Farmer’s Weekly – 23 August 2019

DAVIDBASCKIN

WINEOFTHEWEEK

This exceptional meal deservesa specialoccasion.

Simple to make and relativelyeasyto shopfor,it’s

a high-end dish that givesthewelcomeimpression

of a lotmoreworkthanit actuallyrequires.

Whatmakesa

trulymemorable

meal?Thefinest

ingredients

cookedwithlove

andattention,

specialguests,a

beautifulsetting,

and,ofcourse,

theperfect

drinkspairing.

Allthoseboxes

wereticked

whenI testedthisrecipeandthe

pairingsinSataraintheKruger

NationalParkwithmyfamily,

sittingaroundthefire,whereI’m

surethatduckbreastsarenot

oftencookedona skottelbraai.

Duckmeat,andparticularlythe

breast,is verytastywhencooked

properly;it is darkerandmore

intensethanotherpoultry,andis

fullofrichflavour.Inthisrecipe,

theonionsaucetoppedit offwith

textureandsomesweetness.

Thewineselectionwason

thelargeside,witheveryone

beingonholiday,butthechoice

ofwinnerwasunanimous.

Thewineneededtohavebody,

fruit,someintensitywithfresh

acidityandlighttannin,and

allcametogetherperfectlyin

theVriesenhofGrenache.It’s

a winewithlotsofredcurrant,

strawberryandsourcherry

notes,anditssavouryfinishand

fresh,mediumbodybalanced

thedishtoperfectionand

roundedoffthechecklist.

LeeuwenkuilFamilyVineyards

GrenacheNoiris another

deliciousoption.It wasalsowell

suitedtothissetting,withleonine

roarsinthedistance.Santé!

• Winepairingrecommendation
  byCapeWineMasterDerek
  Ramsden.Emailhimat
  [email protected].▪FW

1

With the point of a very

sharp knife, score the fat

side of the breasts in a criss-cross

pattern without cutting into the

flesh. Salt both sides, then place

the breasts skin-side down in

a heavy-based frying pan over

medium-low heat. Sweat them

under careful surveillance for 12

minutes or so, by which time the

skin will be dark-brown and most

of the fat rendered. Flip them,

rev up the heat to medium-high,

and cook for seven minutes to producethedesirablemedium-rare

outcome. Remove them and keep uncoveredinanovenat 90 ºC.

2

Meanwhile, back at the hob, pouroffthefatandreserveit for

another day and another meal.Measure45mloftheduckfat

and return this to the frying pan atmediumheat.Addthethinly

sliced and chopped onion plus themincedgarlictotheduckfat

and let these cook for five minutesorso,stirringfromtimeto

time to avoid adhesion, by which timetheonionsshouldbesoft

and translucent. Sprinkle in two tablespoonsoffreshlychopped

thyme, a quarter teaspoon of freshlygroundblackpepper,half

a teaspoon of salt, the wine, the vinegarandthehoney.

3

Lower the heat to medium-lowand,whilestirring,letthe

sauce thicken until almost evaporated.

4

Retrieve the duck breasts fromtheovenandarrangethemon

a surface that can collect the juices.Carveintoslices10mm

thick. Pour the post-carving juicesbackintothefryingpanat

medium-low heat and reduce whilestirring,untilthesauceis well

thickened. Fine-tune the flavour withsmalladditionsofredwine

vinegar or honey to achieve the sweet-sourbalanceyouprefer.

5

Dish up immediately on warmedplateswiththe

duck slices adjacent to a servingofthefryingpan

contents and, as an optional extra,buttery,mashedsweet

potatoes. Garnish with rinsed thymeleaves.

• David Basckin is a freelance journalistandvideographer.Emailhim
  at [email protected]. Subjectline:Realcooking.▪FW

A PERFECT

PAIRING IN

A SUBLIME

SETTING

23 AUGUST 2019 farmer’sweekly 49

To make these duck

breasts for four diners,

you will need:

1kg duck breasts

200g chopped onions

4 cloves of garlic

1 bunch of fresh thyme

Salt and coarsely ground

black pepper

90ml dry red wine

45ml red wine vinegar

30ml honey

500g sweet potato mash