Duck Breast:
6 cleaned duck breasts (make several slices in the skin), see note
1/4 cup olive oil
Pinch salt, pepper, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg
Sweet Potato Gnocchi:
2 pounds sweet potatoes
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons salt
3 eggs
Dried Cherry Jus:
4 cups duck stock or chicken stock
4 cups veal or beef stock
2 cups diced carrots, leeks, onions and celery
1/2 cup dried cherries soaked in 1/4 cup cognac
Caramelized Red Onion and Spinach Compote:
3 medium red onions
1 pound fresh cleaned spinach (stems removed)
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper, to taste
For the duck breast: Marinate duck in oil and seasoning (Michael Uricchio used Chinese Five-Spice seasoning) and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
For the gnocchi: Bake sweet potatoes until soft. Push through a ricer into a bowl (they can also be mashed). Add flour, eggs and salt and gently mix together into a dough. Add more flour if sticky. Cut into small balls about the size of a dime and dust with flour. Roll on a gnocchi board or in a wicker basket (they will be oblong in shape). Boil in salted water until they float, then run under cold water. Set aside.
For the jus: Simmer the 8 cups of stock with the vegetables, reducing until it yields about 3 cups of liquid. Strain out the vegetables and add rough-cut cherries. Simmer down to a total of 2 cups.
For the compote: In a saucepan, melt butter and oil over medium heat. Slice onions thinly and add to saucepan. Cook onions until caramelized, then add spinach leaves. Cook until spinach is limp and incorporated.
Presentation: Sear duck breasts in 1 tablespoon olive oil, skin down, until golden brown and place in 350-degree even. In another pan, heat the onion-spinach compote. When the flesh of the duck is no longer pink, pull from oven, drain any fat and add sauce and gnocchi. Turn breasts over and cook for another minute or two. Remove duck, slice and fan out on a plate with a pile of gnocchi and compote. Glaze with sauce. Serves 6.
Note: Duck breast may be purchased at Jo-Mar Provisions in The Strip, 412-471-1760.
Michael Uricchio,
executive chef of Laforet
Thursday, February 01, 2001
