Sunday, December 02, 2007

SEASONAL SUNDAY NIGHT SUPPER ~ DUCK BREAST FAISINJAN / WINTER SALAD of GRAPEFRUIT, FENNEL & WATERCRESS


~ Virgin snow
(Hubbard Lake)
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DUCK BREAST FAISINJAN
~ Rich in antioxidants, pomegranates make this favorite classic Persian recipe from The Creative Cook well worth the effort.
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4 pomegranates
juice of 1 large lemon
1 Tbsp. light brown sugar or honey
coarse salt & freshly ground back pepper
4 boned duck breast halves
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 minced onion
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
  • Have the pomegranates and scoop the seeds into a food processor, reserving 2-3 Tbsp. Blend briefly and then press through a strainer.
  • Put juice into a pan and add half its volume of water, the lemon juice, sugar, and season. Bring to a boil and simmer gently about 20 minutes. Cool
  • Prepare duck breasts by making several diagonal cuts through the fat to the meat. Put breast in bowl and pour over the cooled pomegranate mixture. stir well, cover and let marinate 2-3 hours.
  • Preheat broiler. Drain duck breasts, reserving marinade. Pat breast dry and broil skin-side up until well browned, 5-8 minutes. Turn and cook the other side in the same way. (duck is best served fairly pink; if you prefer it well done, reduce heat and cook another 10 minutes or so.)
  • While duck is cooking, heat oil in saucepan over medium and add the onion and walnuts. Cook until onion is soft, 2-3 minutes. Add the pomegranate mixture to the saucepan, bring to a boil, and simmer about 5 minutes. Adjust the seasons and the sweet & sour balance with more lemon juice or sugar.
  • Serve duck thickly sliced, sprinkled with the reserved seeds. Pass the sauce separately. (4 servings)
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WINTER SALAD of GRAPEFRUIT, FENNEL & WATERCRESS
~ From Pamela Morgan's FLAVORS, comes this tasty winter salad perfect for peak grapefruit season.
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3 medium ruby red grapefruits
2 medium bunches trimmed watercress
1 medium very thinly sliced fennel bulb
1 thinly sliced small red onion
freshly ground black pepper
  • With serrated knife, cut a thick slice from top and bottom of each grapefruit. One at a time, set the grapefruits on a cutting board and slice downward, following the curve of the fruit, removing the bitter white pit and the peel, leaving as much fruit behind as possible.Cut between segment dividers to remove the fruit sections.
  • Divide the watercress among 6 chilled salad plates. Mound the fennel and onion atop the watercress. Arrange the grapefruit segments over the salads. Lightly dress with Poppy Seed Dressing and cracked pepper.
POPPY SEED DRESSING
3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
4 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. honey
1-2 Tbsp. grated mild onion
1/4 tsp. coarse salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 cup corn oil
1 tsp. poppy seeds
Whisk together the vinegar, mustard, honey, salt & pepper. Whisk in oil in a slow, steady stream; the dressing will thicken. Stir in poppy seeds. Adjust seasonings.

3 comments:

amycaseycooks said...

Your photos are beautiful!! Our family used to vacation in Michigan every winter. Your photos remind me of those fun times. Your recipes also sound delicious.

joey said...

Thank you for visiting, EAT! You have a fun blog also and enjoyed my visit. Happy Cookin'! Do come back to Michigan for more fun times ...

Catherine said...

Beautiful snow shot's Joey!!~I'm not ready for snow yet, but it is pretty!! I love pomegranates~I drink pom juice all the time! I sent you a reply to your email you sent me this past weekend, I messed up and sent it first to your hubby's screename~the one you emailed me from...then I sent it to your sn ~sorry about that!!
Hope you are having a good week!!
Cat