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Pinot Noir Cookbook
Breast of Duck with Pinot Noir, Pears and Rosemary
by Jimmy Schmidt
In Jimmy's masterful recipe, he has balanced the sumptuous flavors of duck and foie gras with the punch of rosemary and black pepper, then added layers of sweetness with pears, parsnips and shallots to reflect the fruit in the wine. If foie gras is too rich for your blood, the recipe remains superb without it.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 4 boneless duck breasts, skinned and trimmed of all fat, about 6 or 7 ounces each
- 4 slices of foie gras, about 1/2 inch thick
- 4 small Bosc pears, cores removed with a small melon baller through the base, leaving the stems intact
- 2 cups medium shallots, peeled
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup fresh rosemary leaves
- 2 cups Pinot Noir
- 2 cups chicken stock
Mashed Parsnips
- 1 small baking potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 3 large parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2 tablespoons of rosemary oil (this will be left from frying the rosemary above)
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Salt and pepper the duck breasts and set aside, refrigerated, with the foie gras.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the pears upright in an ovenproof dish. In a small bowl, toss together the shallots and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Scatter the shallots around the pears in the dish. Pour 1 cup of the Pinot Noir over the pears and cook in the oven until very tender, about an hour. Remove the dish from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
While the pears and shallots are roasting, heat the remaining oil in a small saucepan. Add the rosemary leaves and cook until crisp, about 3 minutes. Remove the rosemary leaves and drain on paper towels. Save the infused oil for the mashed parsnips. To prepare the mashed parsnips, put the potato and parsnips in a large pot of cold water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until very tender, about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to sit for another 3 minutes. Drain the potato and parsnips in a colander. Transfer to a food processor and purée with rosemary oil until smooth. If the consistency is too thick or too lumpy, add a little cream or milk to smooth it out. Season with salt and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper, and keep warm over a pan of simmering water until you are ready to serve.
In a large saucepan, combine the remaining wine and the stock and bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Cook until it is reduced enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the roasted shallots and keep warm.
Preheat a grill or broiler. Sear the duck breasts, skin side toward the heat source, for 4 to 5 minutes. Turn over and cook until medium rare, about 3 or 4 more minutes, depending on the thickness of the breasts. While the duck breast is cooking, heat a medium, nonstick sauté pan over high heat. Season the slices of foie gras with salt and a generous amount of black pepper. Quickly sear the foie gras on one side until browned, about 2 minutes. Turn and cook on the other side for another minute. Remove to a paper towel to drain. Keep ingredients warm while you immediately start assembling the plates.
Spoon a large dollop of mashed parsnips onto the upper third of each of four dinner plates. Position one roasted pear upright next to the mashed parsnips. Cut each duck breast into 4 or 5 slices lengthwise and fan them across the plate, slightly overlapping the parsnips. Lay the foie gras next to the sliced duck breast. Spoon the shallots over the pear and foie gras, then drizzle the remaining sauce over the duck and around the plate. Sprinkle the fried rosemary leaves on top of the sauce. Garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary.
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 Jimmy Schmidt
The Rattlesnake Club
in Detroit, MI
A native Midwesterner, Jimmy Schmidt was studying electrical engineering at the University of Illinois when he was suddenly taken with a desire to travel in France. While enrolled in language courses in Avignon, he decided to enrich his cultural studies with a course in French cooking. There he learned the basic techniques, but most importantly he met his mentor, Madeleine Kamman. When she returned to Boston to open her cooking school and restaurant, he followed. Two years later, it was she who introduced the young cook to the owner of the London Chop House in Detroit. Jimmy started in the kitchen as a cook, skyrocketed through the ranks and, a few months later, at age 22, was made executive chef. While there he was named to Cook's First Annual Who's Who of Cooking in America and included in the Food & Wine Honor Roll of American Chefs.
In 1985, Jimmy opened The Rattlesnake Club in Denver, which was named the Top New Restaurant in America by Cook's and Restaurants & Institutions, and one of the Best New Restaurants by Esquire. When he returned to Detroit in 1988, to launch The Rattlesnake Club there, the accolades continued to roll in, including an Ivy Award, The Fine Dining Hall of Fame, DiRoNA awards and the Golden Plate Award. Jimmy was named Best American Chef: Midwest by The James Beard Foundation in 1993.
His restaurant group now owns several restaurants in the Detroit area--Stelline, Chianti Villa Italia and Chianti Villa Lago--and has returned to Denver with the Rattlesnake Grill, which opened in 1994.
Jimmy is the author of Cooking for All Seasons (MacMillan, 1991) and Jimmy Schmidt's Cooking Class (Detroit Free Press, 1994). He also writes a weekly column for the Detroit Free Press. He has co-authored a book with Alice Waters and Larry Forgione, Heart Healthy Cooking for All Seasons, which was published in February of 1996.
Jimmy is the head of Chefs' Collaborative 2000, a network of culinary leaders dedicated to increasing public awareness of healthier, more ecologically sound food choices. The group is currently producing a video for distribution to school children on the importance of local and seasonal food.
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