Active Time

　　25 min

　　Total Time

　　1 hr

　　Duck breast is a sadly underrated meat. Served rare to medium-rare and sliced on the diagonal, it has the mineral tang of beef. This southwestern version, with its slightly spicy sauce, elicits every ounce of flavor from the bird. And it's so easy!

　　

Ingredients

Makes 6 servings

　　

For sauce

2 1/2 cups fresh orange juice

　　1/4 cup fresh lime juice

　　3 tablespoons maple syrup (preferably dark amber or Grade B)

　　1 tablespoon finely chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo

　　1 (3- to 4-inch) cinnamon stick

　　2 whole cloves

　　1 teaspoon salt

　　

For duck

3 (1-lb) boneless Muscovy duck breasts with skin or 6 (7- to 8-oz) Long Island (also called Pekin) duck breast halves with skin

　　1 1/2 teaspoons salt

　　1/2 teaspoon black pepper

　　

Special Equipment

an instant-read thermometer

　　

Make sauce:

Step 1

Boil all sauce ingredients in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, skimming foam occasionally, until syrupy and reduced to about 1 cup, 30 to 40 minutes. Let stand while duck broils.

　　

Prepare duck:

Step 2

Remove rack of a broiler pan, then add 1 cup water to broiler pan and replace rack. Preheat broiler with pan 5 to 6 inches from heat.

　　

Step 3

Pat duck breasts dry and score skin at 1-inch intervals with a sharp knife (do not cut into meat), then sprinkle all over with salt and pepper. Broil duck breasts, skin sides down, 4 minutes for Long Island duck or 8 minutes for Muscovy, then turn over and broil until thermometer inserted horizontally into center of a breast registers 130°F (see cooks' note, below), 8 to 10 minutes more for medium-rare. Transfer to a cutting board and let stand 5 minutes. Add any juices accumulated on cutting board to sauce and simmer until slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes.

　　

Step 4

Holding a sharp knife at a 45-degree angle, cut each duck breast into thin slices and serve with sauce.

　　Cooks' notes:

　　• The USDA recommends cooking duck breasts to an internal temperature of 170°F to ensure that any harmful bacteria are killed, but since we prefer the meat medium-rare, we cook it to only 130°F. Otherwise, the duck gets tough and livery. • Sauce can be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. Reheat before adding juices from duck.