Blackened Duck Breast

About a year ago, we offered a blackened duck breast entree that was very well received by our patrons. Our recipe originated in the late 80's and early 90's where it was one of the most popular menu items at the Kickapoo Klub. According to Chef Chris Plankenhorn, this sold 10-15 orders per day.

At the Klub, blackened duck was an everyday menu item that even had local competition trying to start their own version of it.  We have recently resurrected this classic for a limited time and will offer cajun blackened duck breast as an appetizer.

The difficult part of serving duck is that often people are not familiar with this type of meat.  They tend to shy away from spending the money for a whole entree when they are really just curious to try a sample of this off-beat poultry.

Offered as an appetizer, this is the perfect opportunity for newcomers to try something different without the full-on commitment of a dinner. Served with orange hollandaise on the side to balance out the slightly spicy seasoning, it's a perfect opportunity for a guest looking to sample something other than the typical steak, chicken or fish.

For those of you that are unaware, duck is technically classified as poultry and is a predominant player in french cuisine. Duck is much darker and fattier compared to its counterpart, the chicken. Duck meat is primarily taken from the legs and breast rather than the entire bird. With this in mind, duck technically has no "white meat," meaning the taste is going to be stronger than the dark meat of a chicken leg.

Along with this, duck is usually cooked with the fat to give it flavor and has a similar consistency to that of a steak. Unlike chicken - which is trimmed of its fat and can give eaters salmonella poisoning if not fully cooked - duck is usually prepared medium rare to medium. While this may make some eaters weary that poultry is being undercooked, it is in extremely rare cases that anyone has ever been sick from eating duck.

Paired with a glass of red wine and good company, we assure you that this dish is sure to please and offer a new experience for even a weary eater.