This Beautiful Fantastic Meal inspired by the Movie #FoodnFlix

Duck Breasts pan seared to a perfect medium rare, drizzled with an amazing Blueberry Caramel.  This is one Beautiful Fantastic meal.

This wonderful meal was inspired by the movie This Beautiful Fantastic......

This month's FoodnFlix film This Beautiful Fantastic was chosen by our lovely leader of this group, Heather of All Roads Lead to the Kitchen.  Please head over to her announcement post to learn more about her, this movie and how to join in the fun.

I had never heard of this movie until Heather announced that it was her pick for our event this month.  I am so glad that she chose it because I never would have found out about it or watched it otherwise.  It is a warm, touching movie that I will want to watch again.  

It is the story of Bella Brown who was abandoned in a basket as an infant and protected by ducks until found and taken to an orphanage where she was raised by nuns.  She grows up a little quirky and a lot OCD.  She is an author who is supporting herself as a librarian.  

She was raised eating institutional food and eats it still today.  On a compartmentalized plate so her food doesn't touch.  She rents a home next door to a grumpy curmudgeon, Alfie, who is incensed at her overgrown and dead garden that consists mainly of weeds.

He files a complaint with her landlord who gives her one month to clean it up or move out.  She appeals to her neighbor during which she meets Vernon, best described as Alfie's cook, housekeeper and punching bag.  Vernon, upset that Alfie filed the complaint, leaves his employ to help her.  Alfie, allows this on the condition that Vernon still prepare his meals.  

It is a fun, fantasy filled movie that deals with relationships both with others and with yourself.  Bella also makes a friend who she meets in the library.  Billy is an inventor and helps Bella to come out of her shell.  He also is her inspiration for a children's book that she begins to write. 

There is a lot of food in the movie:  

Ducks, Carrots, sausage, peas, Waffles, beans,  Brie,  Hard boiled egg, Tea and cookies, Canned goods (alphabetized and orderly) Eggs, butter, Eggs Benedict, Stuffed Mushroom Cap, Beef and gravy over mashed potatoes, Apricots, Salad, rice, beef Salad, Quiche, Cheese Sandwich, Raspberries, Black pudding, Fruit. Cookie, Tea, Strawberries (wild), Cracker, Puff Pastry, Toast, Scrambled eggs, English Muffins, Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Croissant, Wine.

Many of these items including peas and requests for Black Pudding showed up many times in the movies and while duck was never served, they played a strong role in the movie.

While I was watching I was thinking perhaps an egg dish of some sort as they were shown so often.  I also briefly considered Black Pudding but knew I would never find someone who would eat it once it was made.

When the movie finished Frank said "You have to make a recipe for this?"  I responded that I did and he replied  that I needed to make Duck.

So Duck it was.  All I had to do was find some Duck Breasts and I was in business.  So, off I went on my mission for Duck.  It was a cold, rainy, miserable June day that felt more like Fall than like Summer.  

I had to go to Costco to get my new glasses adjusted, so that was the first place I looked.  No luck.  Then I went to my favorite International Marketplace, nope.  I went to my second favorite Marketplace.  Not there either.  Then I stopped at a Butcher on the way home, uh uh.  I stopped at another Butcher, this one actually had ground camel meat, but did they have duck? Nope.  I was going to give up and just go home when I thought I would give one more Butcher at try.  

This one was past my house in a neighboring town.  I got there, it was pouring rain, I jumped out of my car to run into the store.  The toe of my flipflop caught on a ledge of the brick pavers and I face planted straight into the cement.

And then to add insult to injury.....they didn't carry duck either!!  So off I went home, to nurse my booboo and my injured pride.  The next day I went online and ordered duck breast.  First, the duck breasts didn't fulfill the minimum order needed for delivery.  So I ordered some quail too. I've never had quail but I figured what the heck.  Then it cost me as much for delivery as it did for the meat.

I ordered the Duck Breasts from D'Artagnan and also found the recipe on their website.  I had never cooked Duck Breast before and I found the recipe to be easy to follow and simple to prepare.  

While the Duck Breast rested after cooking.  I fried up some potatoes in the rendered duck fat that was in the skillet.  Oh my Yum.  This was the perfect side for the duck.

The Blueberry Caramel was so absolutely perfect with the duck I can't imagine ever making duck without this sauce.  I served it up with a bottle of Coopershawk Zonda, a red wine blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec.  The grapes are sourced from Argentina and Chile and this is a nice bottle of wine.  It paired perfectly with the meal.  In fact, this is the best meal I have made this month.  

After everything I went through, it was absolutely Beautiful Fantastic, just like the film. 

#duck, #blueberries,

Entrees, Poultry, Duck

American

Yield: 2

Author: Wendy Klik

Pan Seared Duck Breasts with Blueberry Caramel and Pan Fried Potatoes

prep time: 10 Mcook time: 40 Mtotal time: 50 M

Duck Breasts pan seared to a perfect medium rare, drizzled with an amazing Blueberry Caramel.

ingredients:

• 1/2 c. fresh blueberries
• 1 1/2 T. Duck and Veal Demiglace, divided
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/3 c. sugar
• 1/2 T. lemon juice, divided
• 2 (6 oz) duck breasts
• 6  small new potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced

instructions:

How to cook Pan Seared Duck Breasts with Blueberry Caramel and Pan Fried Potatoes

1. Place the blueberries and 1 Tablespoon of the demi glace in a saucepan over medium high heat.  Cook until the blueberries start to burst.  Mash with a wooden spoon and cook for about another 3-4 minutes.  Remove to a blender and puree. 
2. Wash the pan and place back over medium heat.  Add the remaining demi glace, sugar, pinch of salt and half of the lemon juice to the pan and stir until sugar is dissolved.  Raise heat to medium high and cook without stirring or moving until the sugar is deep amber in color. This took about 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 5 minutes.  Whisk in the blueberry mixture and a pinch of salt, set aside.
3. Score the skin of the duck breast in a criss cross pattern, cutting all the way through the fat without cutting into the meat.  Season on both sides with salt and pepper.
4. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. When skillet is hot add the duck breasts, skin side down and cook without moving until fat is rendered and the skin is crispy brown.  Remove 1/2 T. of the duck fat and set aside.  Flip the breast over, meat side down and cook until an internal temperature of 140* is reached.  Remove breasts from pan to cutting board and let rest while you fry the potatoes.
5. In the same pan, add the potatoes in a single layer and let fry in the duck fat until golden brown on the bottom, about 4-5 minutes.  Flip and let fry on the other side until golden and tender, another 2 or 3 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, whisk the reserved duck fat and remaining lemon juice into the blueberry caramel.  Slice the duck breasts and plate, drizzling with the blueberry caramel.  Use a spatula to remove the potatoes from the pan and plate next to the duck breasts.

NOTES:

Recipe adapted from D'Artagnan.

Calories
1140.41

Fat (grams)
33.41

Sat. Fat (grams)
9.62

Carbs (grams)
126.34

Fiber (grams)
10.06

Net carbs
116.28

Sugar (grams)
41.69

Protein (grams)
83.49

Sodium (milligrams)
433.19

Cholesterol (grams)
380.37

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