with Pinot Noir Cherry Reduction Sauce

Enjoy the savory and richness of duck without having to spend a lot of money at a fancy restaurant. There are a few foods that might look complicated and only to be eaten at a restaurant, but this need not be one of them.

Ingredients :

1 duck breast (about 1-1.25 lbs)

season to taste ( I used salt, pepper and herbs de Provence)

(for sauce)

7 oz of canned cherries - pitted (200g by weight, assume about 100g of cherries and 100g of juice)

juice and zest of 1/2 an orange

1/2 tbsp potato starch

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tbsp lemon juice

1 oz Pinot Noir

Directions :

(for sauce)

Save 1 tbsp juice from can of cherries to be used later. In a medium sauce pan add orange juice and zest, ginger, soy, lemon juice, red wine and cherries with all but 1 tbsp of juice and stir. Heat on high until it boils. Reduce heat to med/low, stir and simmer for 5 minutes. Take the extra tbsp of cherry juice and mix with the potato starch. Add that to the sauce pan and stir well. Continue to simmer 5 more minutes (or until sauce reaches your desired thickness) then remove from heat. Strain through wide mesh strainer just to eliminate the cherries. Remember it will thicken as it cools a bit.

(for duck breast)

Remove duck breast from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before use. Rinse duck breast and pat completely dry. Using a sharp knife score the skin side only of the duck in a crosshatch pattern (perpendicular diagonal slices), but be careful not to go deep enough to reach the breast meat. Season both sides. Preheat your oven to 400*F (205* C). This is one of the few times you must not preheat your pan. The best way to render the fat is to slowly cook it without high heat. Place the duck breast skin side down in a cold pan and turn to medium heat for 5 min. After 5 min turn up heat to med high and cook for 5 more minutes. Flip the duck breast over to quickly sear the breast meat, then transfer to oven safe baking dish and put in the oven for 8 minutes. It is best to use a separate baking dish as you will have a generous amount of duck fat in the pan. Reserve and save for another use (such as frying potatoes). Remove duck breast from oven and allow to rest at least 5 minutes before slicing and or serving. Drizzle sauce on duck or plate as you see fit. Enjoy !!