Seared Duck Breasts with Endive Choucroute

Name: Seared Duck Breasts with Endive Choucroute
Yield: serves 4
Ingredients: 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; 4 boneless duck breasts, 6 to 8 ounces each; Freshly ground black pepper; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or duck fat

December 22, 2011

The plump and pristine Belgian endive from California Vegetable Specialties (see page 91) always impresses the Workshop chefs, and they come up with some novel uses for it. Chef James Boyce, a 2008 participant, made “choucroute” with the sliced endive, braising it with onion, bacon, and apples as if it were cabbage. He paired it with seared duck breasts, but you could serve it with a pork chop and boiled potatoes instead.

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