We are lucky to get fresh duck from my husband’s annual hunting trip and from my dad and brother. I’m sure some specialty stores sell duck as well. I love how tender the meat is in these tacos. It’s defiantly a fancy grown up taco that’s for sure. I would love to serve these at a dinner party.
I bought myself a new toy. I’m sure I’ll hardly ever use this but it’s totally worth the $3 I spent just to pit the cherries for this dish! I’ve heard people hate this tool because it gets cherry juice all over, I agree, but I learned if you press the bottom to the cutting board it minimizes your splatter.
The one complaint I had about the duck was there was WAY to much cumin. I would cut back on that for sure.
Duck Tacos with Chipotle Cherry Salsa and Crumbled Goat Cheese
(Adapted from Closet Cooking)
1 pound duck breast
2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin, toasted and ground
1/4 teaspoon salt to taste
2 cups chipotle cherry salsa (see below)
12 small corn tortillas, lightly toasted
2 cups red cabbage, thinly sliced and tossed in 2 tablespoons sour cream
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
cress sprouts for garnish (optional)
Score the skin and fat of the duck breast with a knife trying to cut all the through the fat without cutting into the meat.
Mix the chipotle chili powder, cumin and salt and rub it into the skin side of the duck breast then cover it and let it sit in the fridge for 20 minutes to over night.
I marinated the duck breast in some milk before letting it sit in the rub.
Heat an oven proof pan over medium heat.
Place the duck breast into the pan, skin side down and let it cook until the fat has rendered, about 2-3 minutes. Since mine where trimed I just cooked until they where almost done before moving to the oven.
Place the pan into a preheated 400F oven for 8 minutes. Remove and set the duck breast aside and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
Drain the excess fat from the pan, add the salsa, deglaze the pan and simmer to remove any excess liquid.
Assemble the tacos and enjoy.
Chipotle Cherry Salsa
(Adapted from Closet Cooking)
Servings: makes 2 cups
2 cups cherries, pitted
1 chipotle chili in adobo or to taste, chopped
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1 small clove garlic, grated
1 handful basil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Puree everything in a food processor until smooth.
Simmer the salsa to remove excess liquid. (Optional: This salsa is great fresh but if you are going to use it in something like tacos you will want to simmer it a bit to remove the excess liquid.)
Looks like a gourmet taco to me.
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