Creamy Peppercorn Duck Breast with Vegetable & Herb Quinoa

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 duck breast
4 tsp. white peppercorns
2 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp. minced garlic
3 tbsp. Ty Caton Vineyards Herbes de Provence Olive Oil
1/4 of a small red onion – diced
1/2 cup zucchini – diced
Quinoa – made to directions
Salt and Pepper

The Duck

In order to get the most flavor out of your duck breasts, it is important not to remove the skin or fat from the duck before cooking and instead, to score the skin of the duck breasts with a very sharp knife. Be careful while doing this not to cut into the meat below, although do not worry if you scratch it a little by accident. If you do cut heavily into the meat, it will not only drain the fat from under the skin but could also drain the juices from the meat and you may end up with an overly dry and crispy duck breast.

Once you have scored the duck, lightly salt and pepper it on both sides and place in your pan/skillet, skin side down. A large dry heavy pan with a lid is best – dry because once heated, the duck will produce enough fat to cook in, you do not need any additional butter or olive oil in your pan.

Cook on one side over medium heat for around 5 to 10 minutes or until browned. Flip onto other side and cook for around 3 minutes. Flip one more time and cook another 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and place to one side.

Note: These directions are for medium rare which is recommended for optimal flavor. Duck meat, unlike chicken, is safe to cook in this way and should be cooked looking for a similar result to how you would enjoy a steak.

The Sauce

We are then going to use the duck fat left in the pan to make the sauce, although you probably need to pour some off and leave yourself with just a couple of tablespoons of the fat in the pan. Add 2 tbsp. Herbes de Provence Olive Oil and the 4 tsp. white peppercorns and cover. Continue to cook on a medium heat until the peppercorns pop. If you have never heated peppercorns, beware, they really do pop which is why we cover the pan. Once they have mostly popped, add the minced garlic and cook for around 30 seconds to 1 minute depending on how finely you have chopped it – the finer it is chopped, the quicker it will burn.

Add the cream and stir consistently. Do not let the mixture boil or start to froth. Keep stirring until the mixture reduces and starts to thicken.

The Quinoa

After cooking the quinoa to directions, simply add the chopped onion and zucchini along with a tbsp. of Herbes de Provence Olive Oil and mix well.

Serve with a delicious glass of our Estate Tytanium and enjoy!