Honeyed Duck Breast With Dried Cherries
serves 2
Sweet-and-sour sauces coupling vinegar and honey are increasingly popular, especially for fowl. The powerful, sultry flavor of balsamic vinegar is just right for duck breast, whose taste and texture are surprisingly reminiscent of roast beef.
Read more about this recipe in The New Intercourses: An Aphrodisiac Cookbook.
1⁄4 cup dried cherries
1 duck breast, skin on (12 to 14 ounces)
1⁄2 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon shallots, minced
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
1⁄4 teaspoon dried rosemary or 1 sprig fresh rosemary
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
prep: 30 minutes
total: 1 hour
small bowl
small saucepan
small nonstick frying pan with cover
tongs
1. In a small bowl, cover the cherries with 1⁄2 cup boiling water. Let them plump for 20 to 30 minutes. Examine the skin of the duck breast carefully, removing any pin feathers.
2. Heat the oil in a small nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Place the duck breast in the pan, skin-side down, and sear until the fat begins to melt, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Turn the breast to sear the other side. Add the shallots and cook until they become translucent, about 2 minutes. Turn the breast again. Add the remaining ingredients (including the cherries and their soaking liquid), bring to a simmer, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook until medium-rare, about 12 minutes.
3. Remove the duck breast to a cutting board, and let it rest for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, raise the heat to high, bring the sauce to a boil, and cook until it is reduced by half and has the consistency of a thickened gravy.
4. Cut the duck breast crosswise into thin slices. Pour half the sauce onto each of two plates, divide the duck slices into two portions, and lay them on top of the sauce.
