Canard aux Montmorency
Elegant and delicious, this Canard aux Montmorency recipe is the perfect dish to serve for special occasions this summer.
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.