Roast Duck Tacos

Dan ended up working late tonight, making sure things ran smoothly with the event he's been coordinating at the University, so I had a little time alone when I got home to think about what to make for dinner. We decided earlier in the week to make use of leftover ingredients to throw something together, so I started digging around in the freezer and fridge to decide what to do. I found a bag with three duck breasts in it, tucked at the back of the freezer behind the top of our wedding cake, and noticed half a pack of flour tortillas in the fridge - which became the inspiration for duck tacos.

I did a quick search online and found this recipe from Food & Wine Magazine, which was my starting point. I got the duck defrosted, and then when Dan got home I put it on to cook while prepping the other ingredients. I ended up using my mortar & pestle to grind up 2 garlic cloves, the whites of a couple scallions, salt, pepper, and a couple slices of pickled jalapeno. Then I mixed in some cilantro paste and lime juice to create a sauce. I shredded up a carrot, then quick-pickled it in a mixture of lime juice and the juice from the pickled jalapenos as a filling. And I julienned the scallion tops as another filling. The final component was an avocado-cumin-chili mayo I made using a basic mayonnaise recipe from the book Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking, folding in some leftover guacamole and stirring in lots of chili powder and cumin once the mayo was done.

I have to say, the duck was delicious, and the accompaniments turned out yummy. Considering it was in the freezer for well over a year (it was leftover from the last 'Wild Game Night', in October 2007), the duck defrosted wonderfully and was really flavorful. I forgot how much I like duck!

Easy Roast Duck
1 or more Duck Breasts
Salt
Pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°. Season the duck breast with salt and pepper. In an ovenproof skillet, cook the breasts, skin side down, over low heat until the skin is golden brown, about 15 minutes; pour off the fat as it accumulates in the pan. Turn the breasts over and transfer the skillet to the oven. Roast the breast for about 10 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 135°. Let the duck breast rest for 10 minutes, then slice it very thinly across the grain.

Homemade Mayo
1 large egg yolk
1/2 tspn salt
1 tspn water
2 tspn fresh lemon juice
7 to 10 oz vegetable oil (about 1 cup)

Combine the yolk, salt, water and the lime juice in a large bowl. Measure the oil into a cup from which you can pour it in a steady stream. Begin whisking the yolk, then drizzle in a few drops of oil while whisking, followed by a few more drops to establish the emulsion. Whisking continuously, add the remaining oil in a thin stream. The mixture should be thick enough to cling to your whisk. If you can pour it, the mixture has broken, in which case you should pour the mayo into the oil cup, wipe out the bowl, and add a teaspoon of water to the bowl. Pour the broken mayo
drop by drop into the teaspoon of water while whisking rapidly to re-establish the emulsion, then continue to add the broken mayo in a thin stream.

(I used lime juice, rather than lemon, considering the dish - but you could replace the lemon juice with any acid, really, such as a nice vinegar.)