Friday, August 9, 2013

FFwD - Duck with Peaches


For French Fridays with Dorie this week, we were assigned Duck Breasts with Fresh Peaches.  Fresh peaches being few and far between here at this time of year, I used canned peaches.  My poultry vendor, bless, also does not sell or does not understand the difference between a duck breast and a duck leg.  Being the carefree, go with the flow kind of gal that I am (ha!), I threw caution to the wind and bought the duck leg.

I did not expect to enjoy this - the last time I tried to cook duck, I did so as a newbie and without a recipe.  The result was pretty horrid.  However, on this occasion, with Dorie's guidance on cooking and the beautiful sauce recipe, this duck was a doddle to make and delicious to eat.  In the sauce, I subbed red wine for port, as I wasn't going to buy a bottle of port for two tablespoons to put in this sauce.

If I happen to come across some duck again, I would definitely cook it like this.  To see what the other Dorie cooks thought, visit the LYL section of the website.

18 comments:

Kari said...

I'd take the peaches and leave the duck ;) More seriously, I love fruit in savoury dishes and am glad you enjoyed this.

Mardi Michels said...

I need to make this again with the proper sauce. This one was an adventure for me!

Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake said...

This was a winner at our house, too. Like you, I'm not a huge fan of duck, but it was extremely tasty!

Adriana said...

I love duck - and the legs more than the breast. Bravo for sticking to the recipe using the canned peaches. The jet lagged ones I got were not too tasty, but the garlic and thyme almost revived them.

Anonymous said...

I didn't do this recipe and after reading your thoughts on it I am regretting it! It sounds delicious!

ayu | the spicy lemongrass said...

Good on you for trying this even though you didn't have the exact ingredients. I couldn't find duck breasts either and just threw my hands in the air and decided to make something else. I would definitely make this when I find duck breasts next time.

yummychunklet said...

Good substitution for the port! The sauce sounds delicious.

Amy said...

Interesting combination. But I really love sweet and savory together. So, I think the flavor in this one must be awesome.

Trevor Sis Boom said...

I made this for myself and thoroughly enjoyed it. I plan to eat a lot more duck, that is for sure. Even legs!

Kathy said...

Duck leg sounds good to me! Your dish looks so yummy! We really enjoyed this one…so very good! Have a great weekend!

Nana said...

The duck leg looks so good, and the canned peaches
worked well. Thank you so much for the birthday
wishes, that is so nice of you. Have a great weekend.

Geri Saucier said...

The dish looks and sounds delicious. You did a great job:) Have a nice weekend.

Christy @ Confessions of a Culinary Diva said...

We loved this dish also - I think duck legs are heavenly to eat, lucky substitute!

Cher Rockwell said...

I love duck legs (I almost think they are my favorite part) and I absolutely agree - go with what you have! Sometimes it makes a lot more sense to run with it.

Betsy said...

Great improvisation on the theme, Gaye. I love duck regardless of the part. I'm sure the duck leg tasted wonderful. And I've been thrilled to learn via Dorie that cooking duck is something that can be done at home, not necessarily saved for restaurant eating. Finding it at the store is the most challenging part.

Andrea_TheKitchenLioness said...

This looks like such nice meal - I love duck (legs or breast) and the combination of sweet and savory in this recipe is very appealing - since we were "out of the country" for a bit, I did not get to make this dish, but there is "make-up" week this Friday, I am sure that I will get a chance to make this lovely recipe.
Have a nice Sunday!

Mary Hirsch said...

I suspect that the duck leg was every bit as good as the duck breasts. And, canned peaches? A peach is a peach is a peach. I wish I had doubled down on the sauce because I thought it was delicious. Red wine did the trick, I'm sure. I agree that Dorie's directions were, as always, very clear. In fact, this is a rather simple way to make duck and it's one I will try again also. Never heard the "doddle to make" expression, Gaye, and I do know, from your Posts, that you're a "go with the flow" gal (as all lawyers are).

Cakelaw said...

I like learning new phrases too - "it's a keeper" is a blogging phrase I've learned.