Seared Agrodolce Duck Breasts + Nebbia Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore #Sponsored #Ad

This is a sponsored post written by me in conjunction with and in preparation for the July #ItalianFWT event.

Wine samples were provided for this post and this page may contain affiliate links

July is here and I am hosting the #ItalianFWT group as we delve into tasting and pairing Prosecco DOCG. You can read my invitation to the Italian Food Wine Travel bloggers here - You're Invited: Tanti Auguri (Many Wishes), Prosecco DOCG!! 

And you can read about my first exploration here, where I looked at the difference between Frizzante and Spumante. In my second pouring and pairing, I shared what I learned about the Martinotti Method.

This is the final bottle that I received from the Consorzio* - Cantine Vedova's Nebbia. 'Nebbia' means 'fog' in Italian. I need to do a bit more reading about the name because to me, this embodied the opposite of fog. Maybe it's named for the frothy white layer when you pour it that dissipates as it sits. I'm not sure.

 

The wine was fresh and clear. Nothing soft or hazy about it. There was a little scroll attached to the neck of the bottle. I put it somewhere for safe keeping, but now I can't find it. I'll keep looking. In any case, the crispness of the wine had me longing to pair it with a fatty protein...and I happened to have some duck breasts in my fridge.

Seared Agrodolce Duck Breasts

Agrodolce means 'sour-sweet' in Italian and it's a reduction of vinegar, sugar, and - often - fruit. The French have the same process and call it aigre-doux or gastrique.

Ingredients serves four

Agrodolce Sauce

• 1 organic onion peeled and sliced, approximately 3/4 C
• 1 t olive oil
• 1/2 C cherries (I used frozen)
• 1/3 C organic granulated sugar
• 1/2 C vinegar (I used white vinegar)
• 1/4 C wine (I used leftover Prosecco, use any white wine that you have on-hand)

Duck

• 4 or 5 boneless duck breast halves with skin
• freshly ground salt
• freshly ground pepper
• olive oil

Procedure

Agrodolce Sauce
Heat olive oil in a skillet. Stir in the onions and cook until the begin to soften and turn translucent. Stir in the cherries. Sprinkle in the sugar and pour in the liquids. Simmer until the onions are completely softened and the liquid thickened or even evaporated.

Duck

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Blot the duck breasts dry, then use a sharp knife to score the fat. Take care not to cut into the meat. Season both sides generously with salt and pepper. Place the breast skin side down in a cold skillet. Over low heat, cook the breast fro 3 to 4 minutes. Raise the temperature until medium. The fat should begin to render and the duck to sizzle. Cook, without moving them, until the skin is browned and crisp, approximately 7 or 8 minutes.

Flip over the breasts and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Then transfer the skillet to the preheated oven. Roast for another 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let stand for 8 to 10 minutes.

To serve spoon the agrodolce onto a platter and lay the duck breasts on top. Serve immediately.

I served the seared agrodolce duck breasts with blanched broccoli and a cabbage salad. Stay tuned for more pourings and pairings as the entire #ItalianFWT group will be posting about Prosecco DOCG this week. Cin cin. 

Find the Consorzio

on the web, on Facebook, on Twitter, on Pinterest, on Instagram

Find Cantine Vedova
on the web, on Facebook

*Disclosure: I received sample wines for recipe development, pairing, and generating social media traction. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the organizer and sponsors of this event.