Gluten Free Duck Breast with Cherry Balsamic Sauce & Dried Cherry Rice Pilaf

Gluten Free Duck Breast with Cherry Balsamic Sauce & Dried Cherry Rice Pilaf Recipe

It all started when I had a few minutes to kill before heading out of the house for an appointment. I flicked on the T.V. (which is almost always set for the Food Network) and on came Rachael Ray whipping up a romantic dinner for two in 30 minutes. She was making duck.

My husband loves duck and I have on two occasions roasted him duck out of love and devotion. I can vividly recall both times with the same clarity as one would recall a similarly pleasant experience like, say, an I.R.S. tax audit.

There was a lot of pricking of duck skin involved. Out of a three pound duck there was approximately 8 quarts of fat expelled, my oven caught on fire (not that unusual of an occurrence in my house unfortunately, but STILL!) and I spent about an hour and a half preparing a very complex sauce. It also cost me a small fortune as I had to purchase costly ingredients that I never found other uses for. I don’t have the recipe anymore; I think I burned it in the inferno my oven became.

So I was intrigued by Ms. Ray’s method – duck breasts cooked stove top. That sounded doable. And as the hubby’s and my anniversary was coming up, I decided to give it a test run while he was still out of town (just in case I lit my stove top on fire).

I found her method easy but the breasts came out just a touch overdone. So I reduced the cooking time by a couple minutes and voilà! Perfectly cooked duck in under 30 minutes (sorry, couldn’t resist). The orange sauce she made didn’t sound appealing so I concocted an insanely easy cherry balsamic sauce (so good!) and I even whipped up a wonderful dried cherry rice pilaf to go along with it.

For the rice pilaf just make two servings of whatever rice you like – I used instant (don’t judge me!). Substitute gluten free chicken stock for the water and add a handful of chopped dried cherries in with the chicken stock as you bring it to a boil. Cook rice per directions but omit salt until after it is all cooked then add for taste. The chicken stock will have some salt in it. Toast up a handful of slivered almonds in a dry pan for about 2 -3 minutes until toasty and light brown. Add the toasted almonds to the rice after it is cooked and fluff with a fork.

This Gluten Free Duck Breast with Cherry Balsamic Sauce & Dried Cherry Rice Pilaf Recipe is definitely a meal to share with someone you love and you will even have energy to prove that love after making it!

5 from 1 vote
Gluten Free Duck Breast with Cherry Balsamic Sauce & Dried Cherry Rice Pilaf
Print Recipe

Gluten Free Duck Breast with Cherry Balsamic Sauce & Dried Cherry Rice Pilaf Recipe

Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time35 mins
Total Time40 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 2 Servings
Calories: 565kcal
Author: Gluten Free & More

Ingredients

  • 2 duck breasts
  • 2 tablespoons butter – use divided
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 1 (15 ounce) can Bing cherries in syrup
  • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar

Instructions

  • Rub a cold skillet with 1 tablespoon of cold butter. Lightly score the duck breasts through the skin only in a cross-hatch pattern. Season breasts with salt and pepper on both sides and place in cold skillet, skin sides down. Turn heat to medium/medium-high and cook until crispy, about 13 minutes. Drain off most of the fat and discard. Turn breasts over and cook for another 2 minutes.
  • While breasts are cooking, put the cherries and their juices into a sauce pan and add the balsamic vinegar, a small pinch of salt and a large pinch of pepper. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the juices have reduced down to an almost syrup-like consistency and the cherries are starting to break apart. About 15 minutes. Take off heat and stir in 1 tablespoon of cold butter to finish the sauce. Serve sauce with duck breast and rice pilaf.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Gluten Free Duck Breast with Cherry Balsamic Sauce & Dried Cherry Rice Pilaf Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 565 Calories from Fat 189
% Daily Value*
Fat 21g32%
Saturated Fat 10g50%
Cholesterol 204mg68%
Sodium 250mg10%
Potassium 843mg24%
Carbohydrates 46g15%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 46g92%
Vitamin A 2015IU40%
Vitamin C 18.2mg22%
Calcium 37mg4%
Iron 13.2mg73%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owner’s. This blog accepts free manufacturers’ samples and forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation. Affiliate links may be included in this post.

Disclaimer: All nutrition facts on Gluten Free & More are meant only as a guide and may differ depending on product brands used or ingredient substitutions. Some errors may occur, so you are encouraged to confirm the recipe’s ingredient and nutrition suitability for your own diet.
Have you tried this recipe? Give it a star rating and let us know your thoughts in the Ratings & Reviews section below.
Tags: Anniversary Balsamic Cherries Dinner Duck Rice
0 shares
Previous Post

Gluten Free Minted Pea Soup Recipe

Next Post

Gluten Free Tuscan Chicken and White Beans Recipe

  1. Peter G
    February 20, 2008

    Hey Carol! I’m not a big fan of duck myself, but that looks like a great dish. A great combination with the cherries and balsamic!

  2. Mansi Desai
    February 21, 2008

    Duck seems to be a favorite for quite a few pwople! hope you had a romantic dinner Carol:) looks great!

  3. Pingback: Arctic Sunset Cocktail | Recipe | Simply Gluten Free

  4. Pingback: Gluten Free Strawberry Marscapone Pizzas | Gluten Free Recipes

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Enter your Email below to recieve a free Ebook!