My husband and I are crazy about duck. We love baked duck legs or duck fillets. When you serve duck for dinner, there is always some sense of celebration and the coziness of home. Light some candles, pour some red wine, and enjoy this restaurant-level meal.

Despite the long description in this recipe, the dish is prepared quickly. It only takes half an hour. If you don’t have pears, you can serve mashed potatoes or buttered white rice as a side dish.

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Duck Breast with Cherry Sauce and Pears

Recipe

PREP TIME	COOK TIME	MAKES
2-3 minutes	30-40 minutes	2 servings

INGREDIENTS (serves 2)

• 2 duck breasts
• 1 pear

For the sauce:

• 150 g (5,5 oz) seedless cherries
• 12-15 g (0,5 oz) ginger
• 5 cloves
• 2 allspice peppercorns
• 1 (25 g) shallot
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp port wine (or red wine)
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 1 tbsp butter

INSTRUCTIONS

Duck breasts:

1. Take the breasts out of the refrigerator ahead of time and remove the packaging. Warm to room temperature. If you can take the duck out 1 hour before cooking, do it!
2. Pat the breasts dry on all sides with a paper towel. Cut the skin diagonally with a sharp knife. An old knife will not to cut the skin deep enough and expose the meat.

Skillet: I highly recommend using a skillet with a thick bottom. A cast-iron one is ideal.

3. Place the breasts in a dry, cold skillet, skin side down, and fry over low heat until golden and the skin is crispy. It takes about 20 minutes. Check the skin from time to time so it doesn’t get too dark.

You need to roast the duck over low heat to melt out all the fat and make the skin thin and crispy. Meanwhile, the meat inside will cook evenly and gently become pink.

4. Turn the duck over and cook for another 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a plate, skin side up, and let stand for 5 minutes. Save the grease in the skillet. We will fry the pear slices in it. See the description after the sauce.

Sauce:

1. Cut the shallot into very small cubes.
2. Take 2 tablespoons of the fat the duck was roasted in or use regular vegetable oil.

You don’t have to wait for the duck to cook. Just take the fat out of the frying pan as soon as you have the right amount.

3. Fry the onions until soft over low heat. The onions should not change color. It takes about 10-15 minutes.
4. Add honey and caramelize for about 5 minutes. Pour in the vinegar and evaporate it.
5. Add the port, cherries, ginger, 1 tablespoon of water, and spices. When the cherries are thawed (if using frozen cherries), press them down with a spoon. Cook until the cherries let off their juice.
6. Add the butter and actively incorporate it into the sauce so that it thickens and adds luster to the sauce. Remove from the fire. Remove the cloves and allspice.

Pear:

1. Cut the pear into slices. Fry each piece on both sides over medium heat until golden.
2. Cut the duck lengthwise into slices. Salt and pepper each piece.
3. Pour the sauce onto a plate. Place the duck slices and pears on top. Serve immediately.

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