Making perfect duck breast is nothing to be afraid of. This was my first attempt, and it turned out perfectly. The duck had crispy skin, was moist, and cooked to “pink”– just the way I like it. Of course, you are welcome to cook the duck to medium-well, if that is how you prefer it. The Cherry Sauce isn’t complicated to make, and complements the duck perfectly.
Whenever I go to a “nice” restaurant, and I see “duck” on the menu, I get really excited. The price, however, can make me think twice about ordering it. But if the chef prepared the duck with a cherry sauce, then it’s a done deal. I love it.
My favorite part of poultry is the breast meat. Duck is an exception, in that it’s more in the “darker” meat zone. I appreciate a duck breast that is crispy on the outside, and pink on the inside. Perfection!
It seems that my son has inherited my love of duck. He’s been asking me to make duck at home, but I’ve stalled out for the longest time. You see, I’ve never made duck before. There’s a perfectly good reason why– I was too chicken to make duck. Pardon the pun.
It’s not like one can easily find fresh “duck” in the fresh aisle of your grocery market. The frozen duck breasts I’ve found have a salt solution, or have been pre-seasoned. I don’t want that. Luckily, Whole Foods carries fresh duck around the holidays. It was time to seize the opportunity and to make the duck dinner my son had been requesting.
I think my fear of cooking duck is that I don’t want to ruin a pricey piece of meat. I did a little research, to give me wisdom and confidence, and then told my son that his wish was finally my command.
If you’ve never made duck breast, it’s important to score breast skin with a very sharp knife.
One of my favorite cooking methods is “searing”. I love a crusty exterior, and all those lovely brown bits makes such a beautiful pan sauce. I knew I wanted to make a cherry pan sauce. Then again, I think orange goes really well with duck. So, why not do both?
Instead of using fresh cherries (which are out of season), I used a jar of sour cherry preserves, an orange and Ruby Port Wine.
The duck breasts are free of any moisture, has been at room temperature for about 30 minutes, and the pan is screaming hot. There isn’t any oil for a very good reason– the duck is going to render a lot of fat! Here we go! It’s sizzling….
Duck Breasts with a Citrus Port Cherry Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 boneless duck breasts
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large or 2 small shallots minced
- 1/4 cup ruby port wine
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice plus 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1/2 cup pitted frozen black cherries* thawed and roughly chopped; NOTE: I used 1/2 cup sour cherry preserves
- 2 small pats of unsalted butter optional (adds richness to the sauce)
Instructions
- Score the skin (careful not to cut into the meat) of the duck breast with a knife in 2 directions, crossing over each other (makes a crosshatch). Pat the duck breasts completely dry. Season both sides of each duck breast with salt and pepper.
- In a large nonstick skillet, over medium-high heat, place the duck breasts skin side down. Sear the breasts until the skin is golden brown about 10 minutes, flip and sear the other side for just 3 minutes. The internal temperature should be 125F for rare, but I cooked mine to 130F.Remove the duck breasts, cover loosely with foil, and allow them to rest for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, pour off most excess fat from skillet, and reserve the fat for later use (see notes).
- Add the shallots and saute until translucent. Pour in the port wine and orange juice, and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan.
- Add the orange zest and cherry preserves and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 5 minutes to reduce the mixture and to thicken.
- *Optional: off-heat, add the unsalted butter and whisk until it's incorporated into the pan sauce. The butter gives a silkier texture, and adds a richer flavor to the sauce.
- Slice the breasts into 1/4-inch slices on a diagonal. Pour the cherry port sauce over the top and enjoy!
Notes
You did a beautiful job…cooking, plating and photographing!
Ooh, I love duck too and this looks amazing! I'm glad B got you to get out of your comfort zone and make it.
I haven't had duck in sooooo long! Loved the photos and your excellent directions. You made it look so easy! I may just have to try it!
YUMMY YUMMY..Thanks for posting
Aarthi
http://yummytummy-aarthi.blogspot.com/
That duck breast looks perfectly cooked. It's always a challenge getting a good shot while hungry folks are standing by, but you did a great job.
Ooh, la, la for sure Debbie. My husband would love this. Going on my to do list. Thanks.
Sam
So beautiful! I love duck! Nice job on the skin! Just love this post.
I love duck and this is definitely restaurant-worthy!
Duck is eaten all overt the world and yet we Americans shy away from it-Its delicious! I have only made it once too, and thought why don't I make this more often. I think part of the problem as you mentioned in your blog, it's not readily available, especially fresh.
Your duck looks fabulous!
Velva
Looks like you cooked it to perfection Debbie. I have never coked a duck at home. I took a food tour of Chinatown the last time in was in SF and I may never eat meat again after what I saw before my eyes:D I like to buy my meat in a package from the grocery aisle:D
I've only had duck a handful of times, but every time it was delicious. It's really hard to find though! This cherry sauce sounds like the perfect compliment to that rich bird!
What a glorious entree, Debbie. Your tutorial is wonderful and should make it easy for anyone to make this lovely duck. Have a great day. Blessings…Mary
I am a huge duck lover too. For a long time I couldn't get my husband on board, but he's finally a convert. I'll almost always order it at restaurants!
I was definitely afraid of cooking duck for years, but I started with breasts and eventually worked my way up to a whole duck for the first time last year (I'm not a huge fan of Alton's Browns overblown methods in general, but his duck method worked very nicely for me).
I love your cherry sauce and your potatoes look gorgeous! Professional!
it looks perfectly cooked, so juicy and that sauce sounds really good
i have just come across your blog and i think it is fantastic. this duck recipe reminds me of a meal i cooked a few weeks ago where i combined duck with passionfruit – http://foodallways.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/roast-duck-with-passionfruit-sauce.html it worked really well too.
i am off now to look around the rest of your blog!