Duck Steak au Poivre
This is the kind of dish that used to be prepared tableside in Montreal chophouses. A few restaurants still do tableside crêpes Suzette, steak tartare, and specialty coffees. We get excited like kids on Halloween when we see that cart rolling toward us. It’s tough to do ourselves because of the size of Joe Beef, but we hope it comes back in a big way (and not in the “lavender and tomato essential oils being pumped over my table from a Provençal print balloon as we eat lamb and the waiter tickles our nose and ears with said lamb’s tail” way).
Recipe information
Yield
Serves 2
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Remove the silver skin from the duck breast by running a sharp knife between the skin and the meat, lifting the skin away from the meat with your fingers. This is a detailed, annoying task, similar to unwrapping a new dishwasher. When you’ve separated the two, you can set the skin aside to use for a confit.
Step 2
Cover the meat with plastic wrap and pound it with a rolling pin or the side of a giant cleaver until it is flattened by about 20 percent. Lightly score the meat to prevent retracting. Rub one side of the duck steak with the black peppercorns to season it, and salt the other side.
Step 3
Heat a nice (you’re serving tableside, remember?) pan over medium-high heat. Let it get quite hot, add the oil, and when it is hot, add the steak. Cook, turning once, for 1 1/2 minutes on each side.
Step 4
Take the steak to a plate and set aside. Pour off any fat from the pan, and then wipe it clean.
Step 5
Put the pan over medium heat, add the butter, and sweat the shallots for 4 or 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the mustard, green peppercorns, and Cognac, and mix for 30 seconds. Add the stock and reduce until almost syrupy, about 2 minutes. Add the cream and mix well, taste and adjust the seasoning, then reduce for a full 2 minutes. If you reduce the sauce too much, add stock or water, not cream.
Step 6
Return the steak to the pan and toss it in the sauce for a few seconds on each side. Serve on a silver tray with the sauce and fries on the side.
VARIATION
Step 7
You could also tie 2 small duck breasts together, flesh to flesh, and roast them in the pan for 3 minutes per side, then finish in a 425°F (220°C) oven for 4 minutes (see photo opposite).
