Tim to Table: Sous Vide Duck Breast inpired by AD HOC at home

AD HOC inspired Sous Vide Duck Breast with roasted root vegetables (from someone else's garden).

AD HOC inspired Duck Breast Sous Vide

Happy 1st year anniversary to my love! Rather than going out for a fancy dinner on our 1st year marriage anniversary, I decided to try and cook an amazing meal for Ying. My brother bought me a $400 Sous

Vide Supreme machine and I thought this occasion would be the perfect time to break it in and try to make that perfect medium rare duck breast with crunchy skin you dream about from fancy restaurants. Along with a sous vide duck breast, I roasted some yellow beets and brussel sprouts picked from someone else's garden, inspired by Thomas Keller's AD HOC at Home cookbook =) . The meal was paired with salad made of fresh living greens, sweet orange slices and pickled onions (to take off the raw onion bite). This was all washed down with a bottle of wine and a wonderful evening on our patio!

How did it taste? The duck was perfectly medium rare throughout, and bursting with duck juice. The subtle marinade of orange zest and herbs on the duck provided depth and acidity to the duck while the crunchy skin gave each duck slice a multi textural explosion. The root vegetables provided a nice roasted crunch with some subtle sweetness that complimented the duck quite well. TTT approved!

How to Sous Vide a duck breast -

Criss cross duck skin and season high duck breast with salt, pepper, orange zest, nutmeg, thyme, alsamic vinegar, and vinegar. Get a high quality duck breast from your local butcher and specialty shop. We got a duck breast from Grimaud Farms.
After seasoning let sit and rest for a few hours to soak in marinade. Try to pat dry any excess moisture and vacuum seal duck breast. Sous vide in Sous Vide Supreme machine set at 57°C / 135°F depending on when you are ready to sear! Sous vide for 45 minutes to 3 hours to get the perfect medium rare!
Giraud Farms Duck Breast

Take out of the water bath and let sit for 10 minutes while preheating a cast iron skillet. Take out of the vacuum seal, pat dry and re-season with a pinch bit of sea salt and pepper.
Add a splash of high temp searing oil (grapeseed, canola) to the cast iron skillet and wait until the oil starts to smoke.
Now throw that duck breast skin side down onto the skiller and hear that sizzle, feel that sear, and start to salivate for some crunchy duck skin!!! (mmmmmm getting hungry yet?) it only takes one minute to sear on that skin side down and just turn over and kiss the meat side on the pan for a few seconds.
Let sit and and rest on a cutting board while staring at your beautiful peace of duck. Wait don't cut it yet! Let it sit for 3-5 minutes to let the juices back in. Then slice....