Happy Memorial Day weekend! Grilling is synonymous with Memorial Day in my mind, so I was so happy to receive a Grilling Cookbook from Cooking Light a few days ago. The cookbook:
Cooking Light Way to Cook Grilling: The Complete Visual Guide to Healthy Grilling is pretty darn snazzy. The photos are gorgeous, so um, please don’t compare my crummy photos for this recipe to the ones in the book, that will make me sad. Anyways, when I saw a recipe for grilled duck, I wanted to try it. I love duck, it’s a go-to for me at restaurants. But, I’m beyond terrified to cook it myself. It’s a tough meat to cook, and if overcooked, can be super crummy. Plus, it’s not exactly cheap! But grilling? I think I can handle that…
This recipe sounded like it was written just for me and my boyfriend. Before even opening the cookbook this was our conversation:
“We should try grilling a meat we’ve never made before, I’m not in the mood for a normal burger”
“Yeah, and maybe we can grill up some asparagus and mushrooms as well. I do want a meat as part of the meal though.”
We turn to this recipe, which managed to incorporate all of our requirements, and we were sold. The only thing we weren’t sold on? The marinating time. The original recipe suggested marinating the duck overnight, up to two days. We wanted duck, and we wanted it well before tomorrow, so our marinating was closer to 3 hours instead. There are also some pretty pricey ingredients in this dish, so this would definitely be a special occasion type of meal.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 (6-ounce) boneless duck breast, skinned
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
- Cooking spray
- 3 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about 5 ounces)
- 2 cups thinly sliced portobello mushroom caps (about 5 ounces)
- 3/4 cup (1/4-inch) diagonally cut asparagus
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons truffle oil
Continue reading Grilled Duck with Warm Mushroom Salad and Truffle Vinaigrette