While in Tuscany this summer, my husband and I were lucky enough to take a remarkable wine tour with Guido Bandinelli of Guido’s Tours (http://www.guidos-tours.it/about.html). A truly unforgettable experience, our tour with Guido (an accomplished sommelier and connoisseur of the area and all of its delights) focused on Chianti’s of the area. The Chianti area of Italy lies between Siena and Florence and to us, was one of the most breathtaking regions of the country. Chianti is a fruity red wine that is considered strong and bold; interestingly enough it is said to not be a sipping wine—not meaning that it isn’t tasty on its own—but each sip of Chianti really shines when paired with just the right foods. It is said that Chianti goes very well with well-seasoned foods and the wine itself when tasted contains hints of vanilla, berries, plums, cherries, almonds, tobacco and coffee. Needless to say, we were easily convinced to buy a few bottles of Chianti after we completed our wonderful day of sampling with Guido.
Katie Caldesi’s Cook Italy
Chianti’s popularity in the United States began with the introduction of basket-encased bottles that we are all familiar with in your local Italian restaurant. The bottles that after consumed double as a lovely candle holder on each table. All jokes aside, with the presence of cherries in the wine’s makeup, it was no surprise to me to come across this recipe for ‘Duck with Cherries in Chianti’ (or Anatra al Chianti con Ciliegie) in one of my favorite Italian cookbooks, Cook Italy by Katie Caldesi. With an emphasis on classic flavors and classic cooking techniques, this dish is restaurant-caliber food meets rustic Italian home-style cooking. Simply a reduced sauce of halved cherries, orange juice, sugar and red wine served over a perfectly seared duck breast. This is truly a dish that took us right back to our time in this unique area of Italy.
A combination of cherries, orange juice & sugar
Searing the halved duck breasts
(To view Katie Caldesi’s recipe from Cook Italy, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
‘Duck with Cherries in Chianti’
Ingredients:
- 4 duck breast halves, skin on
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For the sauce:
- 1 lb. cherries, halved and pitted
- 2/3 cup orange juice
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups red wine, such as Chianti
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- To make the sauce, put the cherries in an ovenproof dish, pour in the orange juice, then sprinkle with half the sugar. Transfer the dish to the oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until the cherries have softened and browned a little. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Meanwhile, pour the wine into a saucepan with the remaining sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and leave to simmer for about 30 minutes to allow it to reduce to about one third of its volume (you want about 2/3 cup).
- Season the duck breasts with salt and pepper. Heat a non-stick frying pan and, when hot, cook the breasts, skin-side down, for about 6 minutes, then turn them over and cook for another 4 minutes. This will give you medium-rare meat. If you prefer well done, transfer the duck breasts to a baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 10-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, pour the cherries and the wine into a large frying pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and leave for around 5 minutes or until the sauce has reduced and thickened.
- Slice the duck breasts and arrange them on warmed serving dishes. Pour the sauce over the top and serve with plenty of creamy polenta or mashed potatoes.
Tagged: Cherries, Chianti, Cook Italy, duck, duck breasts, Italian, Italy, Katie Caldesi, orange juice, red wine, seared duck, sugar
I live in a working class area of Pa and duck is really hard to find. I called stores, butchers, and the farmer’s market. No luck! I decided to use boneless skin on chicken thighs. It turned out AMAZING. Served with herbed mashed potatoes and green beans. It was great use of a half of bottle of Chianti that I had left over. The sauce is so rich and not too sweet. This rocked!
Wow Karen! Sounds delish with with chicken thighs as well. I bet bone-in pork chops would also be grand… Chianti can’t go wrong, am I right? 😉