Put pizzazz into your autumn entertaining and treat your guests to this duck, spinach and goat cheese salad with blueberry sauce.
It could serve as a starter for an elegant dinner or as a fancy luncheon dish.
Duck and Spinach Salad
500 ml (2 cups) frozen wild blueberries
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
30 ml (2 tbsp) brown sugar
10 ml (2 tsp) olive oil
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175 ml (3/4 cup) red wine
30 ml (2 tbsp) red wine vinegar
2 ml (1/2 tsp) each salt and pepper
15 ml (1 tbsp) grated lemon rind
4 duck breasts
30 ml (2 tbsp) butter
1.5 l (6 cups) baby spinach or other dark greens
125 g (4 oz) goat cheese, sliced
Sauce: In a skillet, saute garlic and onion in olive oil. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add wine, vinegar and brown sugar and reduce sauce by one-third. Add wild blueberries and lemon rind and cook for a few minutes to blend flavours, then let rest. Season with salt and pepper.
For duck: Wash duck breasts, dab dry and season to taste with salt and pepper. In a pan, heat butter; saute duck breasts for about 4 minutes per side or until done. Remove from pan, wrap in aluminum foil and keep warm.
Wash spinach and spin dry. Slice duck breasts and layer with spinach and goat cheese. Drizzle with hot wild blueberry dressing and serve with a baguette.
Makes 4 servings.
Source: Wild Blueberry Association of North America.
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