Recipes

• 4 10-12 duck breasts, skin on (if you come across a bigger breast 16-17 oz., it’s still okay, just get two)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp. garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp. pink peppercorn
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

• 2 pears
• 3 cups Moscato wine
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 whole cloves

• 1 pear

1. Mix all ingredients together. Don’t worry if you cannot find the pink peppercorn, do without it. Marinate the duck breasts in marinade at least overnight. It could actually be left for 2-3 days with no problem. Discard the marinade when you are ready to grill.
2. Grill the meat to your own liking. I suggest keeping it to a medium rare temperature.
3. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing. This would help retain the moisture and flavor, and maintain a more even temperature throughout.




FOR THE POACHED PEARS

4. Peel the pears. Put them in a small pot. Cover with the wine, sugar and spices. Put the pot on the stove and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer just until tender. Do not over do! Let cool.
5. Remove the pears from the cooking liquid. It will be used as the sauce for the duck breasts. Cut the pears in half and fan them. Keep on the side until ready to serve.
6. Put the cooking liquid back on the stove and let reduce to a more syrupy consistency.
7. Preheat over to 200ºF. Place lightly-sprayed parchment paper on baking sheet.
8. Wash pears. Do not remove peel. Cut off the bottom of the pears and slice about 1/8-inch thick on a slicer or a mandoline. Lay the pear slices on the sheet tray without them touching each other. Bake for 1 hour. They will begin to color and start drying out. Let cool before storing in a container.




FOR THE PRESENTATION

9. When the meat is ready, display fanned pear on plate. Next to it, place the duck, also fanned, and drizzle the moscato syrup over all. Garnish with 2-3 slices of pear chips and serve with some butternut squash if you wish.

Fowl is very common in the Veneto region. Depending on the season, different fowl are more readily available. Hen, pigeon, and duck are frequently used on fall and winter menus; chicken is pretty much eaten year-round. Here, I have complemented the duck with a sweet Moscato wine and poached pears. This is so tasty and makes for a beautiful presentation. We would make this for a very special holiday.

This process might take a while so you could prepare the chips far ahead of time. They will last a few days if kept in an airtight container.

If you don’t have a grill, you could sear the duck in a pan, skin down first, to make it crispy. Then turn to the other side and finish it in the over, at 450ºF for about 10 minutes.