste. They are soft and have a slightly chewy texture. Inside they are littered with slightly crunchy but edible seeds. Fresh figs are extremely delicate and perishable, so be sure to handle them with care and eat them quickly. This is why they are often dried and preserved. This produces a sweet and nutritious dried fruit that can be enjoyed all year round.
Fig season is around September and will vary based on where you are in the world. There are multiple varieties of fig, all of which vary in colour and texture. Figs can be eaten raw in a salad or cooked to make a sauce, side or even sweet preserve.
What Do I Need?
- Duck Breast – The star of the show is the duck of course even though the figs give them a run for their money! I used some Gressingham duck breasts portions I picked up in Lidl this week for just £3.39!
- Fresh Figs – Sweet and flavourful the perfect fruit to make a delicious sauce for our duck. Figs are in season this month and not for much longer. Be sure to grab some while stocks last. Lot’s of supermarkets have them right now. I know for sure that Planet Organic and Lidl are still stocking them in most stores.
- Maris Piper Potatoes – The type of potato you use for making different potato sides truly matters. Maris Piper are a staple potato and are the best for making baked or fried potatoes like the sautéed potatoes i’ve made today. They come out fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside.
- Honey – This will sweeten up the sauce even more! My go to is Rowse organic honey. I buy this from Costco but most supermarkets sell them. If you want to save yourself money and time be sure to sign up for a Costco membership.
- Shallots – Shallots are a rich mans onion. They are milder but sweeter and are the perfect base for rich sweet sauces like this one.
- Green Beans – My vegetable of choice. I simply steamed these and added some unsalted butter before serving.
- Shaoshing Wine – You will need this Chinese ingredient if you plan on marinating your duck breasts.
How to Cook the Duck Breast and Fig Sauce!
- Heat the oven to 200C. Wash and dry your duck breast thoroughly. Score the duck skin in a crosshatch pattern.
- Season the duck with five spice powder, shaoshing wine, rice vinegar, salt and pepper. Leave to marinate for 1 hour minimum.
- Heat an oven proof pan on medium heat and add the duck breast skin side down into the cold pan and cook for 7-8 minutes before turning to brown the bottoms. Remove any excess fat and set aside for later.
- Wash and cut your figs into quarters and add to your duck pan.
- Transfer to your pre-heated oven at 200C and roast for 6-8 minutes (depending on size) for medium-rare.
- Remove from pan and cover with foil and set aside to rest for 10 minutes, then slice.
- Remove figs and in the same pan on medium heat, sauté shallots until soft and then add shaoshing wine and white wine vinegar and allow to cook off.
- Add 1 tbsp of honey, salt and pepper and stir until combined. Add the figs back in and a little duck fat and bring to a medium boil. Taste before removing from heat.
How to Make the Sautéed potatoes
- Put the potatoes in a large pan of lightly salted cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for about 6 minutes or until tender to the point of a knife.
- Drain and cool, then gently shake to rough up the edges.
- OPTION 1 – Toss in goose fat and roast for 40 minutes at 200c; or
- OPTION 2 – Fry in 4 tbsp oil until golden and crisp.
Duck Breast Serving Suggestions –
I love french food and like to serve this Magret de Canard aux Figues French style with some sautéed potatoes and green beans. You really can pair the duck and figs with any side you like.
I recommend mashed potatoes, sautéed potatoes or homemade fries. For the veg I often opt for green beans, brocollini or courgette.
Looking for more duck recipes? I’ve got one right here!
Seared Duck Breast with Figs – Magret de Canard Aux Figues!
Equipment
- Cast iron pan (oven proof)
- Frying pan
- Chopping board
- Sharp knife
- Collander
- Lidded pot
- Potato peeler
Ingredients
- 2 duck breasts
- ½ tsp Chinese five spice
- 2 tbsp shaoshing wine
- salt
- pepper
- 1 cup green beans
- 4 maris piper potatoes
Fig Sauce
- 4 figs
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp shaoshing wine
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
- salt
- pepper
- duck fat
Instructions
Seared Duck Breast
- Heat the oven to 200°C. Wash and dry your duck breast thoroughly. Score the duck skin in a crosshatch pattern.
- Season the duck with five spice powder, shaoshing wine, rice vinegar, salt and pepper. Leave to marinate for 1 hour minimum. This is optional season with slat pepper and Chinese 5 spice if you have it but are not marinating.
- Heat an oven proof pan on medium heat and add the duck breast skin side down into the cold pan. Cook for 7-8 minutes before turning to brown the bottoms.
- Remove any excess fat and set aside for later. Wash and cut your figs into quarters and add to your duck pan.Transfer to your pre-heated oven at 200C and roast for 6-8 minutes (depending on size) for medium-rare.
- Remove from pan and cover with foil and set aside to rest for 10 minutes, then slice.
Sweet Fig Sauce
- Remove figs pan and in the same pan on medium heat, sauté shallots until soft and then add shaoshing wine and white wine vinegar and allow to cook off – about 2 minutes.
- Add 1 tbsp of honey, salt and pepper to taste and stir until combined.
- Add the figs back in and a little duck fat and bring to a medium boil. Taste before removing from heat.
Sautéed Potatoes and Green Beans
- Peel the potatoes and cut into quarter size pieces. Do this by cutting lengthways in half and then width ways.
- Put the potatoes in a large pan of lightly salted cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for about 6 minutes or until tender to the point of a knife.
- Drain and cool, then gently shake to rough up the edges
- OPTION 1 – Toss in goose fat and roast for 40 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 200°C;
- OPTION 2 – Fry in 4 tbsp oil until golden and crisp.
- While frying or baking your potatoes steam or boil some green beans to your taste I do this for 5-7 or until easily pierced with a fork.
- Drain the beans and toss with a little unsalted butter and some salt and pepper to your taste.
Notes
- You must dry your duck skin properly to achieve crispy skin. I use kitchen roll to dry my duck completely.
- Marinate your duck for at least 1 hour for deeper penetration.
- Duck is very flavourful on its own so if you dont have the shaoshing wine you can miss it out and simply use the Chinese 5 spice, salt and pepper.
- Pre-heat your oven and only put the duck in once the oven has reached temperature.
- Use a sharp knife to score the duck to make your life much easier. You will struggle with a blunt knife.
- Hold the knife at a slight angle away from you to cut through the skin with ease.
Did you try this Fig and Duck Breast Recipe?
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m here to help! If you loved this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment and rating below! Let me know how it turned out for you and share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at @chilliandlife and hashtag it #chilliandlife ! I’ll be sure to share it!
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