Duck Breast with Roasted Polenta, Sangria Reduction and Peach Recipe

Duck breast with polenta lends itself perfectly to sweet and savoury combinations. In this superb and generous recipe, Olivier Sébastien, chef at Le Garage restaurant in Lyon, once again reinterprets an all-time favourite of French gastronomy.

• 1 duck breast, 170g
• 250ml milk
• 10g butter, extra for searing
• 20g polenta
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 orange, thinly sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
• 1 clove
• 1 peach
• 200ml duck stock

Sear the duck breast (6 minutes on the skin side and 4 minutes on the other side). Set aside.

Heat the milk with the butter. When it begins to boil, remove from the heat and slowly pour in the polenta. Stir and cook until smooth. Spread the polenta on a board. When cooled, cut out circles using a biscuit cutter and then sear both sides.

In a saucepan, combine the wine, orange slices, cinnamon stick, lemon slices and clove. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat and let steep for 1 hour. Strain the infused wine and return it to the saucepan. Simmer until the sangria sauce is reduced, then add the duck stock.

Cut the peach in half, remove the skin and sear both sides in a pan with some butter.

To serve, place a polenta circle on the plate and top it with the peach and half of the duck breast, sliced. Drizzle everything with the sangria reduction.

For a crispier duck breast, remove a bit of the fat and score the skin with a knife.

A classic dish in southwestern France, duck breast naturally pairs with a wine from the same region. With this meat’s bold flavour, choose a red from Haut-Médoc, such as a 2012 Château d’Arcins. This wine has rich aromas of black fruits, hazelnut and wood. For a lighter red, opt for a 2015 Pays d'Oc, Les Enfants Terribles cuvée. With a fruity profile, it balances beautifully with the sangria and peach in this recipe.

Enjoy!