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Sweet-Tart Duck Breasts with Fresh Cherry Sauce
Juicy, crispy duck breast on a bed of sweet-tart cherry sauce with balsamic vinegar and honey. What could be more delicious or impressive? I'd recommend this for the perfect stay-at-home Valentine's Day meal.
Baby greens lightly tossed in olive oil and lemon juice or super-creamy puréed potatoes would be the perfect accompaniments.
About the author: Kerry Saretsky is the creator of French Revolution Food, where she reinvents her family's classic French recipes in a fresh, chic, modern way.
Sweet-Tart Duck Breasts with Fresh Cherry Sauce
About This Recipe
| Yield: | serves 2 |
| Active time: | 10 minutes |
| Total time: | 30 minutes |
| This recipe appears in: | French in a Flash: Sweet-Tart Duck Breasts with Fresh Cherry Sauce |
Ingredients
- 2 5- to 6-ounce duck breasts
- Coarse sea salt, such as Maldon
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 small shallot, finely diced
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken stock
- 7 ounces Bing cherries, pitted, stemmed, and halved
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 10 twists on the black pepper mill
- 1 teaspoon honey, preferably orange flower
- 1/2 tablespoon very cold unsalted butter
Procedures
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1
Take the duck out of the fridge 15 minutes before you want to use it. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Score the fat on top of the duck in a crosshatch fashion, carefully to score only the fat and not the flesh beneath it. Season the duck on all sides with salt.
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2
Preheat a small nonstick skillet on medium heat. Place the duck, skin-side-down, in the hot pan and leave it alone for 10 to 12 minutes, until the skin is golden brown and the fat has rendered.
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3
Take the pan off the heat, and turn the duck breasts over so the bottom of the breasts are coated in the rendered duck fat. Pour the excess fat into a heat-proof container, and keep for frying potatoes.
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4
Put the duck, skin-side-up in its original sauté pan, in the oven and cook for 10 minutes. The internal temperature will be about 135°F. Let the duck breasts rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes before slicing.
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5
To make the cherry sauce, heat a small nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the olive oil and the shallots. Sauté for 1 minute, just to soften the shallots. Add the wine, stock, and cherries. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add the balsamic vinegar, salt to taste, and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes.
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6
Remove a 1/4 cup combination of liquid and cherries and purée in a mini food processor. Return the puréed mixture to the pan with the rest of the sauce, and stir in the honey and the cold butter.
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7
Slice the duck. Pour the sauce onto a serving plate, and arrange the slices of duck on top. Season with a bit of salt and pepper for garnish.
