- 2 Pekin Duck breasts
- 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- big pinch dried thyme
- big pinch dried sage
- 1 tablespoon diced shallot
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon Better Than Bouillon Reduced Sodium Organic Roasted Chicken Base
- ½ ounce dried morel mushrooms
- ½ cup red wine
Score the duck breast skin lightly in a diamond pattern. Season duck breasts on both sides with salt and pepper and set aside.
Put the morels in a strainer and rinse throroughly under the tap. Place the mrels in a small bowl and pour 1 cup of boiling water over them. Allow to soak at least 30 minutes.
Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When hot add the duck breasts skin side down. Reduce heat to medium. Cook skin side down for five minutes. Flip breasts to other side and cook another 4 minutes. Check temperature with an instant read meat thermometer. The breasts are ready when they reach 130°(medium rare). Transfer the breasts to a cutting board and moosely top with aluminum foil. Let rest.
Pour rendered duck fat into a Pyrex custard cup (these are incredibly handy things). Put the skillet back over medium heat. Add 2 teaspoons duck fat. When pan is hot add the shiitakes, season with dried herbs, salt, and pepper, and sauté for 3 minutes. Add shallots and sauté 1 minute. Add garlic and sauté an additional minute.
Carefully pour off ½ cup of the mushroom liquid into another Pyrex cup, avoiding any sediment on the bottom of the bowl. Drain the morels in the strainer, rinse them thoroughly, and add them to the pan.
Sprinkle the mushroom mixture with a couple of shakes of Wondra flour.
Deglaze the pan with the red wine. Add mushroom liquid and bouillon base. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and cook 1 minute or until it slightly thickens.
Slice the duck breasts thickly, fan out on the plate, and top with the mushroom sauce.
- 1 ½ cup water
- ⅓ cup red rice
- ⅓ cup black rice
- ⅓ cup wild rice blend
- 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed and cut into bite size pieces
- 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon Reduced Sodium Organic Vegetable Base
- teaspoon kosher salt
- pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian parsley
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- big pinch onion powder
- big pinch garlic powder
Just before you start cooking the duck, combine all ingredients in a 4 quart multicooker. Set to pressure cooker for 16 minutes on high. Allow to naturally release until the duck is ready. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if necessary.
We drank a Flowers Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast) 2020, which made a lovely match. Earthy notes of dried currants, black cherries, and tea echoed many of the flavors in the sauce and rice. It also worked well with the gaminess of the duck.
