GRILLED OYSTERS ON THE HALF SHELL

Recipe by Chef Tory McPhail, Commander’s Palace, New Orleans

Makes a dozen oysters

½ lb unsalted butter

2 tablespoons garlic, minced

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon kosher salt

TABASCO to taste

1 dozen oysters on the half shell

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

French bread

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a grill. 

In a small saucepan melt butter over medium heat.  Stir in the garlic, pepper, thyme, salt, and TABASCO and cook over low heat for 10 minutes.  Spoon half of the garlic butter over oysters and sprinkle with half of the cheese. 

Arrange oysters on the grill and cook for 2 to 4 minutes, depending on the heat of the grill.  Top with remaining half of garlic butter and cheese.  Serve immediately with bread and Iron Horse 2007 Commander’s Palace Cuvee.

Pan Seared Sonoma County Duck Breast with

Chipotle-Garnet Yam Puree, Vanilla Poached Quince and Huckleberry Sauce

Recipe by Chef Steve Litke (Michelin Starred), Farmhouse Inn, Forestville, CA

Locally grown Reichardt Ducks are some of the best in California.  They are very consistent in quality, organically raised and have superb flavor.  The organic chipotles come from Tierra Farms and give the garnet yam a very unusual smoky heat, which matches well with the wild huckleberry sauce.

Serves 4

Chipotle-Garnet Yam Puree

1 ½# Garnet yams, unpeeled

2 t. chipotle powder

4 oz butter

Bake yams at 375 deg.  until fully cooked and soft.  Let cool until just warm.  Peel and place in food processor with butter and chipotle powder.  Season with salt and pepper.  Keep warm.

Sauce

2 T. granulated sugar

4 T. water

3 T. sherry vinegar

2 c. strong duck stock (or chicken)

1 large pint huckleberries (can use blueberries, blackberries or black cherries)

Caramelize sugar and water until dark golden brown.  Deglaze with vinegar and reduce by half.  Simmer for ½ hour over very low heat.  Skim often.  Strain and press berries to extract juice.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Vanilla Poached Quince

3 ripe quince, peeled and diced

1 ½ c. water

1 ½ c. sugar

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

Place sugar, water, vanilla bean and quince in stainless pot.  Bring to boil.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Cool quince in syrup.

Duck

4 boneless duck breasts, skin scored in a cross-hatch pattern

*8T. chipotle-garnet yam puree

*vanilla poached quince

*huckleberry sauce

season duck with salt and pepper.  Preheat heavy sautee pan, add duck, skin side down.  Cook on medium high heat until most of fat has rendered from skin.  Flip over and turn heat off.  Let cook 2-3 minutes until duck breast is medium-rare to medium. 

Remove from pan and let rest.  To plate, place 2 T. chipotle-yam puree in center of plate, slice duck very thin and fan out around yam puree.  Spoon huckleberry sauce around duck breast and sprinkle vanilla poached quince around the plate.

Serve with Iron Horse Wedding Cuvee.