Pan Seared Duck Breasts in Honey Apple Sauce are seared with their skin and served with a delicious sauce.

Start the sauce: Peel, core and slice one apple. In a medium saucepan on a low heat, boil vinegar and honey (gastric). Cook for about 5 minutes until the gastric caramelizes. At this point add the sliced apple, and deglaze with white wine. Stir with a wooden spatula and reduce liquid by cooking for two minutes. Add the veal stock and cook on low heat for 15 minutes and season to taste with salt and pepper.

In the meantime, prepare the duck breast: Make some crosswise cuts into the fat making sure not to cut the meat. Season with salt and pepper and heat a frying pan (without any fat). Fry the duck breasts, skin sides down. Lower the heat; turn meat and cook gently until the breasts are tender (see note). Remove the breasts from the pan and keep warm. Peel, core and cut the other apple in 6 quarters. Place in the pan with the duck fat and cook the quartered apples until golden brown; reserve.

Pour excess fat from the pan; deglaze with 2 ounces of water by scraping the bottom of the pan to dissolve the duck juices. Strain into the apple sauce.

Finish the sauce: Away from the heat, stir in the cold butter until totally melted. Strain and press the apples to extract all the juice.

Serve: Using a sharp knife, slightly slice the breast diagonally. Place the sliced portions on a plate, shaping them like a fan. Arrange with the 3 quartered apples and top up with the honey apple sauce. Garnish with fresh herbs, such as fresh parsley, rosemary and oregano.

 Peking duck breast will take about 7 minutes to cook medium rare. Mullard duck breast which the French call "Magre" will cook up to 20 minutes.

Gastric definition: Caramelized sugar deglazed with vinegar and used in fruit-flavored sauces, in such dishes as duck in an orange or port wine sauce.