Recipe Book/Europe/Italy/

 

One of a selection of seasonal Gabbiano recipes from Giancarlo & Katie Caldesi:

Duck with Cherries in Gabbiano Chianti

Katie Caldesi says: "This combination of gamey meat and sweet, slightly sticky cherries is heavenly. This is a dish we developed for a banquet to be served at the beautiful Castello di Gabbiano just south of Florence. Italian cherries were just in season so we dowsed them in the Castello's Chianti DOCG and served this as a sauce with locally caught duck."

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 duck breasts
400g cherries
50g sugar
150ml orange juice
500ml Gabbiano Chianti DOCG (reduces to 150ml in around half an hour)
50g sugar

Method:

Pre heat the oven to 180°C. Cut the cherries in half and remove the stones. Put them into an ovenproof dish and pour over the orange juice then sprinkle over the sugar. Put the dish into the oven and bake for 25 minutes or so until the cherries have softened and browned a little. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Meanwhile pour the Gabbiano Chianti wine into a saucepan with the sugar and bring to the boil. Turn it down to a simmer and leave for around half an hour so that it reduces to around a third of its volume.

Season the duck breasts with salt and pepper and fry in hot oil in a frying pan. Fry skin side down first and then turn them over, around ten minutes in total. Put them onto a baking tray and place into the oven for around ten to fifteen minutes or until done. Meanwhile pour the cherries and the wine into a large frying pan over a high heat and bring to the boil. Turn down to a simmer and reduce for around five minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened. Slice the duck breasts and arrange on a warmed serving dish. Pour over the sauce and serve with plenty of creamy mashed potato.