SWEET TOMATO- GLAZED DUCK BREASTS
GREEKS MAKE spoon sweets, essentially syrup preserves, from almost every seasonal fruit, some whole nuts, and a few vegetables. Tomataki glyko, as this sweet is called in Greek, is a preserve of small, usually whole tomatoes. It makes a great and unusual glaze, coupled with some newer additions to the Greek kitchen, such as ginger. The glazed duck goes very well with mashed potatoes.
- 1 cup Greek tomato spoon sweet
- 1⁄2 cup dry white wine
- 1⁄2 cup strained fresh orange juice
- 3 rose geranium leaves or
- 4 fresh sage leaves
- 2 teaspoons fi nely chopped fresh ginger
- 1 (2 × 1⁄2- inch) piece lemon zest
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1⁄2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Salt
- 4 whole boneless duck breasts, with skin, cut in half
Instructions:
- Strain the tomato spoon sweet. Reserve the syrup and purée the tomato in a food pro cessor until smooth. Place the puréed tomato, syrup, wine, orange juice, rose geranium, ginger, and lemon zest in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until the mixture is reduced to 11⁄2 cups. Add 1 scant teaspoon black pepper, the red pepper fl akes, and a pinch of salt.
- With a sharp paring knife, score the skin of each duck breast in a crisscross fashion. Season the breasts with salt and pepper and brush on both sides with a little of the glaze. Place in a shallow pan or baking dish, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours.
- Set the remaining glaze aside, covered.
- Heat the grill to medium- hot. Remove the duck from the refrigerator, allow to stand for 30 minutes or until at room temperature, then place skin side down on the grill. Grill for 1 to 2 minutes, just to caramelize the surface.
- Use a water sprayer to extinguish any flames that fl are up from the duck fat drippings. Remove the breasts from the grill and transfer, skin side down, to a shallow pan. Place back on the grill rack, close the lid, and smoke the duck for 8 to 10 minutes for rare, 10 to 12 minutes for medium.
- Open the lid and brush occasionally with the glaze as you do this.
- Remove the duck and let rest a few minutes, covered with an aluminum foil tent to keep warm. Slice into thin diagonal pieces and serve with the extra glaze on the side as a dipping sauce.
- NOTE: Tomato spoon sweet can be found in Greek and Middle Eastern food shops. You can substitute with orange spoon sweet or orange marmalade