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Ingredients

Preparation time: 25 minutes (after marinating in spices at least 2 hours).

3 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
2 (3/4 lb) duck breasts, skinned and halved
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup champagne or white wine vinegar
5 apricots, quartered

Method

1 Combine the rosemary, brown sugar, black pepper, and salt. Rub the mixture over the duck breasts. Cover and chill 2 hours. Rinse duck with cold water, pat dry.

2 Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add duck and cook for 5 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from pan. Let stand for 10 minutes.

3 Combine the granulated sugar and vinegar in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil. Cook until thick and amber-colored (about 5 minutes). Add apricots; reduce heat, and cook for 1 minute or until the apricots begin to soften. Cut duck diagonally across the grain into slices. Serve with carmelized apricots.

Serves 4. Excellent served with rice.

Variation:

You can instead roast a whole duck. Here are the steps (also from Keith):

1 Rinse off the duck, outside and inside, pat dry. Remove any remaining feathers. Prick the skin all over with a sharp-tined fork, taking care not to prick the meat. Rub the duck all over with a little bit of olive oil. Rub the rosemary mixture all over the duck and some in the cavity. Tie the legs together loosely. Put in a plastic bag and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

2 At least a half an hour before you plan to cook the duck, remove from the refrigerator so it can get to room temperature. Tie up the Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the duck on a roasting rack in a roasting pan, breast side up. Pour a cup of water into the pan. Roast for 45 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and pour off the fat and water. Separate the fat to use for basting.

3 Turn the bird on the rack so now the breast is facing down. Baste the bird with the fat. Return the bird to the oven. Increase the temperature to 400°F. Estimate a total cooking time of 15 minutes per lb of bird. So if you have a 4 lb duck, cook it another 30 minutes. The bird is done when the juices run clear from a thigh pricked all the way down to the joint and when a meat thermometer inserted in the inner thigh below the leg joint reads 175 to 180 degrees. Be careful not to overcook the duck. When the bird is done, transfer it to a platter and let it rest for 15 minutes before carving.