Lunch: Crispy Duck

This recipe includes fertility superfoods such as:

Cinnamon, Honey

Health and fertility benefits of Crispy Duck

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060). One tbsp of honey has a glycemic index (GI) of 55.

Ingredients

Marinade
6 star anise
4 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
2 tablespoons Shaohsing rice wine or dry sherry
2 tablespoons ground Sichuan peppercorns
2 tablespoons sea salt
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
Crispy Duck
2 skin-on duck breasts, skin scored in a criss-cross pattern
1 tablespoon groundnut oil ( peanut)
Salad greens, for service
Apricot and Plum Sauce
3 1/2 ounces water
2 ripe plums, stoned and quartered
2 ounces dried apricots, chopped
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
Juice of 1 lime
Serving suggestion: This dish is delicious accompanied by stir-fried green beans and roasted sweet potatoes.

Instructions

To make the marinade: Place the star anise, grated ginger, rice wine, peppercorns, salt, dark soy sauce, and light soy sauce, into a bowl, and stir to combine.
Add the duck breasts to the marinade, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and leave to marinate for 20 minutes.
Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F.
Heat a wok or pan over a high heat, and add the groundnut oil. Remove the duck from the marinade and place the duck into the hot wok or pan, skin-side down, and fry until the skin is brown and crisp, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the duck to a sheet pan, skin-side up, and roast in the oven for 3 to 4 minutes, depending on how well done you would like your duck to be. While the duck is in the oven, prepare the apricot and plum sauce
To make the sauce: Pour the water into a small saucepan, and bring to a boil. Add the plums, apricots, sugar, honey, cinnamon, star anise, and cook until the mixture has reduced to a sticky sauce. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the lime juice.
To serve, place a duck breast onto a plate, pour over the sauce and serve with a salad. Cook's Note: You could also try serving this with my roasted sweet potatoes with smoked paprika.
NotesCrispy duck is very popular in the Sichuan province and it can be found in many restaurants. However, it is also equally popular to cook at home because, unlike Peking duck, it is easier to make in the home kitchen. My modern variation uses duck breast with the skin on. The duck is first seasoned and then pan-fried until the skin is crispy; the cooking is then finished off in the oven. I like serving this with a sweet and sour apricot and plum sauce.

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