Serious Eats: Recipes

Dinner Tonight: Duck Breasts with Pineapple, Chile, and Soy

Posted by Nick Kindelsperger, January 11, 2008

Oh, how I've longed for this dish. The moment I opened up Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s The River Cottage Meat Book, I’ve been eyeing that picture of duck breasts bubblin’ in a hot skillet with pineapple. I certainly had nothing to fear after trying his pork chop recipe last week. But I was worried about the timing. I am having a busy week and have no time to stand around putting together what looks like a fantastic meal that could very well take hours to prepare. Fortunately, I threw caution to the wind and decided to give it a shot. If it could get done in an hour, then I’d write about it. If not, then I’d have a tasty failure.

The recipe definitely teeters on the edge of not being a comfortable weeknight meal. But it can be done in an hour if you are organized and quick. I also managed to have everything at home except the duck and the pineapple, so I didn’t have to contend with a bad trip to the market to scrounge up various exotic substances. The hearty duck and sweet tang of the pineapple create the perfect ying and yang of the dish. But it was all the ingredients in my cupboard that created the massive flavor. It might not be a practical dish for a really busy night, but it can be done and is utterly delicious.

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