Liberating cranberries from the Thanksgiving table.
I’ve never understood why we only eat cranberries at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Sure, they’re a classic holiday flavor, but we enjoy other holiday flavors such as cinnamon and pumpkin spice throughout the fall and winter—why not cranberry?
I’ve thought about this a lot (can you tell?), and I’ve come to the conclusion that we just don’t know what else to do with cranberries, besides cook them down into sauce on Thanksgiving or (maybe) roll them into holiday bread wreaths for Christmas. If we want to take them beyond the holidays, we need to explore how to pair them with various flavor profiles in a variety of dishes. These thoughts were the inspiration for this week’s Cranberry-Jalapeno Duck Tacos.
Crispy-skinned duck breast resting on cilantro-lime cabbage slaw, dolloped with cranberry-jalapeno sauce, and folded into a flour tortilla. The fresh crunch of the slaw and tangy spice of the jalapeno and cranberries perfectly balances and showcases the rich, juicy duck, while the lightly charred tortilla adds a touch of bitterness and brings everything together into one savory, tart, sweet and spicy bite bite!
If you’ve never cooked duck breast before, don’t worry! It’s very similar to cooking a chicken breast, with only a few differences. Duck has thick, fatty skin, so it’s important to render out that fat by scoring the skin and then cooking the breast skin-side down in the pan over medium-low heat. Once the skin is golden brown and crispy, you can turn the breast over and cook it on the flesh side for a few minutes to finish. Also, duck is red meat, so unlike chicken, you do not have to cook it to 165 degrees—and you really shouldn’t! Instead, I recommend pulling it out of the pan when a thermometer reads 130 degrees and letting it rest at least five minutes. This will ensure that your duck breast comes out a perfect medium pink, and stays incredibly juicy and tender.
Whether you’re also determined to liberate cranberries from Thanksgiving, or just looking for a way to use up that extra bag of cranberries after the holidays, these Cranberry-Jalapeno Duck Taco recipes will not disappoint! Even if you think that cranberries should stay on the Thanksgiving table, give this recipe a try. You might just find yourself converted!
Enjoy!
Cranberry-Jalapeno Duck Tacos
(Makes 6)
For the cranberry jalapeno sauce:
¼ cup water
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 jalapeno pepper, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
8 oz cranberries, fresh or frozen
1 tbsp freshly-squeezed lime juice
1 tsp lime zest
For the slaw:
¼ head savoy cabbage, sliced thinly crosswise
2 scallions, light and dark green parts sliced on a bias, plus additional for garnish
¼ cup cilantro leaves, thinly sliced
4 tsp freshly squeezed lime juice (from 1 lime)
½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
To serve:
2 duck breasts, skin on
1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil
6 six-inch flour tortillas, lightly charred in a dry pan
Method
For the cranberry jalapeno sauce:
In a small sauce pot, heat water, sugar, jalapeno, and salt over medium heat until boiling. Lower heat and simmer 2 minutes, then add the cranberries. Return to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the cranberries start to pop and the sauce thickens, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in lime juice and zest. Serve warm.
For the slaw:
Toss thinly sliced cabbage with sliced scallions, cilantro, and lime juice. Season with salt, then taste and add more salt or lime juice as needed.
To serve:
Pat duck breast dry. Score the skin of each duck breast by making three parallel slashes on each with the tip of a sharp knife (make sure not to completely cut through the skin—you don’t to expose the duck breast flesh). Season each with ½ teaspoon kosher salt.
Add oil to a large oven-safe skillet and swirl to evenly distribute. Place duck breasts skin-side down in the pan and turn the heat on medium. When you start to hear low sizzling and sputtering (the sound of the fat rendering, lower the temperature slightly and cook, undisturbed for 10-15 minutes, or until the skin is golden brown and the fat from the skin has rendered down. The heat should be high enough to maintain that low sizzling sound, but no higher! Low and slow is the key. When the skin is golden brown, flip the duck and cook on the flesh side for an additional 2 minutes. At this point, if the duck is not at 130 degrees, transfer the pan to a 350 degree oven and cook until it reaches this internal temperature. Then remove the duck breast from the pan and let rest at least five minutes on a cool plate or board before slicing crosswise into ½-inch slices.
To serve, spread about a quarter cup of the slaw in the center of each tortilla and arrange 3-4 slices of duck on top. Dollop on jalapeno-cranberry sauce and sprinkle with additional sliced scallion.
Originally posted November 22, 2021.
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