Magret de Canard aux FiguesDuck Magret with Figs

Trim the magret, crosshatch the skin and apply coarse salt

• 1 Pat the surface of 380 g duck magret, the breast of a duck fattened for foie gras, dry between paper towels.
• 2 Trim the fat protruding beyond the edge of the meat, following its outline and leaving about 5 mm.
• 3 Hold the knife flat and thinly shave off the silverskin, the tough shiny membrane on the flesh side.
• 4 With a well-sharpened paring knife, score the skin in a 5 mm crosshatch, cutting only into the fat layer and never reaching the lean meat.
• 5 Sprinkle 5 g coarse salt evenly over all the skin.
• 6 Place a rack on a tray and set the magret on it skin-side up.

Dry the skin in the refrigerator

• 1 Refrigerate the magret on its rack, uncovered and skin-side up, for 60 minutes.

Take the chill off the duck and prepare the aromatics, walnuts and warm plates

• 1 Remove the magret on its rack from the refrigerator 25 minutes before cooking and place on a cool worktop away from direct sunlight.
• 2 Lightly blot any moisture that has appeared on the skin with paper towels.
• 3 Chop 60 g onion as finely as possible.
• 4 Remove the stems from 6 fresh figs, halve lengthwise and arrange on a tray without overlapping.
• 5 Coarsely crush 20 g walnuts by hand or with the flat of a knife, then dry-toast in a small pan over medium heat for 2 minutes, shaking until fragrant, and transfer to a plate.
• 6 Preheat the oven to 100°C and warm 2 serving plates in it until just before plating.
• 7 Immediately before cooking, grind 1 g black pepper over the flesh side of the magret.

Slowly render the skin fat from a cold pan and turn the skin golden

• 1 Place the magret skin-side down in a cold, ungreased frying pan, 24–26 cm in diameter.
• 2 Set over medium-low heat and render the fat for 12 minutes. Every 3–4 minutes, press the meat lightly with a spatula to keep all the skin evenly against the pan.
• 3 Spoon the rendered fat into a heatproof container on 3–4 occasions, keeping the fat in the pan at a depth of 2–3 mm.

Sear the flesh side, add thyme fragrance and rest to a pink center

• 1 Turn the magret over and sear the flesh side over medium heat for 2 minutes until lightly browned.
• 2 Add 3 sprigs fresh thyme to the fat and spoon the hot fat over the flesh side about 15 times to baste and cook it.
• 3 Remove the magret and place skin-side up on a rack over a tray. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and rest in a warm place for 10 minutes; complete step 6 during these 10 minutes.

During the 10-minute rest, make the gastrique, deglaze and reduce the sauce to 100 ml

• 1 Remove and discard the thyme. Leave just 1 tbsp duck fat in the pan and transfer the rest to a heatproof container.
• 2 Set the pan over medium-low heat and sauté 60 g finely chopped onion for 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spatula.
• 3 Push the onion to the edge, arrange the 12 fig halves cut-side down, sear for 1 minute 30 seconds and remove to a plate.
• 4 Add 25 g honey and heat over medium heat for 40 seconds until large bubbles form and it becomes fragrant.
• 5 Add 20 ml sherry vinegar and boil for 30 seconds to make a gastrique, a reduced sweet-and-sour base.
• 6 Lower the heat, pour in 25 ml Armagnac and boil for 40 seconds to drive off the smell of alcohol.
• 7 Add 120 ml red wine and scrape up the browned juices with a wooden spatula to deglaze, dissolving the pan’s savory deposits in the liquid. Reduce over medium heat for 1 minute 30 seconds until 1/3 of the liquid remains.
• 8 Add 180 ml chicken stock and 1/2 cinnamon stick and reduce over medium-high heat for 3 minutes 30 seconds until the total volume is 100 ml.

Strain and mount the sauce, then slice and plate the magret on warm plates

• 1 Strain the sauce through a chinois, a fine conical strainer, or a fine sieve into a small saucepan, removing the cinnamon and onion.
• 2 Add all the juices collected beneath the resting magret and warm over low heat for 30 seconds.
• 3 Keeping the pan over low heat, add 20 g cold butter in 1 cm cubes in 3 additions, swirling the pan and stirring with a wooden spatula each time to mount the sauce, emulsifying it for thickness and shine.
• 4 Return the seared figs to the sauce and warm over low heat for 1 minute, spooning sauce over them.
• 5 Transfer the magret to a board and cut across the grain into slices 7–8 mm thick. Sprinkle the cut surfaces with 3 g fleur de sel and 1 g freshly ground black pepper.
• 6 Remove the 2 warm plates from the oven, fan out the duck slices and arrange the figs around them.
• 7 Pour the sauce around the edges of the duck and onto the plates, then scatter over the toasted walnuts.