This Duck Appetizer made with a smoked duck breast is low carb and keto friendly when served on a savory chaffle instead of crostini! It is topped off with a tiny bit of sugar-free rhubarb topping and a few snipped chives.

This is a great cold appetizer to serve with a glass of chilled CK Mondavi and Family Merlot to family or close friends while playing a game of Bocce Ball or Corn Hole.

Duck Appetizer Chaffle with Rhubarb Topping on a serving tray with a bottle of CK Mondavi wine in the background

This post has been published in partnership with CK Mondavi and Family as a Brand Ambassador.

Challenging Times for Gatherings of Family and Friends

The year 2020 has certainly brought along its many challenges this year. We are all having to be socially distant making it hard to enjoy fun times with friends. We have our small circle of family that we stay in contact with on an occasional basis, and have Chris and Miriah living in our home with us, with soon to be new grandson.

Our home went from me being here all day working alone, to 4 people in the house and only 1 of them leaving 5 out of 7 days to go to work outside of the home. My trip to Spain to visit my oldest son had to be cancelled, and we are all trying to learn how to live in this new lifestyle and deal with the stress that goes along with it.

A bocce ball set with a chilling bucket full of ice and 3 bottles of wine

Making Time for Fun and Games

That is why it is so important for us to make time for each other, as well as learning how to keep our distance and allow everyone their own quiet time as well. The one time that we all do come together is at the dinner table or fire pit. We enjoy good food and games.

The Mondavi Family is passionate about Bocce Ball, and sent their ambassadors a game for us to enjoy their passion as well. Cornhole has always been a fun game for our family, and this year, Grumpy did a Cornhole DIY for Honeybunch Hunts.

Now we can relax in the evening, have a glass of wine, some great food, and play games together.

a blue and white cornhole game with bags on top of the game board

Experimenting with Smoked Duck Breast

I had some Duck Confit and Smoked Duck Breast in the freezer and had been going through all different types of scenarios in my mind about how I would serve it to my family, especially Grumpy! My experience with Duck has been limited and what we had tried in the past was not palatable to us.

However, I happened to try some at the farmer's market last year and was impressed with how good it was. While it isn't something we eat on a regular basis here, it is something to enjoy on a special occasion.

In these trying times where we have to be so careful about social distancing it is nice to have a plan with some special food and wine. That is where this Duck Breast Appetizer came into play.

sliced smoked duck breast on a cutting board

What You Need To Make this Smoked Duck Breast Appetizer

1-small smoked duck breast - the duck breast I had was a 4 ounce package and had a very super thin layer of duck fat on it so it did not need trimming.

Part-Skim Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Large Eggs

Sugar-Free Jam or Sugar-Free Rhubarb Sauce

Fresh Chives

Hand Whisk

Mini Waffle Iron this is to make the chaffles, which is the base of the appetizer. Super affordable and I loved mine so much I bought two (one has a snowflake center!). If you are keto, then this mini waffle iron will be a game changer for those who are keto bread challenged.

These Cocktail Appetizer Plates are pretty awesome and fun!

Duck Appetizer Chaffle on a brown serving tray

Smoked Duck and CK Mondavi and Family Merlot Pairing

While I am a fan of all CK Mondavi and Family wines, I really enjoyed this Duck Appetizer with the Merlot. Normally I don't chill red wine, but because it has been so hot and humid here, I went ahead and dropped a few ice cubes in.

I was surprised to learn that Randy Herron, head winemaker at CK Mondavi and Family, has actually put ice in his Merlot! I also found out that the Mondavi's love duck, so what better treat to serve my keto appetite than the smoked duck breast I had in my freezer?

After I had made the jam I was thinking a blackberry or cherry jam would be great with this as well and make a little merlot in the jam.

CK Mondavi set us up for a great family party of four. While only three of us were able to enjoy wine (as Mrs. Snow is expecting our first grandson next month!), we all had fun enjoying the duck and spending time together. We look forward to more summer evenings with a glass of wine, food, and games!

Up close shot of a duck appetizer chaffle on a black serving tray

Recipe Tips and Substitutions

Set the duck breast out about 30 minutes before slicing to make slicing easier.
If the duck breast has a thick layer of fat, trim it off and store it for later use.
Use only ¼ cup of egg chaffle mixture to prevent seepage from the waffle iron
Swap out the onion and garlic powder for cinnamon (½ teaspoon) and nutmeg (¼ teaspoon).
If duck appetizers aren't your thing, swap out the duck for thinly sliced pieces of steak, chicken, or pork loin.

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*IF YOU MADE THIS DUCK APPETIZER CHAFFLE RECIPE, PLEASE GIVE IT A STAR RATING*

📖 Recipe