SEARED DUCK BREASTS WITH ENDIVE CHOUCROUTE

Seared Duck Breasts with Endive Choucroute image

Yield serves 4

Number Of Ingredients 15

Choucroute
3 slices thick bacon, cut into 1/2-inch-wide pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or duck fat
1 small yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
3 large heads Belgian endive, sliced crosswise about 1/4 inch wide (discard the cores)
1 tart green apple, such as Granny Smith or Pippin, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/2 cup Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 juniper berries, lightly smashed
1 teaspoon honey
Kosher salt
Duck Breasts
4 boneless duck breasts, 6 to 8 ounces each
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil or duck fat

Steps:

For the choucroute: Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the bacon and blanch for about 15 seconds to remove some of the smoky taste. Drain.
Heat a 3-quart saucepan over high heat. Add the vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion and endive and sauté until they wilt slightly, about 10 minutes. Add the blanched bacon, apple, wine, vinegar, juniper berries, honey, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Do not let the mixture cook dry; it should be moist. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Keep warm.
For the duck breasts: With a sharp chef's knife held horizontally, shave about half of the skin and surface fat from the duck breasts and discard, leaving some skin and a thin layer of fat to lubricate the meat as it cooks. Season the breasts on both sides with salt and pepper.
Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add the duck breasts, skin side down. Sear until crisp and browned, about 2 1/2 minutes, then turn with tongs and cook on the flesh side, basting a few times with drippings, until medium-rare, about 3 1/2 minutes longer. Let rest for 5 minutes before carving.
Slice the duck breasts on the diagonal about 1/4 inch thick. Divide the choucroute among 4 dinner plates and arrange a sliced duck breast on each plate. Serve immediately.
Enjoy with Cakebread Cellars Anderson Valley Pinot Noir or another young Pinot Noir with concentrated flavor.