Duck Breast "Tiramisu"

To me, duck and coffee are a natural combination. So extending the idea to tiramisu seemed perfectly logical...

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Ingredients:

Duck Breasts:
4 Duck Breasts, skin on
2 cups HOT coffee, preferably an earthy, dark, low-acid variety. (I like Nicaraguan SHB)
3 1-inch cinnamon sticks
pinch mace (or nutmeg)
1 Star Anise
1/4 cup whole coffee beans, same type as used for the coffee
1 cup decent brandy (preferably Germain-Robin "Fine Alembic" Brandy, but a feisty young Armagnac would work nicely as well)

Apple-Bacon Compote:
1 Granny Smith or other firm-fleshed apple.
4 slices pancetta or good quality bacon
2 tbl minced ginger
pinch nutmeg
1 tbl orange peel in inch long, very thin strips
2 oz. foie gras or regular duck liver, diced (optional)

Sabayon:
4 large egg yolks
5 tbl sugar
2 tbl brandy (use the same kind as for the duck)
1/2 cup chilled whipping cream
8 oz mascarpone, room temperature, whipped a bit to soften

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Method:

I. Marinate the duck:

Make the coffee. While piping hot, add 2 sticks cinnamon, mace, star anise. Allow coffee to cool at room temperature.

While waiting for the coffee to cool, prepare the duck. Prick the skin a number of times with a fork but be careful not to go through to the flesh. With a good sharp knife, score the skin in a crosshatch/diamond pattern, making slits every 1/4-inch or so. Again, try not to cut through to the meat.

Pat dry the skin side with a paper towel. Pour the cooled coffee into a casserole dish and place duck breasts in, skin side up, being careful not to allow the liquid to rise over the skin. If some gets on there, it's not the end of the world, you just don't want to submerge it. A 9 X 13 pan should be fine. Place pan in refrigerator and let marinate, uncovered, at least 4 and up to 24 hours.

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II. Prepare the Sabayon / Mascarpone:

Whisk egg yolks, sugar, and brandy in top of double boiler over simmering water. Alternately, use a metal bowl held over a pot of simmering water. Do not allow upper pot to contact water. You need to whisk constantly until mixture thickens - you'll see "ribbons" begin to form - and doubles to triples in size. If eggs begin to coagulate, you'll have to start over. Tough shit. When mixture thickens, place upper pot in a bowl of icewater and continue whisking lightly until cool, 5 to 10 minutes. Place in refrigerator.

In a seperate bowl, whisk the cream (very cold) until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream. mascarpone, and egg mixture together. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour.

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III. Apple-Bacon Compote:

If using, saute foie gras (or duck liver) in a skillet for thirty seconds to a minute, just until it takes on a little color. Remove from pan and set aside.

Chop up the bacon into small pieces and place in pan over medium heat. While waiting for fat to render, chop apple into 1/4-dice, leaving skin on. When bacon begins to crisp, add ginger, nutmeg, and orange peel and toss until fragrant. Add apple and cook, stirring and shaking, until it has begun to carmelize, shrink, and absorb a bit of the fat. Keep warm until ready to serve. Just before service, remove from heat add the foie/liver back in and toss until just warmed through.

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IV. Duck:

Remove breasts from refrigerator and pat dry. Allow to sit at room temperature for an hour or so. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a pan over medium-low heat, toss the remaining stick of cinnamon, star anise, and coffee beans. Heat through for a minute or so, shaking pan to ensure none of the spices burn. Lightly salt and pepper both sides of each breast. Turn heat up to medium, push spices to either side, and add the duck breats skin side down. Sear for 4 to 6 minutes, depending on thickness of skin, until they crisp up. Flip the duck breasts over and place the pan in the oven. Roast for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove duck to a plate or cutting board to rest, at least five minutes.

While the duck rests, remove spices from pan and pour off fat, leaving eight coffee beans behind. Leaving the heat off, deglaze the pan with the brandy. Turn heat back on, and reduce to about 1/4 cup. Be careful! There's initially a lot of alcohol in there. Add any juices that have collected around the duck to the pan sauce.

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V. Serve:

Slice duck breasts on the bias in 1/2-inch slices. Fan along one side of the plate and drizzle with a tablespoon of the pan sauce. Add a scoop of compote and a quenelle of sabayon. Garnish with two of the reserved coffee beans, which can be tasty to munch on for those so inclined.