Choucroute and Duck Breast

Choucroute

Courtesy of Arthur Wall, executive chef for The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards in Livermore

2 ounces duck fat

2 onions, thinly sliced

2 ounces bacon, thinly sliced

1 medium white cabbage, thinly sliced

12 juniper berries, chopped

20 black peppercorns, ground

1 sprig of thyme, chopped

1 bottle white wine

Heat duck fat in a sauté pan and cook onions and bacon over medium heat until onions are soft. Add spices. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil and plunge the cabbage into it, removing and draining right away. Add it to onions and cook for 2 minutes. Add wine and stir. Cover pot and simmer for 1½ hours. Season with salt and serve. Serves 4.

Duck Breast

Courtesy of Arthur Wall, executive chef for The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards in Livermore

Take a sharp knife and score the skin of the duck breast with three cuts each way across, creating a criss-cross pattern. Be sure to not go all the way through the skin to the meat. The purpose of the scoring is to expose the fat to help with rendering. Season with salt and pepper.

Render the duck breast skin side down in a sauté pan on medium heat, draining off excess fat into a receptacle every 5 minutes to discard later. After 20 minutes, the fat cap should be mostly removed, leaving a crispy skin. Flip the breast over to the underside and finish cooking for about 5 minutes. Let the breast rest in a warm place for 5 more minutes and slice.