Recipe courtesy of Robert Irvine

Duck Breast with Berry Sauce

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  • Level: Intermediate
  • Total: 1 hr 5 min
  • Prep: 20 min
  • Cook: 45 min
  • Yield: 6 servings
Seared duck breast may sound intimidating but it’s as easy as cooking a pork chop. Pat the skin dry and start cooking skin side down so that fat can melt away, leaving it brown and crispy. You can also gently score the skin to help the fat render: Use a sharp knife and cut slashes diagonally across, making sure not to cut down into the meat. Choose a medium-bodied red wine for the sauce, such as Merlot or Shiraz. Adding butter to the reduced sauce at the very end helps emulsify it as well as compliments the sweet and sour flavors— in France this sauce would be called a beurre rouge.

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Season the duck breast with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Brown the duck breast, skin side first, then flip over, reduce heat and cook other side, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the duck breasts to a platter, reserving the juices in the pan. Work in batches, if necessary.
  2. To make the sauce, add the balsamic vinegar and red wine to the pan and cook until reduced by half. Add the stock and reduce by half again, then add brown sugar, rosemary and berries and cook for 3 minutes. Strain into a bowl and whisk in the butter to finish. Place the duck breast on each plate and drizzle the sauce around.