Every recipe has a story and Ariane, the founder of D’Artagnan, is very involved in this one.  Her father, Chef André Daguin, was the first to cook duck breast like a steak, pan-searing and serving it rare. That was back in the 1950s at his restaurant in Southwest France, and the technique caught on. Today it’s quite common to see seared duck breast on a restaurant menu.

If you haven’t tried cooking duck breast at home, we encourage you to do so.  These easy variations on the basic recipe will hopefully inspire your inner chef. Choose the flavors you like and heat up your pan!

1. The Classic: Magret Duck Breast à la D’Artagnan

This simple duck magret recipe should be a part of every home cook’s repertoire. If you can cook a steak in a pan, you can sear a duck breast. We love this simple recipe and the opportunity it affords to get creative with the pan sauce. Master this one, and you can whip up an impressive meal in 30 minutes anytime. Kitchen victories are so sweet, aren’t they?

2. Super Simple Sous Vide Duck Breasts

A completely different technique – sous vide – cooks duck breast in a vacuum-sealed pouch immersed in precisely-controlled low temperature water. Cooking duck breasts sous vide ensures evenly medium-rare results and a buttery texture. To get that desirable crispy skin, you still have to heat a pan and sear the duck breast. Here’s a basic sous vide duck breast recipe using our exclusive Rohan duck breasts, which are perfectly portioned for single servings. You can add your favorite fresh herbs or other aromatics to the vacuum bag, if desired.

3. Duck Breasts with Blueberry-Caramel

A luxurious caramel sauce made with fresh blueberries turns simple pan-seared duck breasts into an extra-decadent meal. It’s a great recipe to make during blueberry season, and comes together quickly. So we heartily recommend this one for a weeknight supper or even a special occasion meal.

4. Five Spice Duck Breast

What we love about duck breast is how endlessly versatile it is. Pick any spices or aromatics, and it’s likely that duck breast can handle them. In this recipe, heady Chinese five spice and a sticky-sweet sauce spiked with star anise make a wonderful complement to rich duck breast.

5. Duck Breasts with Citrus-Honey Sauce

Duck and citrus is a classic tried-and-true pairing. This super easy recipe combines duck with a sweet and tangy citrus sauce that comes together quickly, perfect for a weeknight meal. And it makes use of those quirky kumquats that may puzzle you in the grocery store.

If you cook D’Artagnan duck breast at home, please share! We love to see what’s cooking – just tag @dartagnanfoods on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.