Sauteed Duck Breasts with Apples and Calvados in Pastry Cases

Normandy and Brittany are renowned apple-growing regions of France. Calvados, the famous apple brandy of Normandy, is produced by distilling hard cider. In the old days nearly every farmer produced his own Calvados from the cider made from damaged and nonsellable apples, but today the practice is rare. Ducks are both raised domestically and hunted with fervor by the regions’ inhabitants

8 puff pastry cases

4 boneless duck breasts

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons [30 mL] unsalted butter

1 onion, sliced

4 shallots, diced

1 cup [240 mL] baking apples, peeled, cored, and diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1⁄4 cup [60 mL] Calvados

1⁄2 cup [120 mL] unfiltered organic apple juice

1⁄2 cup [120 mL] chicken or duck stock

1⁄2 cup [120 mL] demi-glace

1 tablespoon [15 mL] Dijon mustard

4 ounces [110 g] cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

ADVANCE PREPARATION
• Bake the pastry cases at 425°F [220°C] for 15 minutes, or until flaky and browned.
• Cut shallow diagonal slits in the skin of the duck breasts without piercing the flesh and season with salt and pepper.

COOKING METHOD
• Heat the butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the duck breasts, skin side down. Sauté until browned. Turn the breasts and brown the other side.
• Remove the breasts to a small roasting pan and bake at 325°F [160°C] until cooked medium rare, about 10 minutes. Reserve warm.
• Add the onion and shallots to the skillet and cook over medium heat until the mixture begins to brown and caramelize. Add the diced apples and sauté until the apples begin to color. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds.
• Remove the skillet from the heat and add the Calvados. Return the skillet to the heat and ignite the alcohol. When the flames subside, add the apple juice, stock, demi-glace, and mustard. Reduce the sauce by one-half to two-thirds. When the sauce has reduced sufficiently, remove the skillet from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

S E R V I C E
• Thinly slice the duck breasts on the diagonal, adding any released juices to the sauce. Add the cubes of cold butter to the warm sauce and swirl to emulsify.
• Place a pastry case on top of a small pool of sauce and arrange overlapping slices of the duck in the case. Top with some of the sauce.