Michigan Wine-Friendly Recipes

Grilled Duck Breast with Cherry-Wild Rice Pilaf

4 duck breast halves, boned
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 lime, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons sorghum or firmly packed brown sugar
Salt and pepper

With a sharp knife, score the skin on each duck breast, but don't cut through to the meat. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, lime juice and zest, sorghum, salt and pepper. Use a small brush to paint the surface of each duck breast with the sorghum mixture and let marinate for 1 hour. Prepare a very hot grill and cook the duck breast, skin-side down, for about 4 minutes (watch for flare-ups). Turn and continue grilling for 3 minutes, or until the duck breast is still pink in the center. To serve, slice and fan out on the plate. Wild Rice-Dried Cherry Pilaf: 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped 1 cup wild rice 3 cups chicken broth 1/2 cup long-grain white rice 1/2 cup dried cherries 1 tablespoon sorghum Salt and pepper In a covered casserole, heat the olive oil over medium heat and saute the onion until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the wild rice and chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes. Add the white rice, dried cherries, and sorghum. Cover again and cook until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Season, to taste, and serve.

Pork Loin with Mushroom Fricassee

2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano leaves
1 teaspoon minced parsley leaves
1 (5-pound) pork loin
Paste, recipe follows
1 cup chicken stock

Mushroom Fricassee, recipe follows

In a small bowl, combine the shallots, garlic, thyme, oregano, and parsley. Rub the mixture all over the pork and refrigerate overnight. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the pork loin in a roasting pan and bake for 30 minutes. Remove pork from the oven, and when cool enough to touch, spread the paste all over the loin. Return the pork to the oven and cook until it has developed a crunchy crust on the outside and is cooked to your desired degree of doneness, about 25 to 30 more minutes. Remove the pork from the roasting pan to let the pork rest. Pour the juices from the meat into a fat separator. Add the meat juices only, not the fat, and the chicken stock to a small saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until reduced to the consistency of a sauce. Meanwhile, start the Mushroom Fricassee. To serve, cut the pork loin into slices, pour the Mushroom Fricassee and sauce over, and serve immediately.

Paste:

1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.
Mushroom Fricassee:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1/2 cup thinly sliced morel or chanterelle mushrooms
1/2 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms
1/2 cup thinly sliced portobello mushrooms
1/2 cup thinly sliced domestic mushrooms
1/4 cup tomato paste
Pinch ground cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
Pinch ground cloves
Salt and pepper

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add all of the sliced mushrooms and saute until just beginning to brown. Add the tomato paste and stir to incorporate. Season, to taste, with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and pepper. Spoon over the pork slices.

Grilled Salmon with Morel Vinaigrette

4 (8-ounce) wild salmon fillets
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Morel Vinaigrette, recipe follows

Heat grill to high. Brush salmon on both sides with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill on both sides until golden brown and cooked to medium doneness, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from the grill and immediately drizzle with the morel vinaigrette. Morel Vinaigrette: 2 ounces dried morel mushrooms 1/4 cup Champagne vinegar 1/2 small shallot, thinly sliced 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup olive oil 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh parsley leaves Place morels in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit until soft, about 30 minutes, then drain, reserving liquid, and coarsely chop. Whisk together vinegar, shallot, mustard and salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. Use a little of the morel soaking liquid to thin, if needed. Fold in the mushrooms and parsley.