Entree: France – Duck Breast with Wild Mushroom Sauce (Canard aux Cèpes) (Duck with Porcini Mushrooms)

Food safety reminder: Follow safe food-handling practices and use a food thermometer to verify safe internal cooking temperatures.

Serving Size: 4

Approximate Time

Prep 10 min

Cook 20 min

Additional 8 min

Total 38 min

Ingredients

4 bone-in, skin-on duck breasts, approx. 9 oz (255 g) each (estimate: Original gross amount is preserved. Estimated cooked edible mass is for breast meat and skin after removing bones and allowing for cooking loss; yield is an explicit practical estimate.)
Kosher salt, 5 g
Black pepper, freshly ground, 2 g
Wild mushrooms, sliced, 225 g (porcini used as the specified practical example)
Unsalted butter, 28 g (30 ml as stated)
Olive oil, 14 g (15 ml as stated)
Shallot, minced, 10 g
Dry white wine, 120 ml (approximately 118 g)
Chicken stock, 180 ml (approximately 180 g)
Heavy cream, 120 ml (approximately 120 g)
Fresh thyme leaves, 1 g
Fresh parsley, chopped, 15 g (optional)

Instructions

1. Score the skin of each duck breast and season both sides with the salt and pepper. Place skin-side down in a cold skillet over medium-low heat and render until crisp, about 10–12 minutes. Turn and briefly sear the meat side, then transfer to a 200°C oven and cook to medium-rare, about 6–8 minutes. Rest for 6–8 minutes; remove bones before slicing.
2. Meanwhile, melt the butter with the olive oil in a separate skillet. Sauté the shallot until softened, add the sliced mushrooms, and cook until browned and their liquid has evaporated.
3. Deglaze the mushroom skillet with the white wine and reduce by about half. Add the chicken stock and thyme; simmer until slightly reduced. Stir in the heavy cream and simmer until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Adjust seasoning as needed.
4. Slice the rested duck breast, spoon the mushroom cream sauce over it, garnish with the optional parsley, and serve.