As
you will see from this post, I am not very experienced at cooking duck. This Duck
a la Cerise worked out ok but I did learn some lessons for next time.
First
I scored the skin of the duck breasts with the sharpest knife I had. But even that wasn't really sharp
enough. My scoring as you can see was a
bit haphazard. You really don't want to
cut right down through the fat. I am not
bad at scoring ham but this was a challenge.
I
then seasoned the breasts with salt and pepper and a light sprinkle of dried
thyme – I'm sure fresh thyme would have been better.
I
heated a pan and then fried the duck breasts quickly in a mix of oil and
butter. The idea was to get them golden
brown – which I only partially achieved.
Next time I would not worry about the butter burning and would really
give each side a blast of heat. While my
duck looked ok, in fact not enough of the fat under the skin had cooked
out. It is a tricky balance because if
you overcook duck it goes dry.
I
then took the duck out and popped it into the oven, covered with foil while I
cooked up the sauce in the pan. First I
fried one finely chopped red onion.
White would have been fine. I
then added chicken stock (about ½ a cup) and stirred it around to scrape any
bits of stuff off the bottom of the pan.
Then I put in a spoonful of apricot jam (redcurrant jelly would have
been better), a hint of chilli jam, a tablespoon of wine vinegar (I used white
and added a little red wine to it).
After
your sauce has come to a simmer, you put the duck back in and cover the pan and
cook until tender – say 8 to 10 minutes.
You take the duck out again (it is a bit like a yoyo) and put about 200g
of pitted cherries into the sauce and simmer it for a bit and check the
seasoning. I found it did need more salt
and pepper.
Then
you plate the duck and spoon the cherries and sauce over the top and garnish
with chopped parsley. Which I nearly
forgot.
I
liked the taste of the duck but ended up cutting off the skin which was not
crispy enough and felt very fatty. Oh
well, hopefully I'll do better next time!
Carole,
ReplyDeleteHi! What a nice photo of your beautiful Duck recipe. It looks wonderful. Thank you for your visit. Have a great day!
Pat
Carole, I really enjoyed your attempt at duck. This is something I've wanted to do since I watched "Julie & Julia." Loved that movie. Think I'll give you're a try first before I buy Julia Childs cookbook. I've looked inside and her recipes are very long and complicated. I like the looks of your's better, and your helpful hints make it tempting. One question: How much is 200g of pitted cherries? And were they from a jar? :)
ReplyDeleteHi Carole,
ReplyDeleteI haven't made duck in a long time, but this looks delicious, I need to try it. Hope you have a fantastic weekend and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
I don't think I have ever had duck, but this sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friends Friday and remember to come back and vote on Sunday
ReplyDeleteI've only cooked duck a couple of times. It's kind of intimidating. Thanks for sharing your experience -- it may help me next time.
ReplyDeleteI have never cooked duck..but my mom used to.
ReplyDeleteThat sauce sounds perfect.
This looks delicious! Cherries and duck are a fabulous combo. Deeelicious!
ReplyDeleteI love duck but have always had mixed results when I've cooked it at home. I guess I need to listen to your tips and do some more experimenting.
ReplyDeleteKudos to you for cooking duck (I'm not brave enough). It *can* be too fatty and it's always seemed intimidating to me. But the finished product in your photo looks great (I love cherries). Like your honest blow-by-blow. :)
ReplyDeleteI've never done duck, either, but I love to order it in restaurants. Yours looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteI have never eaten duck and don't think I probably ever will. Looks good though, I love cherries.
ReplyDeleteYou are a brave woman to try duck. I've never cooked it, I'm too intimidated, but this looks delicious.
ReplyDeleteCherries and duck. Interesting combination. Have only cooked duck once with my son, he wanted it for his birthday. Was able to get a lovely duck from a friend who keeps a small flock. will mention this combination to her husband who is the chef at her house.
ReplyDeleteCarole,
ReplyDeleteI haven't had duck in years. I know what you mean about needing a sharp knife though, lol. It does look delicious. Thanks so much for linking up to Creative Thursday. Can’t wait to see what you share this week! Have a wonderful week.
Michelle
Oh my goodness Carole, it's 7:08am and I have a near uncontrollable desire to eat duck.
ReplyDeleteWow, your recipes are amazing.
Thanks again.
Jeff
Really looks delicious Carole! I've only attempted duck once, though my dad used to cook it on a rotisserie in our basement for Christmas Eve dinner when I was young. Nothing like that smell. Thanks for sharing on Tuesday's Table!
ReplyDeleteYUM!! I love that combination!!
ReplyDelete