The Diacono name is synonymous with good food; some of the most popular kitchens are run by Diaconos from two generations, but what makes Giuseppi’s Bar & Bistro particular is that the front of house, as well as the kitchen, are led by uncle and nephew. Duck breast recipe with fesenjun & poached pears by Michael Diacono.
Read the full article here: EatingOut: Giuseppi’s Bar & Bistro
Serves 4
Ingredients
4X 200g duck breast
Salt
Pepper
For the Poached pears
500ml cooking red wine
2 pears
100g sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
For the Fesenjun sauce
200g shelled walnuts
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tblspn tomato paste
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
250ml pomegranate juice
55g sugar
1 bay leave
400 ml vegetable or chicken stock
Juice of ½ lemon
Method
Preheat the oven to 180c
For the sauce
Roast the walnuts on a baking tray for 5-10 minutes until golden brown. Set aside & cool. Pulse the cooled nuts in a food processor until coarsely ground.
Heat the oil in a large, heavy based saucepan over a low heat. Add the onion & fry gently until soft & translucent. Stir in the spices & tomato paste & fry for about 2 minutes. Add the walnuts to the pan with the pomegranate molasses & juice, sugar, bay leaf & stock. Bring to the boil, add the salt, lower the heat & simmer gently for 1 hour, stirring regularly, until rich, thick & a little oily.
For the Poached pears
Put all the ingredients in a heavy-based saucepan, bring to a boil & simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the pears are soft but firm.
Meanwhile, score the duck skin in a criss-cross pattern with a sharp knife & season generously with salt & pepper. Put the breasts, skin side down In a cold saucepan, turn up the heat & cook until skin is golden brown. Turn & cook for further 3 minutes. Finish off the duck breast in the oven for 6-7 minutes.
When ready to serve, add the lemon juice to the sauce, then taste & adjust the seasoning to achieve a good sweet-sour-earthy balance. Spoon a genereouse amount of sauce onto each plate. Slice each duck breast & put neatly onto the sauce. Garnish with the poached pears on the side.
