B is for Berries

In an effort to tempt Simona from her pescatarian tendencies, Eli made a succulent braised duck breast with fresh berries. He accompanied the dish with roasted rosemary potatoes and sauteed chard with lemon. A bottle of Acacia Pinot Noir helped it all slide down. We used the leftover berry sauce to top some fresh vanilla ice cream for dessert.

















Braised Duck and Berry Sauce (makes 3 servings)

2 large boneless duck breast fillets, skin on
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon oil
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup chicken or duck stock
3 tablespoons honey
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 cup berries (we used blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries)
1 tablespoon butter

Score the duck breasts on the fatty side using a sharp knife, cutting about 1/8-inch into the skin in a cross hatch pattern. Heat a 12-inch saute pan over medium-low heat. Season the duck breasts evenly on both sides with the salt and pepper, and place, skin side down, in the hot skillet. Cook the breast until the skin is crispy and most of the fat has rendered, about 10 to 12 minutes. Pour off the fat from the pan and reserve 2 tablespoons of it on the side. Turn the breast over, and place in the hot oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, allow to rest for 3 minutes, and slice each breast into 12 slices. Serve while hot. To make the sauce, add the balsamic vinegar and red wine to the pan and cook until reduced by half. Add the stock and reduce by half again, then add brown sugar, rosemary and berries and cook for 3 minutes. Strain into a bowl and whisk in the butter to finish. Place the duck breast on each plate and drizzle the sauce around.

Rosemary Potatoes (makes 3-4 servings)

12 small red potatoes
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons rendered duck fat, reserved from cooking the duck breasts
2 teaspoons rosemary, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Cook the potatoes until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool under running cold water. Once cool enough to handle, place the potatoes on a cutting board and slice in half lengthwise. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper, to taste. Heat a 10-inch saute pan with the reserved duck fat over medium high heat. Place the potatoes, cut-side down, in the pan with onion and rosemary and cook the potatoes until browned and crispy, about 3 minutes. Turn over, add garlic, and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove from the pan and serve with the duck.

Lemon Chard (serves 3)

1 head red chard, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Add chard, garlic, oil, lemone juice, salt and pepper to large sauce pan. Toss until chard is well coated. Sautee for five minutes and serve.