Mark West - 2010 Pinot Noir Paring

Let me start off by thanking my step-mom for making such an amazing dinner to go along with this wine.  On the way home I got a phone call from her asking if I wanted her to drop off a dish of roasted duck with a apple and prune stuffing! Lets be honest who would say NO to that! So I dropped by the package store to pick up a Pinot Noir and I ran into a friend who recommended a 2010 Mark West Pinot Noir as a good, fairly inexpensive bottle.  Here is my review and the recipe for the amazing roasted duck dish :)

Appearance: The color reminded me of a bing cherry that is about 90% ripe

Smell:   Light on the oakey side with a fruity aroma with hits of berry's and cherry's really coming through

Taste:  Sweet, fruity, low acidity, oakey with blackberry and cherry being the main flavors and a little bit of spice towards the finish, 

Feel:  A light to medium bodied wine, but definitely more towards the lighter side and silky smooth.

Overall:  I must say this wine was perfect for this dish, it paired amazing with the apple and prune stuffing.  It was like a gourmet thanksgiving dinner...you had the juicy roasted duck, stuffing and an amazing gravy to smother it all in. 

Ingredients

• 1 (5-pound) duck
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
• 1 cup pitted prunes, halved
• 3 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and cut in wedges
• 8 fresh sage leaves
• 1 pint dried rye bread cubes, crusts off
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup fruity red wine, such as Pinot Noir
• 2 cups chicken stock

Directions

Duck is a notoriously fatty bird. To diminish the fat and produce a crispy skin, begin by trimming the excess fat from the body. Rinse the duck thoroughly, inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels. Season the bird inside and out with a generous amount of salt and pepper.

To prepare the stuffing: Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, celery seed, prunes, apples, and 4 sage leaves; season with salt and pepper; saute for 10 minutes until soft. Add the bread cubes and toss the mixture together to combine. Put the stuffing in a large mixing bowl and moisten it with a squeeze of lemon and the heavy cream; give it another toss and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the stuffing into the duck cavity. Rip off a foot long piece of aluminum foil and lay it on an insert rack fitted in a roasting pan, let a bit of the foil hang off the end. Lay the duck, breast-side up, on the foil; tuck the wing tips back under the duck, and fold the excess foil over the end of the duck with the stuffing. The foil will protect the stuffing from burning and falling into the delicious duck fat.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Roast the duck for 21/2 to 3 hours, rotating the pan every 20 minutes or so. It may seem like a bother, but it's the best way to ensure an even crispy skin. The legs will wiggle easily when the bird is done and an instant-read thermometer will register about 180 degrees F when inserted into the thigh.

Take the insert rack out of the pan and set the duck on a cutting board to let it rest before carving. Now you have a whole lot of duck fat in the bottom of the roasting pan. Pour out all but a couple of tablespoons of the duck fat into a container and reserve.

For the gravy: Place the roasting pan, with the couple of tablespoons of duck fat, on the stove over 2 burners set on medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour and stir to make a paste. Crank the heat up to high and add the wine, cook and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan, until the liquid is reduced slightly. Add the chicken stock and remaining 4 sage leaves, season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes until the gravy has thickened slightly.