Canard aux Montmorency
In North America, chickens and turkeys are eaten a lot but not so much other poultry (birds) like quail, squab, emu, goose, pheasant, Guinea fowl and partridge. Ostrich has gained popularity in the last 20 years. Back in 2001, I went to Nairobi, Kenya and enjoyed my first ostrich. It was a “wow” experience.
When I had Duck à l’Orange for the first time back in 1993, it was at one of my favorite restaurants in Toronto… the Select Bistro. It was so amazing! Almost every time I went back there, that was my top choice to order – rarely did I order something else on the menu. When I moved in with David who’s now my husband, I created my Duck Breasts with Blood Orange Sauce which I think tastes better than the regular “orange one”.
For some reason, we like to reserve it for special occasions but we shouldn’t. Guilty as charged, I served my Roast Duck with Marmalade Glaze many times for Easter. On the other hand, when I make my Foie Gras, I like to eat it as is or make a gorgeous Tournedos Rossini with Cognac… yummy! My version of Peking Duck is another delicious recipe as well as my Duck with Bordeaux Sauce and Magret de Canard. In South-West France, they like to eat their classic Salade Périgourdine with confit de canard or Canard aux Navets (Duck with Turnips)… so delicious!
In this episode, I wanted to share another French recipe which is Canard aux Montmorency! You must wonder what that is, right? It’s duck breasts served with a beautiful black cherry sauce. My take on this classic is slightly different but the concept is the same. I make this dish once a year because I’m very particular about the kind of cherries I use which are Bing. They’re perfect for this dish! Unfortunately these little gems are only available from June to July. On the other hand the type, the traditional cherries used for this recipe are Montmorency which are tart and not something I’m really fond of.
Here are a few points and steps I would like to highlight for the making of Canard aux Montmorency…
– First, the breasts have to get to room temperature – a good 30 minutes is plenty. Then gently pat dry the meat to remove any moisture on the surface (don’t squeeze or press hard… just pat).
– Score the skin with a sharp knife being careful not to cut into the meat. Why scoring, you ask? It helps to render down the fat faster resulting in a nice crispy skin.
– After seasoning, they’re placed, skin side down, in a COLD pan. Why? It gives more time for the fat to render which in return, makes the meat juicy and tender.
– When the skins are nicely browned, they’re flipped and transferred to a 350ºF preheated oven and cooked until the internal temperature reaches 140ºF.
– While cooking, Cognac is warmed up and the cherries are macerated in dry red wine.
– Once cooked, Cognac that has been ignited is poured over the breasts before placing them on warm plates.
– Making the sauce is very quick so after skimming off the duck fat which is kept for other recipes like Duck Fat Roasted Potatoes or Cassoulet, the juice from the cherries including Cherry Simple Syrup is added to the pan and reduced by half.
– Next comes the cherries and the Cherry Brandy which amplifies the flavor. When the sauce is boiling again, a cornstarch mixture is added to thicken the sauce… Voilà, it’s that easy!
Should you wait for an event to make this incredible Canard aux Montmorency? No, not really but you should definitely take advantage of Bing cherries when they’re in season and make this tasty French dish. It’s elegant and delicious… a perfect dish to enjoy this summer!
Bon Appétit!
Here are several more tasty poultry recipes for you to enjoy…
– Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Garlic Sauce
– Asian Chicken Salad
– Cassoulet
– California Burgers
– Tandoori Chicken
– Mandarin Chicken
and for even more poultry recipes, click on this link… Recipe Category • Poultry
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Canard aux Montmorency
Hover to scale
Ingredients
- 4 large duck breasts, scored
- ground Himalayan sea salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste (I always use mixed peppercorns)
- 2 tbsp. Cognac
- 1/2 cup dry red wine such as Bordeaux
- 1 lb. (about 3 cups) Bing cherries, washed and pitted
- 1/4 cup cherry simple syrup see Recipe
- 1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
- 2 ounces Cherry Brandy
- 1 tsp. cornstarch (mixed with 1/4 cup cold water)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC
- Pat dry the breasts with paper towels and score in a crisscross pattern using a sharp knife; generously season the skins with salt and pepper and lightly on the meat side.
- In a cold pan, place breasts, skin side down, and then turn the heat on medium-high; cook for 6 to 7 minutes or until the skins are nicely browned.
- Flip over and transfer them immediately to the preheated oven. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until the internal temperature reads 140ºF.
- Meanwhile, warm up the Cognac in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
- In a separate bowl, add Bing cherries and pour in red wine. Stir well and macerate until ready to make the sauce.
- Remove the duck from the heat, ignite the warm Cognac and pour it over the breasts. Transfer them to warm serving plates, skin side up while making the sauce.
- Skim the fat from the pan and keep it for other recipes – should end up with 1 to 1 ½ tbsp. left in the pan.
- Pour in only the liquid from the cherries to the pan using a sieve; keep fruit on the side. Add cherry simple syrup and thyme leaves; stir well.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until the liquid has reduced by half, scraping the bottom to dislodge any brown bits.
- Add the Bing cherries and Cherry Brandy; cook for 2 minutes. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir until the sauce thickens.
- Slice the breasts before pouring the sauce over and garnish with the warm cherries. Serve with rice or potatoes and steamed vegetables.
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