Friday, May 27, 2011

Duck, Duck, Goose!

Hey fellow bloggers. I'm back from my mini-departure with a brand new recipe. Once again, it is something that we haven't tried yet. I plan on making sure that there are no repeat recipes. After all, I did promise you back in the day 365 meals... I don't plan on stoppng there though! But as for tonight, we are serving up a nice dish of duck breast! Yummy! Now, let's grab what we need and we will meet back in the kitchen. Break!



Duck Breast with Citrus Port Sherry Sauce



You will need:




  • 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




Still with me? Good.




  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Score the skin of the duck breast with a knife in 2 directions, crossing over each other (makes a crosshatch). 
  3. Season both sides of each duck breast with salt and pepper. 
  4. In a large nonstick skillet, over medium-high heat, place the duck breasts skin side down. 
  5. Sear the breasts until the skin is golden brown about 10 minutes, flip and sear the other side for just 3 minutes. 
  6. Place the seared duck breasts in a baking dish skin side up, and put them in oven. Bake for 12 minutes. 
  7. Remove the duck breasts from the oven and allow them to rest for 5 minutes.
  8. Meanwhile, pour off most excess fat from skillet, and place it back on the stovetop over medium heat. 
  9. Add the shallots and saute until translucent. 
  10. Pour in the port wine and orange juice, and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. 
  11. Add the orange zest and chopped cherries and bring to a boil. 
  12. Simmer for about 5 minutes to reduce the mixture and thicken, mashing the cherries with the back of a wooden spoon to extract flavor as they cook.
  13. Slice the breasts into 1/4 inch slices on a diagonal. 
  14. Pour the cherry port sauce over the top and enjoy!






Voila! A delicious main dish with major romantic, or otherwise, potential. Enjoy it and I will be back as soon as I can. Good night everyone!