I...
have never prepared duck. Never thought about it really.
Until last night, as I lay in bed, thinking to myself.
"I've never made duck. Or rabbit. Or quail! Where do you buy pigeon?"
I'm on a new protein kick, I believe. So today, I stopped by the grocery store and bought some duck. Sadly, I live in Pensacola and there aren't really any butcher shops, so I had to settle with frozen duck breasts from Publix. Thank heavens for Publix. I took them home, thawed them in cold water, and removed the skin.
Good as new! Er, fresh. Nearly.
The completed dish!
Duck breasts with...well, you read the chalkboard.
I seared the duck in a skillet over high heat on both sides and finished it in the oven. The sauce is Pinot Noir (Firesteed is a favorite brand of mine, it's an Oregon winery), Port, butter, shallots, reduced chicken stock, dried cherries, balsamic vinegar, fresh thyme, and shiitake mushrooms. The warm asparagus salad is just blanched asparagus dressed with a vinaigrette I made with tarragon vinegar, olive oil, shallots, chives, a tiny bit of whole grain mustard, salt, and pepper.
To drink? Pinot Noir, of course! Which worked beautifully, as the wine has such fruity, cherry nuances that were echoed perfectly in the cherry sauce for the duck.
Cherries? Pinot Noir? Thyme? Asparagus?
How Northwestern of me!
Tomorrow: Quail.
Get excited.
Duck has to be my favorite meat of all times! Love it cooked any way at all. Yours looks amazing (per usual)!
ReplyDeleteWe've never cooked quail at home, but I like it occasionally in restaurants. We caught our own rabbit on our property and dh made a cacciatore type dish that was wonderful (same with squirrel). Used to eat roasted pigeons in Hong Kong, but have only had it once in North America. Can't wait to see your protein adventures!