Stuffed Duck Breast With Walnut Dried Cherries And Goat Cheese Recipes

GOAT CHEESE, CHERRY, AND WALNUT STUFFED DUCK BREAST WITH A CHAMPAGNE GLAZE

Steps:

• Carefully cut a pocket into the duck breast lengthwise being careful not to cut all the way through. Combine the vinegar, melted butter, and olive oil, with a little salt and pepper in a bowl, with duck breast, and marinate for at least 8 hours, refrigerated. When ready to grill, remove breast from marinade. Macerate the dried cherries in 1 cup of the Champagne for 10 minutes. Pour the rest of the champagne in a saucepan and simmer, until reduced to 1 cup; set aside and let cool. In a small mixing bowl, mix together the goat cheese, macerated cherries, and walnuts until well combined. Stuff each duck break with the mixture and seal with a toothpick.
• When the Champagne has cooled to room temperature, stir in the sugar. Before the sugar begins to dissolve, brush the mixture onto the duck breast and place on a preheated grill. Grill 3 minutes on 1 side; then turn 45 degrees to create nice grill mark crosshatches. Continue to brush the duck breasts with the glaze while cooking. Flip the breast and cook on the other side, until cooked through, slightly pink inside. In the last seconds of grilling, place the breast on the hottest part of the grill for 8 to 12 seconds to sear. Plate and serve immediately.
• Serve with roasted root vegetables like cubed butternut squash, acorn squash, and parsnips, or maple syrup whipped sweet potatoes.

ROAST DUCK BREAST WITH DRIED CHERRIES AND PORT

Steps:

• Wrap each duck breast in plastic wrap and pound them with a meat mallet until each breast is about 1 inch thick. Place the duck on a plate, sprinkle both sides with a total of 4 teaspoons salt, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
• When ready to cook the duck, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Score the skin of the duck breasts with a sharp knife, making a crosshatch pattern but not cutting down to the meat.
• In a large (12-inch) heavy-bottomed, ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Place the duck breasts in the pan, skin side down. Cook uncovered over medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes, discarding the fat from the pan occasionally, until the skin is very browned. Turn the duck with tongs, place the skillet in the oven, and roast for 12 to 18 minutes, until the internal temperature of the duck is 120 degrees F for rare. Remove from the oven, cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil, and allow the duck to rest for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce. Melt the butter over medium-high heat in a medium saucepan. Add the shallots and saute for 2 minutes, until tender. Add the vinegar and cook for one minute. Add the Port, chicken stock, cherries, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the crème fraîche, orange zest, and orange juice and keep warm over low heat.
• Transfer the duck to a cutting board and slice diagonally, fanning the slices out on 4 dinner plates. Spoon the sauce generously on top, sprinkle with salt, and serve hot with extra sauce on the side.

SUCCULENT STUFFED ROAST DUCK WITH BALSAMIC CHERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375ºF.
• To prepare the stuffing: Sauté onion in butter until onion is transparent.
• Remove from heat.
• In a large bowl Add salt, and combine with rice, chopped sage and pecans.
• Taste and adjust seasoning to your taste.
• You may wish to add more salt and if you like you can add a bit of garlic pepper, but that is optional.
• Remove the bag from the duck cavity that contains the giblets and neck bone and set aside in refrigerator, you won't need it for this recipe.
• Rinse and dry the duck.
• Stuff the duck with the prepared brown rice stuffing and sew the stuffed cavity closed or secure with round tooth picks.
• Place the stuffed duck on a rack in a roasting pan breast side up and sprinkle all over top and bottom with salt and garlic pepper.
• Ducks contain lots of natural fat so require no basting.
• Roast at 375ºF for about 22 minutes a pound.
• A 6 pound duck should be done in about 2 1/4 hours.
• When duck is done let it set for about 20 minutes to let the juices settle before carving.
• While the duck is resting prepare the cherry sauce: In a medium size saucepan, combine the 15 ounce can of cherries, honey, wine, and Balsamic vinegar.
• Heat over medium flame until the mixture is reduced by half.
• Transfer to a serving touraine with a ladle.
• Place the touraine on table beside the carved Duck and let guests spoon as much sauce as they like on their portion of duck.