Stuffed Duck Breast With Walnut Dried Cherries And Goat Cheese Recipes

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.

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.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Use a sharp knife to slice into each duck breast half at thickest part to create a pocket the entire length of breast, being sure not to poke through the other end (If you'd like, score the skin as shown in the photo. Scoring renders the fat more thoroughly and keeps the skin from warping and sticking in the pan). In a bowl, mix together the garlic, fennel seeds, rosemary, Parmesan and olive oil until paste-like. Use your fingers to push herb mixture into each duck breast, filling pocket as much as possible. Sprinkle breasts with salt and pepper.
• Heat heavy, large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add duck breasts skin side down and cook until nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Turn meat and transfer skillet to oven; roast 10 to 15 minutes for medium-rare. (An instant-read thermometer inserted into meat should read about 125 degrees.)
• Remove duck to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes. Carve on the bias into 1/2-inch pieces; serve with pan juices.