Seared Duck with Five-Spice Plum Sauce

Serves 2

• 1-inch piece ginger, unpeeled and sliced in half
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 green onions, cut into 1-inch lengths
• ¼ cup Shaoxing cooking wine (or substitute dry sherry)
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 2 duck breasts, skin-on and boneless

Combine ginger, garlic, green onion, cooking wine, soy sauce, and orange and lime juices in a self-sealing plastic bag. Add duck breasts
and marinate for at least an hour and up to 8 hours. When ready to cook, remove duck from marinade and pat dry. Discard marinade.

Score skin/fat about ½ inch apart, against the grain, being careful not to cut through meat itself. (This allows fat to melt away quickly.)

Place each breast, skin side down, in cold cast-iron pan over medium-low heat. Press meat down so edges do not curl up, evenly searing whole breast. Cook 10 to 15 minutes, as fat slowly renders, until internal temperature is 125 degrees. To crisp skin, turn up heat and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce to medium-low, flip breasts and continue cooking until internal temperature is 140 degrees (for medium). Remove from pan and set aside to rest for a few minutes.

Slice each breast — meat should be slightly pink — along the score lines and serve with Chinese Five-Spice Plum Sauce (recipe follows). Garnish with sliced green onions.

Plum sauce In a saucepan, combine 1 pound plums, pitted and cubed; ¼ cup cubed sweet potato; ¼ cup scallions, white parts only; 2 minced garlic cloves; 1 tablespoon grated ginger; ⅓ cup each rice vinegar and light brown sugar; 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 1 tablespoon honey; 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder; and ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper. Bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer about 25 minutes, until plums are soft. Remove from heat. Puree and cool to room temperature to serve.