Duck Breast with Dried Plums

How to prepare duck breast with dried plums

1. At least one day ahead, prepare the plums: bring 250 ml water to a boil. Add the black tea and boil for 1 minute. Cover with a lid and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain the tea and add the sugar, stirring until dissolved. Let the tea cool down. Place the plums in a jar, add a few strips of orange zest between them and pour the warm tea over. Close the jar with a lid and shake well. Let it cool completely, shaking the jar a few times during this time. Store in the refrigerator.
   * you will only use half of the plum jar for this recipe
2. Remove the duck breast from the refrigerator. Score the skin in a diamond pattern (see photo 1), being careful to cut only through the fat layer under the skin, not the meat. Pat the breast dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper on both sides.
3. Place a non-stick pan over low heat.
4. Place the breast in the warm (not hot!) pan with the skin side down. Let it cook over low heat until you see the fat starting to render underneath. Then increase to medium heat and fry until golden and crispy (about 5 minutes).
5. Flip the breast and fry for another 2-3 minutes.
6. Transfer the breast to a pan preheated along with the oven at 200°C and roast for 6 minutes (rare; 55°C internal temp), 10 minutes (medium; 65°C internal temp) or 12 minutes (well done; 75°C internal temp).
8. While the breast is in the oven, prepare the sauce.
9. Pour off almost all the fat (leave about 2 tablespoons, by eye) from the pan where you fried the duck breast. Make sure the fat isn't too hot (pull the pan off the heat a bit if necessary) and add the wine. Let it boil until almost evaporated. Add the stock and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add about 15 plums in black tea and 3 tablespoons of their liquid. Cook for another 1 minute. Add the vinegar and cook for 1 more minute. Add the butter and cook until the sauce thickens (about 1 minute). Season with salt and pepper to taste.
10. Remove the duck breast from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes, then slice.
11. Arrange the duck slices on two plates and sprinkle with coarse salt (fleur de sel). Place a few plums alongside and pour the sauce from the pan over them. Serve immediately.

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