Duck. Duck does NOT taste like chicken. Thank God.
But you can make the non-chicken impression even stronger by taking the duck, rich unto itself, and making it yet richer. The technique here is to apply a sauce of black cherries with port. Both cherries themselves and cherry jam. The sauce is thick and sticky and quite exceptional.
Serve this duck with sides of wild rice and sautéed green beans. It’s an exceptional meal that will have you dreaming of Paris
How much duck can you eat? Since Suzi put this on the menu at Cooking by the Book, we have it once a week. Firms come here for teambuilding in the kitchen. It’s a happy team that sits down to a duck dinner. I can assure you.
Seared Duck Breasts with Black Cherry and Port Reduction
Yield: serves 2
Ingredients:
For the duck:
- 2 boneless whole duck breasts, split
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the sauce:
- 1 cup port
- ½ cup black cherry preserves
- 1 cup pitted cherries or ½ cup dried cherries
- 2 tablespoons minced shallots
- ½ cup beef or dark rich chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Using a sharp knife, score the skin of the duck breasts by making a crisscross pattern, being careful not to cut into the flesh. Season the duck on both sides with salt and pepper.
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the stock, port, and preserves. and cherries to a boil; cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Lower the heat to medium and add the cherries. Continue to simmer until slightly thickened. Add the butter and whisk until completely incorporated. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, place the duck breast skin side down, and cook until the skin is evenly golden and crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn the duck breasts over and spoon off the excess fat from the pan. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 5 to 7 minutes more.
Transfer the duck breasts to a carving board, cover loosely with aluminum, for and let rest for 5 minutes.
Pour off the excess fat from the pan. Set the pan over medium heat, add the shallots and cook until soft and translucent, 2 to 3 minters. Stir in the stock and bring to boil, for about 5 minutes. Stir in the cherries and port.
Cut the duck breasts on the diagonal into slices 1/2 inch thick and arrange on warmed plates. Pour the sauce over the duck breast and serve immediately.
Source: Cooking by the Book
Photo Information: Canon T2i, EFS 60mm Macro Lens, F/5 for1/125th second at ISO‑3200