Duck Breast with Cherry Sauce

Ingredients

• •2 (about 200 g each) duck breasts, skin-on
• •1 cup frozen or fresh dark cherries, pitted
• •1 shallot, finely minced
• •1 garlic clove, minced
• •¼ cup red wine
• •½ cup chicken or duck stock
• •1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• •1 tsp honey
• •3 fresh thyme sprigs
• •1 tbsp unsalted butter
• •¾ tsp kosher salt
• •½ tsp black pepper, freshly ground

Directions

1. 1Score duck skin in a crosshatch pattern with a sharp knife, cutting through fat but not into meat; pat dry and season both sides generously with salt and pepper.
2. 2Place duck breasts skin-side down in a cold, dry skillet; turn heat to medium — starting cold renders fat gradually and crisps the skin without burning.
3. 3Cook skin-side down 12–15 minutes, pouring off rendered fat every few minutes, until skin is deeply golden and most fat has rendered.
4. 4Flip and cook flesh-side down 4–5 minutes for medium-rare (internal temperature 135°F/57°C); transfer to a cutting board to rest 8 minutes.
5. 5Pour off all but 1 tsp of fat from the pan; sauté shallot and garlic over medium heat 2 minutes; add thyme sprigs.
6. 6Add red wine, scraping up browned bits; simmer 2 minutes, then add stock, cherries, balsamic, and honey.
7. 7Simmer sauce 5–6 minutes until cherries are soft and sauce coats a spoon; remove thyme, swirl in butter, and adjust seasoning.
8. 8Slice duck thinly on a bias, fan over plates, and spoon cherry sauce generously over top.

💡 Whole duck breasts are available at most major Canadian grocery stores (Loblaws, Metro, Sobeys) — ask at the meat counter if not on display. Frozen cherries work just as well as fresh and are available year-round in the frozen fruit aisle. Pour the rendered duck fat into a jar and refrigerate — it's liquid gold for roasting potatoes.

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