Amazing how I left to Madrid just for a few days and returned back to full flegded summer in Dubai.. Time is flying and particularily on this busy Sunday where unfortunately I have no time to get home and cooking as I'm running from one meeting to another.. So I'm leaving you with one of the recipes from Dalia's Delights featured in BBC Good Food ME Feb issue.. People don't cook Polenta enough, which is such a nice change from the usual side dishes.. Absolutely divine ;)
Medium difficulty. Prep & Cook Time: 1 hour.
Serves 2
- 2 duck breasts
- 50g of quick cooking polenta with truffles (you can use plain polenta)
- 200ml milk
- 200ml water
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Truffle oil
- For the sauce
- 75g of de-seeded cherries
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp honey
- 50ml chicken stock
- 50ml red wine
- A small knob of butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 200C. In a small saucepan, heat a little nut oil, and add the cherries, balsamic vinegar, honey and cook for a few minutes on med – high heat. Deglaze with wine, let it cook for another few minutes, then add the stock and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Pass the sauce through a sieve, return to the saucer, season with salt and pepper, and let it simmer on low heat for 10 - 15 minutes.
In the mean time, slice small incisions in the skin of the duck breasts, and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat a pan on med - high heat and place the duck breasts skin side down, browning them for about 2 minutes on each side. Now place the duck breasts in the oven for about 6 - 7 minutes, (skin side up).
To make the polenta, bring the milk and water to a boil, add the polenta, reduce the heat and stir continuously for 10 minutes. The polenta will thicken rapidly, so make sure to season with salt and pepper early on. Once it has reached a thick consistency, you can start plating the dish.
Start with the polenta, then place one duck breast on each plate, and drizzle with the cherry sauce. Bon Appétit!
