Stuffed Duck Breast With Walnut Dried Cherries And Goat Cheese Recipes

COUNTRY BREAD STUFFING WITH SMOKED HAM, GOAT CHEESE, AND DRIED CHERRIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Place cherries in bowl; cover with boiling water. Let stand until soft, about 15 minutes. Drain.
• Cut bottom crust and short ends off bread; discard. Cut remaining bread with crust into 1-inch cubes (10 cups loosely packed). Place in large bowl. Add oil, thyme, and garlic; toss. Spread out on large rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until golden and slightly crunchy, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Return to same large bowl.
• Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add next 4 ingredients. sauté until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Mix in parsley and cherries. DO AHEAD Bread cubes and vegetable mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately. Store bread at room temperature. Chill vegetables.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish. Stir vegetables and nuts into bread cubes. Add hot broth, tossing to coat. Mix in cheese. Transfer to dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down. Bake until heated through, about 25 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is brown, about 25 minutes longer, and serve.

STUFFED AND SEARED DUCK BREASTS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Use a sharp knife to slice into each duck breast half at thickest part to create a pocket the entire length of breast, being sure not to poke through the other end (If you'd like, score the skin as shown in the photo. Scoring renders the fat more thoroughly and keeps the skin from warping and sticking in the pan). In a bowl, mix together the garlic, fennel seeds, rosemary, Parmesan and olive oil until paste-like. Use your fingers to push herb mixture into each duck breast, filling pocket as much as possible. Sprinkle breasts with salt and pepper.
• Heat heavy, large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add duck breasts skin side down and cook until nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Turn meat and transfer skillet to oven; roast 10 to 15 minutes for medium-rare. (An instant-read thermometer inserted into meat should read about 125 degrees.)
• Remove duck to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes. Carve on the bias into 1/2-inch pieces; serve with pan juices.

GOAT CHEESE, CHERRY, AND WALNUT STUFFED DUCK BREAST WITH A CHAMPAGNE GLAZE

Steps:

• Carefully cut a pocket into the duck breast lengthwise being careful not to cut all the way through. Combine the vinegar, melted butter, and olive oil, with a little salt and pepper in a bowl, with duck breast, and marinate for at least 8 hours, refrigerated. When ready to grill, remove breast from marinade. Macerate the dried cherries in 1 cup of the Champagne for 10 minutes. Pour the rest of the champagne in a saucepan and simmer, until reduced to 1 cup; set aside and let cool. In a small mixing bowl, mix together the goat cheese, macerated cherries, and walnuts until well combined. Stuff each duck break with the mixture and seal with a toothpick.
• When the Champagne has cooled to room temperature, stir in the sugar. Before the sugar begins to dissolve, brush the mixture onto the duck breast and place on a preheated grill. Grill 3 minutes on 1 side; then turn 45 degrees to create nice grill mark crosshatches. Continue to brush the duck breasts with the glaze while cooking. Flip the breast and cook on the other side, until cooked through, slightly pink inside. In the last seconds of grilling, place the breast on the hottest part of the grill for 8 to 12 seconds to sear. Plate and serve immediately.
• Serve with roasted root vegetables like cubed butternut squash, acorn squash, and parsnips, or maple syrup whipped sweet potatoes.

GOAT CHEESE SALAD WITH PANCETTA, DRIED CHERRY AND PORT DRESSING

Steps:

• Combine cherries and Port in heavy small saucepan. Bring to simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat; let stand until cherries swell, about 15 minutes. Sauté pancetta in heavy large skillet over medium-low heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Add shallots and garlic; cook 2 minutes. Add oil, then vinegar and sugar; stir until sugar dissolves. Stir in cherry mixture. Season with salt and pepper. (Dressing can be made 2 hours ahead. Set aside in skillet at room temperature.)
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Place goat cheese slices on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until warm, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine salad greens and pine nuts in bowl. Rewarm dressing and pour over salad; toss to blend. Top with warm goat cheese and serve.

BALSAMIC GOAT CHEESE STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir shallot until translucent, about 5 minutes. Pour balsamic vinegar into skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until balsamic vinegar mixture is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Stir often.
• Cut chicken breasts from one side through the middle horizontally to within one-half inch of the other side. Open the two sides and spread them out like an open book.
• Spread half the goat cheese onto one half of each chicken breast and drizzle 1/3 of the reduced balsamic vinegar mixture over the goat cheese. Close the chicken breasts over the goat cheese and secure with toothpicks. Arrange chicken into a baking dish. Drizzle with remaining 1/3 of the balsamic reduction.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the chicken is no longer pink inside, the filling is hot, and the juices run clear, 30 to 35 minutes. An instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the center of a filled breast should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

CHICKEN BREASTS STUFFED WITH GOAT CHEESE AND PUMPKIN WALNUT PEST

Steps:

• Pumpkin Walnut Pesto: In food processor; pulse walnuts until ground; add oil, sage, Parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes; pulse until combined. Add pumpkin purée; pulse until combined.
• Stuffed Chicken Breasts: Preheat oven to 400°F Fold Pumpkin Walnut Pesto into goat cheese.
• Slice each chicken breast in half lengthwise through center, keeping edge intact to open like a book. Season all over with salt and pepper. Stuff evenly with goat cheese and pesto mixture. Secure with toothpicks.
• Heat oil in large ovenproof skillet set over medium-high heat; cook chicken for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until golden brown.
• Transfer to oven; bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and instant-read thermometer registers internal temperature of 165°F Let stand for 10 minutes; remove toothpicks before serving. To serve, slice diagonally.
• Tip: Using skin-on chicken breasts keeps the chicken moist and tender. Serve with roasted potatoes and roasted or steamed vegetables.

STUFFED DUCKLING

Steps:

• In a large skillet, saute onion in butter until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the bread cubes, rice, basil, rosemary, sage, parsley flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Add the raisins, pecans and enough broth to moisten; toss gently., Sprinkle duck cavity with remaining salt. Lightly stuff bread mixture into duck. Place breast side up on a rack in shallow roasting pan. Prick skin well with a fork., Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 1-3/4 to 2 hours or until a thermometer reads 180° for duck and 165° for stuffing. Drain fat as it accumulates during roasting. Cover duck with foil and let stand for 20 minutes before removing stuffing and carving.

CHICKEN BREASTS STUFFED WITH DRIED FRUIT AND GOAT CHEESE RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Heat butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until soft and lightly browned 5-6 minutes. Set aside and cool. Put dates and apricots in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add parsley, thyme and reserved onions; pulse briefly to combine. Transfer to a small bowl, gently fold in the goat cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set chicken breasts on cutting board. Use a thin, sharp knife to slice a pocket in the thicker side of each chicken breast, not cutting all the way through. Stuff the breasts, spreading and stuffing evenly. Wrap 1 strip of bacon crosswise around ech chicken breast. Tie with kitchen string in a few places, being sure to secure the bacon. Season with salt and pepper. Divide oil between 2 large skillets and heat over medium-high heat. When pans are hot, put 2 chicken breasts in each skillet (or use 1 skillet and cook in batches). Sear until nicely browned, 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a baking sheet. Bake until chicken is cooked through, 12-15 minutes, turning breast over about halfway through baking time. Remove chicken from the oven, cut off the string and serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.