Wild Duck Breasts and Wild Rice Casserole

A friend is really good about giving me duck breasts. They are always skinned and boned so I'm always looking for ways to cook them where they will be tender and not dried out. Yesterday she brought me several to cook and I found a great recipe for them. I put the breasts in my Dutch oven with water to cover and added an onion, a large garlic clove, two sliced up celery ribs, peppercorns, a bay leaf, and a few juniper berries. I brought the water to a boil, skimming off the foam as it formed. I then covered the pot and let it simmer for an hour.

In the meantime I cooked a cup of wild rice. After an hour I took the duck breasts out to cool and strained up the broth. I then melted a stick of butter in a heavy saucepan and added a half cup of chopped onions and sautéed the onions until they were tender. I then added 1/4 cup of flour and stirred it into the butter until smooth and cooked it for three or four minutes. I then added 1 1/2 cup of the reserved broth and cooked it, stirring constantly, until it thickened. I chopped the cooled duck breasts and put them, the wild rice, the white sauce, and 3/4 cup of heavy cream in a greased 2 quart casserole. I sprinkled it with slivered almonds, covered it with foil and baked it at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. I then took the foil off and cooked it 20 more minutes until it was warmed through.

I don't have any pictures, but it was really, really good!