Duck Breasts à la Gasconne

We rarely ate only duck breasts at home because, like most people, we generally purchased an entire duck and prepared “our family version” of roast duck. But my oncle Charles came up with another recipe for his spa customers, using the relatively lean meat of the breasts only (the magret), avoiding oil or butter in the preparation, and relying on the dry “marinade” for extra flavor. Calling it gasconne was a subtle way of fooling his guests. Most were wealthy Parisians who had never set foot in Gascony, a region in the Southwest of France known for its ducks and geese, and, naturellement, great duck dishes. So, before tasting even a morsel of this relatively light preparation, they were primed psychologically for the heights of Gasconne delicacy.