Duck Breast & Cherry Wine Sauce

Duck Breast & Cherry Wine Sauce

FAQ

Chef’s Tips

• Air-dry the duck uncovered in the fridge for 12–24 hours if you have the time. This helps the skin get extra crisp.
• Score the skin without cutting into the meat. You want to cut through the fat, not the breast.
• Start the duck in a cold, dry pan. The gradual heat gives the fat time to render before the skin gets too dark.
• Don’t add oil or butter. The duck will render plenty of fat on its own.
• Take the sauce off the heat before whisking in the cold butter. Save the rendered duck fat for roasting potatoes or vegetables.

Duck Breast & Cherry Wine Sauce

Wife with the Knife

Seared duck breast with cherry red wine sauce. Duck and cherries are one of those combinations that just work. Rich duck with the sweet & slightly tart cherry sauce is just hard to beat.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Drying Time (optional) 12 hours hrs

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine French

Servings 2

Equipment

• Large skillet or frying pan
• Saucepan Blender or food processor
• Fine Mesh Strainer
• Cutting Board
• Sharp knife
• Instant-read thermometer

Ingredients

  

Duck

• 2 duck breasts
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste
• 8 sweet cherries pitted and halved, fresh or thawed frozen

Cherry Wine Sauce

• 1½ cups (about 225g) frozen sweet cherries, thawed
• 1 tbsp light brown sugar
• ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
• Pinch of salt
• Black pepper to taste
• ½ cup (120ml) dry red wine
• 2 tbsp (30ml) balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp (14g) cold unsalted butter

Instructions

 

• Place the duck breasts skin-side up on a plate or wire rack and refrigerate uncovered for 12–24 hours to air-dry the skin.
• Remove the duck from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before cooking. Trim away any loose skin or excess fat around the edges, then score the skin with a sharp knife, being careful not to cut into the meat.
• Season both sides generously with salt and pepper.
• To make the sauce, add the cherries, brown sugar, nutmeg, salt and pepper to a saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally and gently pressing the cherries with a spoon as they soften.
• Add the red wine and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 5–7 minutes to reduce the wine and concentrate the flavour.
• Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
• Pass the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing firmly on the solids with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the remaining solids.
• Return the strained sauce to the saucepan and stir in the balsamic vinegar. Simmer gently for 2–4 minutes, or until the sauce lightly coats the back of a spoon.
• Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk in the cold butter until smooth and glossy. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
• While the sauce is cooking, place the duck skin-side down in a cold, dry skillet. Turn the heat to low or medium-low and cook undisturbed for 5–7 minutes, or until the fat has rendered and the skin is deeply golden and crisp.
• Pour off some of the rendered duck fat if needed, leaving enough in the pan to continue cooking the duck. Flip the breasts and cook for another 2–3 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 130–135°F (55–57°C) for medium-rare.
• Transfer the duck to a cutting board and let it rest for about 10 minutes.
• While the duck rests, gently reheat the sauce if needed. Add the halved cherries and warm for 1–2 minutes, just until heated through.
• Slice the duck thinly and serve with the warm cherry red wine sauce and cherries.
• Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions Serve with celeriac purée, yellow beets, roasted root vegetables or crispy potatoes.

Notes

Sauce: If you’d rather make the sauce separately, you can use my Cherry Red Wine Sauce recipe.  This sauce can be made up to 7 days ahead and gently reheated before serving.

 

Storage

• Sauce: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 7 days. Freeze for up to 4 months.
• Duck: Refrigerate leftover duck in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Rendered Duck Fat: Strain and refrigerate the rendered duck fat. It’s great for roasting potatoes and vegetables.

 

Reheating

• Sauce: Gently reheat the sauce in a saucepan over low heat. If it becomes too thick, add a small splash of water, wine or stock.
• Duck: Reheat leftover duck gently to avoid drying it out.

 

Tried this recipe?

  Mention @thewifewiththeknife  or tag #wifewiththeknife

Keyword cherry sauce, Cherry Wine Sauce, classic french recipes, Duck, Duck breast, Gourmet Dishes, Red Wine Sauce

Recipes that Pair well with this Dish