Honey Roasted Duck with Saffron Almond Rice

Adam MacchiaWhen you're finished watching the video, get Marcus Samuelsson's Honey Roasted Duck with Saffron Almond Rice recipe.

In his series Marcus' Kitchen, chef Marcus Samuelsson shares dozens of recipes that prove "American" cuisine is really a delicious melting pot that draws upon flavors from all over the world.

Chef Marcus points out that while this dish is extremely sophisticated, it's also fairly easy to make. In less than 30 minutes, you'll have a restaurant-quality dish. He begins by trimming the duck breast, saving some of the trimmings for the rice, and dropping a few pieces of fat into a hot pan. The rendered duck fat will be used to fry the duck breast itself.

While the fat is rendering, he scores the skin of the duck breast, cutting into the skin but not the meat of the breast. He seasons the breast with salt and pepper, then adds a sprinkle of garam masala. He adds the duck to the pan, skin side down, then adds thyme, sliced garlic (place this on top of the breast so it doesn't burn), and chopped onion to the pan.

While the duck is cooking, he turns his attention to the rice. In a pan, he adds chopped onion and sliced almonds to hot olive oil. He cooks those together briefly, then adds saffron threads and the pieces of duck trimmings, along with the rice itself. Next, he adds salt, pepper, and a bit of garam masala. When the rice takes on a bit of color, he adds coconut milk and water, then brings the mixture to a simmer, places a paper towel over the pot and puts a lid securely over the towel.

When the skin side of the duck is browned and the skin is crisp (you should be able to tap on the skin and actually hear a sound), it's time to turn the duck over. When the duck is almost finished, he adds the honey to the pan. When the duck bounces back slightly when you touch it, it's finished. He removes the breast from the pan and sets it aside to rest, then adds water to the pan to deglaze it. He simmers the pan ingredients together, then, when the rice is finished, adds the rice to the pan to create a saucy rice mixture. This rice becomes the base for the duck when plating.

Get Marcus' Honey Roasted Duck with Saffron Almond Rice recipe.

More Ideas for Cooking with Duck:

• Impress your holiday guests -- bypass a turkey and serve this gorgeous whole glazed duck.
• Watch Tyler Florence prepare his Spicy Roasted Duck recipe.
• Get more duck recipes.
• Looking for something different? Try these delicious duck tacos from Slashfood.