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Romantic Valentine’s Day Dinner for Two
Duck Breast with Mushroom Sauté and A Delicate Little Salad
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Serves 2
Prep time: 15 minutes Total time: 35 minutes |
- 1 lb. button mushrooms
- 1 bunch flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
- 1 bag mixed lettuce, preferably organic
- 1 shallot
- 1 magret (fattened duck breast)
- 1 loaf crusty bread
Shopping List
- Black pepper
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Garlic
- Red wine vinegar
- Sea salt
Pantry Items
- Bread knife
- Chef’s knife
- Heavy skillet
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Medium saucepan
- Mixing bowls
- Nonstick fry pan
- Paring knife
- Salad spinner
- Spatula
- Tongs
- Whisk
- Wooden spoons
Tools
- Wine: Champagne to start, a great Cahors to follow
- Dessert: Cinnamon Ice Cream and Chocolate macaroons
- Try an appetizer of freshly roasted nuts, crudités dipped in olive oil, slices of bread spread with unsalted butter and topped with a slice of daikon radish…be imaginative. Remember to light a ton of candles and set them on the table. Make it romantic.
Suggestions
- When you walk in the door
- If the duck breast is frozen, refrigerate it overnight and remove it from the fridge several hours before you plan to cook it, so it can finish thawing. If you’re shopping Saturday for Saturday night’s dinner, then you need to leave the duck breast at room temperature, to thaw. Whatever you do, remove it from the fridge several hours before you plan to cook it, so it’s at room temperature..
- Get out Pantry Items
- Get out Tools
- Assemble the ingredients
- Open the wine
- Prep
- Score (slice through) the fat on the duck breast diagonally in both directions, right to but not through the meat.
- Trim the ends from the mushrooms. Wipe them clean with a damp paper towel (if you’re in a hurry, rinse them quickly) and cut them into quarters
- Wash and pat dry the parsley. Pluck 3/4 cup leaves.
- Wash and spin dry the lettuce. If there are any very large leaves, carefully tear them into bite-size pieces.
- Peel 2 cloves garlic.
- Peel and thinly slice the shallot.
- Start Cooking
- Set the heavy skillet (use cast iron if you have one) over medium heat.
- Put 1 tbsp. olive oil in the nonstick fry pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, stir and cook them for about 10 minutes. Stir often. They’ll give up liquid, then it will evaporate.
- Mince the 2 cloves garlic and parsley leaves together. Put a bowl over the mixture to keep the flavor from evaporating away.
- While the mushrooms are cooking, set the duck breast in the hot, heavy skillet, skin side down. It will take 12 minutes to cook to rare, which is how you want it.
- When the mushrooms have cooked for about 8 minutes, sprinkle the garlic and parsley over them, add 1 more tbsp. olive oil and stir. Cook until the garlic is softened and the mushrooms are tender, about 4 minutes.
- Check the duck breast. The skin should be crisp and golden. Flip the duck breast quickly, then flip it back onto its skin side.
- While the duck breast and the mushrooms are cooking, make the vinaigrette. Put the shallot, a large pinch salt, and 1 tbsp. vinegar into a large bowl. Whisk in 1/4 cup olive oil. Taste for seasoning. Set the lettuce in the salad bowl (on top of the vinaigrette) and take it to the table.
- Check the mushrooms. If they are cooked, remove them from the heat but leave them in the pan so they stay warm.
- Check the duck breast. If it has cooked for 12 minutes, it will be perfect. Remove it from the heat and put it on a cutting board with a trough around the edge, to catch juices.
- Slice the bread, open the champagne and take it to the table.
- If you’re ready for dinner, dinner is ready for you, but it can wait enough time for you to enjoy a glass of champagne and the suggested appetizers.
- When you are ready to eat, thinly slice the duck breast on the diagonal. Arrange it on a (warmed) dinner plate. Put mushrooms on the plate. Garnish with a sprig of parsley and take the plates to the table. Toss the salad.
- Don’t forget the wine and some nice music. Bon Appétit and Happy Valentine’s Day from NoTakeOut!
