I finally stumbled upon a stove-top sous vide recipe by the fabulous Chef John from Food Wishes (http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/) and decided to give it a try!!!
The results were not only extremely delicious, but aesthetically pleasing as well! This recipe is quite simple and seriously amazing. I made a few modifications since I was lacking a few ingredients, but I assure you that your duck will still taste amazing!
Here we go!
What you need:
1. 1 Big Pot (big enough to fully submerge your duck breasts!)
2. Cooking thermometer (I was lazy and used a cheap meat thermometer.. worked fine though!)
3. Stove (doesn't matter what kind as long as you are able to adjust heat settings)
4. Large freezer zip lock bags (durable ones! don't settle for cheap ones)
5. A straw (optional)
6. Duck breasts and whatever seasoning you want to add.
Now how to set it up:
1. Fill pot with water high enough to cover your duck breasts (try measuring it out first before pouring in water)
2. Heat up water to somewhere between 130-140 degrees F (usually the LOW setting on my stove)
3. Make sure your thermometer is in the pot/attached to pot at all times to make sure the temperature doesn't fluctuate out of this range! (I'm a cheap miss and just used an elastic band to tie the thermometer to pot handle!)
Prepping duck breast:
1. If frozen, thaw completely to room temp.
2. Score the skin of the duck by making shallow diagonal cuts on the skin. *Make sure that the cuts do not cut through to the meat. ONLY THE SKIN!
3. Season with a bit of salt and pepper. Feel free to add whatever spice you like. I hear thyme works very well! I added in Chinese five spice powder... mmm!
4. Once you are done seasoning, place duck breasts in zip lock bags and use your hands to squeeze out as much air as possible.
5. If you want to get more air out, stick a straw in the bag with the duck and zip up bag so that there is only enough space for the straw. Now here is the unsanitary part! Suck out all the air from the bag with the straw and quickly seal!! DISCLAIMER: I do not know if sucking air from a zip lock bag filled with raw duck is unsafe. Please note that this is optional and only do it if you feel comfortable.
6. Now that the duck is sealed, let sit for 10 minutes to soak in the seasoning.
Cooking:
1. Just place the sealed ducks in the 130-140 degree water.
2. Make sure the temperature does not fluctuate. If it gets too hot, turn down the heat or add cold water.
3. Cook for 2 hours!
Optional: Move the bag of duck around a few times every 30 min or so.
4. After you cook for 2 hours, remove and take out the breast. There should be little juice in the bag (good sign!). Sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper on the skin.
5. Now heat up a pan to low-medium heat and place duck breasts skin down on the pan when heated.
6. Be patient and let the fat render out of the skin on low heat. This took around 7-8 minutes.
Optional: I like to take out the accumulated rendered fat every few minutes and save it in a container to use later on. If you keep too much oil in the pan, it could get quite messy.
7. Once all the fat is rendered out, let the skin crisp up by keeping it on medium-high heat for a minute or two.
8. Turn to other side and sear the meat side for around 1 minute on medium-high heat.
9. Now take it off of the pan and let it rest for 5 minutes.
10. Slice and serve!
You should get perfectly cooked (medium rare/135 degrees F) duck breast.
Boom.
Simple, yet delicious. You just need some time and patience, but the results are so worth it.
Enjoy and good luck in the kitchen.
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