Pan seared magret with porcini mushroom and duck bacon risotto. This is a fantastic duck dish matching the earthiness of porcini mushrooms with rich, gamey, crispy duck. I used Moulard breasts from Hudson Valley Duck Farm, but any will do, and you could probably even do this with legs if you wanted. The duck breasts were pan seared normally. I’m including my recipe for the risotto:

Porcini Mushroom and Duck Bacon Risotto
Serves 2 

Ingredients:
1/2 cup or one handful of dried porcini mushrooms
4 slices duck bacon
4 medium to large shallots finely chopped
3-4 tbsp butter 
1 cup arborio rice
1/4 cup brandy
4 cups chicken stock (or better yet, homemade duck stock), at a simmer
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Combine the dried porcini with a couple of cups of boiling water and let sit for 15 minutes. Fish out the porcini, chop roughly, and reserve both the mushrooms and the liquid.

2. Crisp and render the fat from four strips of duck bacon in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Remove and roughly chop or crumble the bacon.

3. Add the shallots to the pan with the rendered fat, with up to a tablespoon of butter if needed, and cook until tender and lightly browned.

4. Add the rice to the pan and toast for 3-4 minutes. Add the brandy, which should boil off fairly quickly.

5. Add a half cup of the porcini liquid and cook until fully absorbed by the rice. Repeat once more.

6. Add stock, half a cup at a time, allowing the stock to be fully absorbed before adding more. Repeat until the rice is done. Before adding the last bit of stock, add back into the pan the chopped porcini.

7. When the rice is al dente, stir in 3 tbsp of butter, parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste.

If scaling this recipe, increase the amounts of porcini, bacon, shallot, butter and parmesan at the same ratio as the rice. Consider adding a third half cup of porcini liquid at step 5. You won’t need to increase the stock as much.