Espresso is traditionally thought of as a drink for hardcore coffee lovers, but in this edition of "Culinary Adventure" Brad Smoliak boils up a few new ideas to use the beverage.

Coming up on Friday, December 11, Brad will have some gift ideas for the amateur chef on your Christmas shopping list.

Duck Breast with an Espresso Marinade

Ingredients:
4        duck breasts, trim excess fat, but leave skin on
1 cup espresso, or strong brewed coffee, chilled.
1 tsp  coarse ground pepper

Directions:
Score the skin side of the duck breast in a criss-cross pattern. Be careful not to cut right through the skin. 3-4 cuts in each direction should be fine.

Marinade the duck in the espresso mixture for 4-6 hours, no longer or the flavour will be too overwhelming.

Pat dry the duck breasts and sear them in a a hot frying pan, skin side down. (Be forewarned there will be a lot of fat.) This will take about 5-7 minutes over medium heat. Cook until the duck breast skin is golden brown. (This may be done 4-6 hours before serving, and then keep the breasts in the fridge.)

To roast the breasts:
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees and roast, skin side up, in shallow roasting pan for 5-10 minutes, or until medium-cooked. (Do not cook pass medium as meat will be dry.) Slice duck against the grain in about 6-8 pieces. Serve as you would any grilled meat with horseradish, mashed potatoes, and roasted onions.