Indulge in this tantalizing Louisiana dish that utilizes one of our favorite ingredients: duck! While we used farm-raised duck in his Dad’s Duck Dinner, Chef Jean-Paul enjoys duck hunting and wild duck makes for an incredible addition. Farm-raised duck has nice white skin and a big fat cap along with a much larger lobe of meat than its wild counterparts. Combine it with the flavors of bourbon and apples, and you’ve got a certified richness that elevates every bite. We recommend serving it atop fluffy white rice for a taste of the Bayou’s finest.
Dad’s Duck Dinner
Author: Jean-Paul Bourgeois
Makes about 4 servings
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Slap Ya Mama Original Cajun Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- 4 skin-on duck breasts, skin lightly scored, patted dry
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 1 pound thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 Honeycrisp apples, diced into large pieces
- 1 large yellow onion, diced into small pieces
- 1 bunch green onions, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 cup bourbon
- ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- Chopped green onion (optional)
- Hot cooked white rice, to serve
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine Cajun seasoning, cinnamon, and allspice.
- Liberally season skin side of duck with kosher salt. Liberally season flesh side of duck breasts with spice mixture. Reserve any remaining spice mixture to adjust seasoning, if desired.
- In a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, place your duck breast skin side down, and cook over medium heat until fat is rendered and skin is golden brown. Turn duck pieces, and increase the heat to high. Cook for 2 minutes, making sure your duck still looks quite reddish-pink, indicating rare to medium-rare. Remove duck from skillet, and set aside; reserve drippings in pan.
- Reduce heat to medium, add your bacon, and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp. Remove bacon from the skillet, and let drain on paper towels. Reserve about ¼ cup drippings in skillet.
- In the same skillet, add apples in one layer, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, getting color on at least one side of your apples, about 4 minutes. Once slightly softened, remove from the skillet, and set aside.
- Add yellow onion, sliced green onion, and garlic to the skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until they soften and begin to turn golden. Add butter, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it melts. Reduce heat to medium-low heat; add brown sugar, and cook, stirring constantly, until melted. Increase heat to high; add bourbon, and scrape the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon to release any browned bits. Carefully ignite bourbon, and cook, shaking skillet occasionally, until flame subsides. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is reduced. Taste sauce and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
- Slice duck breast into ¼-inch strips.
- Increase heat to high, and add reserved apples and duck strips with any remaining juices to the skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes together into a sauce. Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and black pepper. Turn off heat, and add bacon, chopped green onion (if using), and vinegar, gently folding together. Serve on top of white rice or on a platter with toothpicks to enjoy as an appetizer.
Watch this dish come together on our YouTube channel where a new episode of “Louisiana Cookin’ with Chef Jean-Paul Bourgeois” is uploaded every Thursday!
